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Image Credit: SFC Art Department
Sandy Springs, Georgia, Mayor Rusty Paul can’t help but smile when he struggles to find parking around City Hall. Likewise, Paul is fine patiently waiting to try the new pizzeria that’s attracting massive crowds with its star-shaped pies.
The Mayor isn’t just being polite or political with his accommodating attitude. Paul sees these minor inconveniences as evidence that one of the city’s key developments is “serving its purpose,” as he says.
City Hall is not a standalone building in this city, which was incorporated in 2005. Paul’s office, as well as the rest of the local government, is located within City Springs, a 14-acre, walkable mixed-use district that opened in May 2018.
City Springs is a testament to the benefits cities across the country are enjoying by constructing venues that serve multiple purposes. The facilities can attract out-of-town events, artists, and visitors, as well as serve as a magnet for locals looking for a night on the town, and businesses taking their staff and clients out of the office for meetings, teambuilding, awards banquets, and other special events.
As a result, City Springs and similar flexible venues not only generate important economic impact but also significantly improve the residents’ quality of life.
Hosting about 300 events per year, including concerts, Broadway-style shows, a weekly farmers market, and holiday celebrations, City Springs has given Sandy Springs an identity it was previously lacking, Paul says, lamenting that there wasn’t a place to gather until the facility was built.
Moreover, Sandy Springs was the epitome of the divide between the ITP (inside the perimeter) and OTP (outside the perimeter) in the greater Atlanta metropolitan region. “The perimeter” is the unofficial name for Interstate 285, which loops around Atlanta. Generally speaking, those inside the perimeter tend to be younger professionals and individuals who enjoy an active nightlife. Outside the perimeter, lifestyles are more consistent with suburban norms, ideal for young families and small business owners seeking more affordable rent than in downtown areas.
“We used to be a beautiful collection of strip malls,” Paul says Sardonically.
In that same vein, the south side of Sandy Springs tended to identify with the luxe shopping and dining scene in Buckhead, while northern residents opted to make their way toward Roswell, a thriving suburb north of the city, for shopping and dining. Even Sandy Springs’ old City Hall’s official address was in next-door Dunwoody.
“We wanted to keep people from leaving Sandy Springs,” Paul explains, noting eight Fortune 500 companies are located within the city limits.
The facility’s hub includes office space, a 50,000-sq.-ft. Performing arts theater and a smaller studio, and is surrounded by the Great Lawn. Restaurants and shopping complete the experience. Paul likes to say visitors can spend 12–16 hours there, enjoying shopping, dining, and theater/ arts performances all within walking distance within one development, with an underground parking garage there for convenience.
About 500,000 visitors use the grounds annually, a number that could grow significantly in the coming years. Paul hopes to break ground on Phase 2 of City Springs later this year in hopes of it opening in two to three years, before his current term ends. That project will add more retail, restaurants, and housing. Paul places an emphasis on residences based on advice he learned from famed developer John Portman.
Commercial real estate giant Trammell Crow has also broken ground on Hillcrest, an 8.1-acre mixed-use community adjacent to City Springs. Hillcrest will include 362 premium apartment units, 30 luxury for-rent townhomes, and more than 19,000 square feet of retail space integrated with a central greenspace plaza. The project will feature a three- to five-story apartment building with a parking garage accommodating over 100 public parking spaces for city events and retail, according to Trammell Crow’s website.
“Our public investment has spurred private development,” says Paul.
As a symbol of City Springs’ impact, the post office has finally recognized Sandy Springs as a mailing destination. “You don’t have to write ‘Atlanta’ anymore,” Paul says.
Founded in 1836, Janesville, Wisconsin, has a long history of blending strong industry and economic success with its abundance of beautiful parks and recreational areas.
But when planning for the future, the central Wisconsin city is looking inward. The Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center promises to be a major positive force built on a site that had little chance for growth.
The facility, which opened last year, features an ice arena with two NHL-sized ice rinks, one that’s available year-round for ice sports and one that converts between ice, courts, turf, and space for corporate meetings or special events.
“We identified a lot of gaps in our community programming that led us to want to create a facility that had a lot of flexibility,” says Jennifer Petruzzello, neighborhood and community services director for the City of Janesville.
Image Credit: Woodman’s Center
The timing could not be better, as the Woodman’s Center opening coincided with the closing of the city’s primary ice sheet. Now, the facility and Janesville Convention & Visitors Bureau are working together to create revenue-generating events that spur business development and opportunities for local and regional athletes to compete on a premier surface.
In the building’s first year, Janesville went from hosting one youth hockey tournament to six and also produced a top-tier scouting event spotlighting players from 18 regional teams, according to Tony Thiry, general manager of The Woodman’s Center. It also supports Beloit College’s new men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, which both practice and play on site. Janesville Jets, a North American Hockey League team, also calls the Woodman’s Center home.
Other events already held on-site include an MMA fight night, cheerleading and gymnastics competitions, a trading card show, a pickleball tournament, a New Year’s Eve celebration for 1,400 attendees, as well as non-profit fundraising events, business meetings, special events, and public meetings.
Thiry acknowledges that there is learning as the center grows in terms of reputation and business.
“We’re trying to get anything and everything in to see what works for us,” he says.
According to the Janesville CVB, there was a 200% increase in events, 135% in economic impact, and 25% increase in room tax revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 over the prior year. That added up to an economic impact of more than $5.8 million in the first quarter of operations.
The results are validation of the feasibility study and planning that went into constructing the Woodman’s Center, says Christine Rebout, executive director of the Janesville CVB. “Our hotels, restaurants, and hospitality businesses did well June through October, and we knew that youth sports and weekday corporate business were the best way to move the needle in the winter months,” she says.
All of the parties involved — the city, CVB, and the professional firm that manages the facility (Sports Facilities Companies) — agree the community embracing the $46 million project is a key driver for its success. Support for this project began when the owners of the mall where the vacant Sears stood sold the land to the city for $1. They recognized the potential, says Petruzzello.
The Friends of the Woodman’s Center, a nonprofit group that has coordinated the effort to build the facility since 2019, raised $9 million, one of the largest private fundraising campaigns in Janesville’s history.
Research led by the UW-Whitewater Fiscal and Economic Research Center showed that the center would create an annual economic impact of $23 million. The CVB hopes to add an on-site hotel property, as well as indoor playgrounds, adventure parks, arcades, and gaming for youth, says Rebout. A new children’s museum is slated to open in October.
Thiry sees the facility as an ideal venue for regional hockey tournaments and niche events. He expects participation in learn-to-skate and youth hockey programs to surge based on Alysa Liu’s figure skating gold, and Team USA winning the gold medal in men’s, women’s, and para ice hockey this winter. Closer to home, the University of Wisconsin Badgers won the NCAA women’s hockey championship, and the men reached the tournament final.
Demand doesn’t appear to be an issue, says Petruzzello. “This is a long-term municipal facility. It’s expected to be a fixture for generations.
