Residents comment on proposed cultural center

  • 2022-08-18
The City of Sandy Springs is getting feedback from the community on a proposal to build a new cultural center worth $6 million.

The cultural center will host the Anne Frank in the World exhibit as well as the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust. The proposed site for the cultural center is Heritage Sandy Spring’s former home at 6110 Blue Stone Road. The proposal seeks to demolish the Bluestone building and construct a new facility. The project would also construct offices for the police department and Visit Sandy Springs. Graphic design is typically used to illustrate a project’s floor plans and give artists’ impressions.

The preferred plan is to put up a new building with 13,000 square feet of floor space. 8,700 square feet will be dedicated to the exhibits for the Holocaust Commission. City Attorney Dan Lee expressed that the city would have to retain control and ownership of the building for legal reasons. Visit Sandy Springs and the Holocaust Commission would pay rent based on the center’s construction costs. The commission would be given a lease for 20 years with two options for five-year extensions.

The residents who were in favor of building the new cultural center feel that it is a great opportunity to attract more tourists to Sandy Springs, and will be a great way to educate Georgia’s citizens. Those who are against the new cultural center feel that a cultural center would not be the best way to use taxpayer dollars.