A citizens group that has organized a public meeting next week about the fate of Sprayberry Crossing Shopping Center (previous East Cobb News post here) is sending word about the elected officials who are expected to be in attendance.
They include Cobb commission chairman Mike Boyce, District 3 commissioner JoAnn Birrell, and State Rep. Don Parsons. The Sprayberry Crossing Action Facebook group also has invited State Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick.
Boyce and Parsons will be among those speaking and will take questions after their remarks.
The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. next Wednesday, March 21, in the theater of Sprayberry High School (2525 Sandy Plains Road).
The citizens group organized the meeting to prompt action on the run-down shopping center on Sandy Plains Road near Piedmont Road. While there are a few tenants, most of Sprayberry Crossing has been long-vacant and is in deteriorating condition.
Last month, the Cobb Community Development Department sent a notice to Brennan Goddard, a commercial real estate agency representing the shopping center property owner, to propose an improvement plan under the county’s new “blight tax” provision (previous East Cobb News post here).
Among the issues cited in the county’s letter, in addition to the decay of the buildings, are numerous police calls to the shopping center, and signs of possible gang activity at a former bowling alley.
Shane Spink, one of the leaders of the Sprayberry Crossing Action group, told East Cobb News that the property owners have been invited to “attend every meeting we have had on this site but they have always chosen not to attend.”
Spink said “this one is no different and they will have seats saved with their names on it but I wouldn’t bet on them coming.”
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