Sandy Springs' Only Dog Park Finally Stays Dry. Here's Why It Took Two Years.

Sandy Springs' renovated dog park cost about $1.04 million. The permission to build it cost $10.

That $10 is what the city agreed to pay Georgia Power for a second amendment, approved by the City Council in October 2025, to the lease on the land under Morgan Falls Dog Park. The $1.04 million is the total project budget listed in the city's 2027 budget. About $560,000 had been spent as of late September, and the rest is expected to go out this fiscal year, Rough Draft Atlanta reported. The construction budget covered the work itself. Before the shade, water and wash station could go in, the city also needed a change to its lease, because the land belongs to a power company with a working hydroelectric dam next door.

City leaders cut the ribbon on October 14 at 100 Morgan Falls Road. If you've been going there with a muddy dog for years, here is why the fix took so long and what the park looks like now.

The land under the dog park belongs to the dam

Georgia Power owns the 3.4-acre dog park and the land around it, right up against the Morgan Falls Dam. The dam was built in 1904 and still produces hydroelectric power. Sandy Springs has never owned the ground its dogs run on. The city leases it.

That arrangement goes back to April 2012, when the city signed its original lease with Georgia Power to provide river access and a dog park. A first amendment in May 2022 cleared the way for the first section of the Springway Trail. When the city went back for the dog park upgrades, the utility asked for something specific. Recreation and Parks Director Brent Walker told the City Council that Georgia Power required a second amendment because the work would use conductive materials, meaning the new shade structures, dog agility equipment, a wash station, improved ground cover, and drainage.

City staff had already sent a concept design to Georgia Power for review. Walker said the amendment "gives us the authority to have access to the property to do the construction," and that construction documents could follow once it passed, according to Rough Draft Atlanta. Even the hose needed approval. The wash station required installing a water meter on utility property, and Mayor Rusty Paul thanked Georgia Power for allowing it at the ribbon-cutting.

Mud was the complaint, and the earth moved first

The park's problem was never hard to identify. In a 2024 city survey, one of the most common complaints was that the park didn't stay dry. Before the renovation it was, in Rough Draft Atlanta's words, "a muddy floodplain along the Chattahoochee River." The mayor said as much at the ceremony: "There was plenty of mud for my golden here for a long time."

The project ran in two phases over two years, with the lease amendment between them:

The fall 2024 earthwork channeled water away from the park, regraded the site, and removed a few trees. It dealt with the drainage before the visible upgrades arrived. The amenities came after the lease was settled.

What residents asked for at the February 2024 open house matches what got built. Rough Draft Atlanta reported requests for drinking fountains, more shade, and a fence moved closer to the sidewalk. Ideas the city floated to residents included drainage in the large-dog area, shade, furnishings, fountains, and dog-washing stations. "We worked hard to fix the drainage issues here, and we spent a lot of time soliciting feedback from the community and our dog owners," Paul said at the ribbon-cutting, Rough Draft Atlanta reported.

What's inside the fence now

The park still has two fenced areas, one for small dogs and one for large dogs. According to the city, the finished project added:

• Shade structures
• Drinking fountains and water stations
• A wash station for hosing dogs off before the drive home
• Climbing boulders, benches, and picnic tables
• Waste stations
• New grass and mulch on the regraded ground
• An ADA parking space and hardscape for people who need extra support getting in

Walker explained the wash station with the river in mind: "If your dog likes to get in the river or gets dirty out there, you can actually hose them off before you take them home," he told Rough Draft Atlanta. The fenced park is on a gravel road across from a state Department of Natural Resources boat ramp. The Chattahoochee is a short walk from the gate, and the wash station is the city's answer to that.

Walking in on the Springway

The dog park sits on the Springway Trail segment that runs from Morgan Falls Overlook Park across Orkin Lake to Cimarron Parkway and Roswell Road. The city calls this the Springway Morgan Falls Connector. It's a 1.88-mile route between Overlook Park and Roswell Road at Cimarron Parkway, with access to the river. If you live near that end of Roswell Road, you can walk your dog to the park instead of driving.

If you drive, the city says Springway visitors can park at the dog park lot. That means the dog crowd and the trail crowd share the same spaces. A few rules apply on the trail itself. It's open dawn to dusk, dogs must be on a short leash and walked on the right shoulder, and cyclists should wear helmets and pass on the left. The city parks page lists Morgan Falls Overlook Park as open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. On a November weekday, the Springway's dawn-to-dusk window closes earlier than that.

The rest of Morgan Falls is on the same slow clock

The dog park is the first of several projects along this stretch of the river, and the others are moving at the same careful pace.

At Morgan Falls Overlook Park, the city plans a new kayak boathouse and more storage because so many people use the kayak launch. In mid-October, Walker said the new dock was being manufactured and would be floated down the river. "So, [the new dock] could show up any day now. It'll happen, hopefully this fall," he said, as Rough Draft Atlanta reported. The city already renovated the Overlook Park restrooms earlier this year.

The bigger project is the Morgan Falls Athletic Complex. Plans call for artificial turf on all 10 fields, new parking, and stormwater work to prevent flooding. Walker said the city hopes to start in mid-2027 and finish around 2028, scheduled around the Sandy Springs Youth Association's games. Like the dog park, the athletic complex has a drainage problem to solve first and a long timeline to match.

The dog park is already done. It's still the city's only public space where large and small dogs can run around outside, and as of October 14 that space is regraded ground with new sod and mulch where the mud used to be.

If you want to know what's being built along the Springway and the river corridor before you buy or sell nearby, Brandon Patterson & Company keeps close track of the north end of Sandy Springs, park projects included. Request a private consultation, and we will go over what's finished, what's scheduled, and what it means for your street.