SANDY SPRINGS, Ga.,None — Several years ago the city of Sandy Springs passed a policy saying no new big boxes could open downtown.
But after rumors flew about a Walmart moving in, the city discovered its laws wouldn't stop those stores from coming.
Howard Austin said he moved into his townhome in downtown Sandy Springs for a reason.
"I can walk to almost everything," he said.
So when the retired doctor heard rumblings a Super Walmart might move in across Roswell Road he was concerned.
"Walmart will kill most small businesses," Austin said.
"The community obviously does not want the Walmart store there," Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos said.
The city echoed those sentiments in 2007, passing a policy banning stores with more than 30,000 square feet from moving into the city's downtown, between Interstate 285 and Abernathy Road.
When neighbors pitched a fit about the phantom Walmart, Galambos said the city discovered a big problem: City zoning laws didn't put teeth to the policy.
"The ordinance needs to be amended to include what was in the plan," Galambos said.
The city council passed a 90-day moratorium on big boxes while attorneys rework the law.
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"I think that Sandy Springs government shouldn't be in the land development business," said big box supporter Karen Friedenberg, who works for a commercial real estate developer.
She argues the city's shooting itself in the foot.
"I think Sandy Springs needs the tax base, as opposed to having two empty buildings," Friedenberg said.
Walmart told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution it wasn't considering the land on Roswell road.
Meantime, the city has put out requests for consultants to help guide the downtown redevelopment process.