Sandy Springs Together: Working to ensure all neighbors have a voice

Melanie and David Couchman love Sandy Springs. They see it as a place rich with potential. Unfortunately, it is also a place where housing affordable for all income levels is becoming scarce, creating problems for employers, public schools and residents.

After a stint on a task force to study the redevelopment of the north end of Sandy Springs, the Couchmans were concerned by the lack of inclusion in decision-making. In one area that has 10,000 apartments in a three-mile stretch, a potential redevelopment would have pushed out nearly 20,000 residents — including nurses, teachers and police officers — but no apartment residents were represented on the task force membership. “This section is one of our richest areas of diversity,” said Melanie Couchman. “Such a redevelopment effort would likely have displaced many residents, dramatically changing the cultural, racial and ethnic make-up of the city.”

So, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Formed in 2019 as an extension of their small private foundation, the Couchman Noble Foundation, Sandy Springs Together seeks to amplify the voices of all residents to ensure thoughtful and inclusive land use and revitalization. The non-partisan project partners with resident leaders, offers leadership training and resources, and works to educate the community through research and active digital communications.

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“We look forward to many of the trails and parks that the city is proposing – we simply seek to include the voices of those residents who are often overlooked to ensure that all improvements also create or preserve housing affordability for families of all income levels so that they put down roots here, regardless of whether they rent or buy.” – Melanie Couchman

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Hear from a community organizer with Sandy Springs Together here.

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