The City of Sandy Springs has approved an incentive package to support Woodfield Development’s planned overhaul of the North River Shopping Center into a mixed-use neighborhood. The action moves forward a proposal that would replace the aging commercial complex with a blend of multifamily housing, for-sale townhomes, street-facing retail, new restaurant space and a public park.
Woodfield Development intends to transform a significant portion of the 13-acre site at 8830 Roswell Road, where it currently has approximately eight acres under contract. Under the plan, the new neighborhood would introduce 336 multifamily residences alongside 85 for-sale townhomes, creating a substantial new residential community anchored by ground-floor commercial uses and public open space.
To help advance the project and its associated community benefits, Sandy Springs City Council approved a package of targeted incentives tied to the redevelopment. The incentives are structured to lower up-front costs for the developer while aligning benefits with the city’s redevelopment objectives and delivery of the new public park.
The incentive package includes waiving the city’s recreation impact fees and building permit fees for the project, reducing municipal costs related to approvals and entitlements. In addition, the city is recommending that the Sandy Springs Development Authority authorize a 10-year property tax abatement for the redevelopment.
Combined, the incentives are valued at just over $4,300,000. The benefits are contingent on the demolition of the existing shopping center and the construction of the approved redevelopment program, including the city park, by Woodfield Development. This structure is designed to ensure that public incentives are delivered only as the project achieves defined milestones.
The redevelopment will replace an older retail center with a more intensive mix of uses, boosting residential density at the site while maintaining retail and restaurant components. The introduction of a public park as part of the plan is intended to serve both new residents and the broader community, integrating open space into a largely commercial corridor.
Woodfield Development is expected to spearhead all aspects of the redevelopment process for the portion of the property it controls. The remaining acreage on the 13-acre site was not described in the city’s announcement, and no additional ownership or partnership details were disclosed in the information released.
According to the city, construction on the North River Shopping Center redevelopment is anticipated to begin later this year, following demolition of the existing improvements. No construction timeline beyond the expected start date was provided, and specific delivery timing for the residential units, retail space and park has not yet been publicly detailed.
