GA 
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~M~Ib Georgia's 
Communities 
 
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i; Georgia Department of Community Affairs  1996 
 
PLANNING GROWING ACHIEVING 
 
 Georgia Department 01 Community Affairs 
Office of Coordinated Planning 60 Executive Park South, NE Atlanta, Georgia 30329 
July 1996 
 
 The Georgia Planning Act has been instrumental in belping our communities clarify their vision of the future and make significant progress toward becoming more efficient and effective local governments. 
 
I N TRoDucTI oN 
I n 1987, Governor Joe Frank Harris appointed a 35-member Growth Strategies Commission and charged it with developing a blueprint for Georgia's future growth and development. The Commission's recommendations, as well as the Planning Act of 1989 that resulted from them, took into consideration the history, culture, and traditions of Georgia and affirmed the importance of planning for the state's economic future and quality of life. Importantly, it maintained home rule and local autonomy while recognizing the need for more regional cooperation and planning. 
The keystone of the Georgia Planning Act was a comprehensive, coordinated planning process conducted at the local, regional, and state levels. To ensure uniformity and consistency, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) was charged with the overall management of this process. 
Underlying this planning effort was the belief that communities could achieve their goals by addressing a comprehensive range of issues in their local plans, including economic development, community facilities, demographics, housing, the environment, and land use. Cooperation among governments was encouraged in order to find solutions to a wide range of shared problems. The designers of the planning process felt that a more prosperous future could be achieved for Georgia and its communities through increased cooperation among local governments, emphasis on regionwide programs, new public/private initiatives, and increased coordination between state agencies. 
This publication highlights only a handful of the thousands of local accomplishments, efficiency improvements, and other "better ways of doing things" resulting from Georgia's Growth Strategies effort. Many other examples could have been chosen. We hope that those described here give the reader an idea of the remarkable diversity and outstanding quality of planning-related achievements across our state. 
 
JIM HIGDON, COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS 
Comprehensive planning is helping Georgia's counties more effectively manage change and progressively move into the 21st Century. 
JERRY GRIFFIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASSOCIATION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF GEORGIA 
Georgia's cities are putting long-range planning into action and are reaping the benefits of improved service delivery and quality growth. 
JIM CALVIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION 
Planning involves four steps-determining needs, setting goals, establishing priorities, and taking action. As this booklet shows, Georgia's communities don't stop at step three. 
BILL Ross, PRESIDENT, 
GEORGIA PLANNING ASSOCIATION 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
Adel City Manager John Flythe (standing, center) has found the City's geographic information system to be an exceptionally useful tooz. 2 
 
 A 
 
D 
 
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PLANNING, GROWING, ACHIEVING 
 
O ne of the best things that has come out of Adel's planning efforts is its geographic information system (GIS). It takes the data collected for the plan and puts it in a mapped format right at the City staff's fingertips. Roads, sewers, electric and gas lines, property lines, zoning, land use and many other kinds of information can be seen together. Superimposing these maps helps identify potential problems early so that action can be taken to deal with them. Also, having land use and economic development information readily available in a flexible format has been especially helpful when prospective businesses come to town. Several prospects have appreciated the savings of time it provides as they consider possible locations for new facilities. 
"We also use the GIS to help manage our city-owned utility systems," says Adel city manager John Flythe. "It brought us immediate savings in that department, already more than enough to pay for itself." 
FA NN I N 
CoUN TY 
 
Adel's GIS has helped the City manage its water system and other utilities more effectively. 
 
A key feature of Fannin County's comprehensive plan was the creation of a Community Development Council to oversee implementation of the plan. The Council, established in 1995, includes representatives from the county, cities, chamber of commerce, school board, and industrial development authority. Among the planned items that have been put into place are the hiring of a full-time grant coordinator, a feasibility study for the consolidation of local water systems, and a sales tax for roads and bridges. 
 
Fannin County's scenic beauty has attracted many new residents, bringing increased demands on local roads and utilities. 
 
3 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
Dalton Main Street Manager Gaile Jennings and Mayor Pro Tem Ray Elrod (right) check progress on construction o/new gateway to downtown. 4 
 
 D ALToN 
 
PLANNING, GROWING, ACHIEVING 
 
I n 1990, some 150 Dalton citizens divided into five task forces and met regularly over a period of a year. The immediate result of their work was Project 2000, the city's comprehensive plan. It did not go "on the shelf, gathering dust." Today, if there is any dust, it is at the construction sites of projects recommended in the plan. For example, the plan's extensive urban design section (a section added to state-required planning elements because it was a local concern) envisioned a new gateway to downtown, a restored tree-lined median along the city's Thornton Avenue, and a pedestrian trail system linking historic neighborhoods and major public buildings. Work on these projects, which will make a real difference in downtown Dalton's appearance, has begun. 
Having the plan was an important benefit in getting these improvements built. It provided continuity during periods of turnover on the City Council. Consensus for the plan had already been built with the public through the planning process. It also made Dalton's application for federal transportation enhancement funding assistance more competitive. 
 
Downtown Dalton's new gateway plaza under construction. Thornton Avenue in background. 
 
PEACHTREE CITY 
 
Peachtree City began comprehensive planning decades ago as one of several cities created in the U.s. as part of widespread experimentation in creating "new towns." The community has fared much better than many of its counterparts, becoming a real town of some 28,000 and growing. It has also been recognized as one of the most livable places in the nation. 
The city's industrial and office parks are home to many national and international companies. Shopping districts are carefully planned and managed, with strict sign and architectural design regulations to maintain the attractiveness of commercial streets. Many residents use golf carts not only for golf, but also for shopping and running errands, traveling on some 62 miles of off-street paths winding through all parts of the city. 
 
Peachtree City Mayor Robert Lenox. This off-street path passes in front of City Hall. 
 
5 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
The Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum in Pooler. 6 
 
 POOLEB. & 
CHATHAM COUNTY 
 
PLANNING, GROWING, ACHIEVING 
 
A lthough Chatham County and its cities prepared individual comprehensive plans, the communities joined together to prepare a common economic development plan because they realized that the impact of a new manufacturing plant or tourist attraction would extend beyond any particular local boundary. In tourism's case, local planners found that people were already coming to the area in huge numbers, but the length of stay was fairly short. By adding attractions, especially family-oriented sites, the community reasoned that it could encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more, and thus boost the economy. 
The brand new Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum will be one such attraction. With financing assistance from the local governments, the museum was recently completed at US. 80 and 1-95 in the suburban community of Pooler. It will soon be joined by a new water theme/recreation park, also in the 1-95 area. Together they will help capture a little bit more of the huge flow of vacationers along the interstate and encourage business visitors to bring their families and stay an extra day. 
 
The new museum tells the story of the famous "Mighty Eighth" Air Force. 
 
HALL COUNTY 
 
H all County also saw the value of tourism as a contributor to its economy. Its plan noted that the county's many interesting places and unique features could attract more visitors, but it would be necessary to help them find these widely dispersed sites. The plan recommended that a network of driving tours called Heritage Trails be created throughout the county. 
The project was completed in early 1996 with six routes marked by brown-and-white signs carrying distinctive logos. The signs stand at intersections where a turn is required or where drivers might feel unsure of their location. A printed trail guide with maps, directions, and information on places of interest supplements the signs in helping visitors see and understand the stories behind some of the county's most scenic and historic countryside. 
 
A Heritage Trail sign near Gillsville. 
 
7 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
sM YRN A 
 
Smyrna had an image problem. Although it had grown to become the state's thirteenth largest city, it had little urban identity. There was no obvious center of town, only a tiny dilapidated downtown that had long been bypassed bythe community's major thoroughfares. 
Recognizing that superficial "spruce-up" efforts downtown would have little effect, Smyrna instead decided to build a completely new city center next to the old. It would provide an array of services, would be marked by high quality urban design, and would be anchored by a new community center and a new library, each facing a new village green. 
Today, citizens have a city center of which they can be proud. The library and community center have recently been joined by two other new public buildings as well as a complex of new retail and office structures, all in a very pleasing architectural harmony. Soon to come is the ultimate tribute to any downtown: seventeen new single-family homes. 
 
Smyrna's community center and village green anchor the downtown ofone of Georgia's largest cities. 
 
HANCOCK COUNTY 
 
I n urban and suburban counties, fast-food outlets provide entry level, part-time jobs for teens, giving them work experience which can open doors to full-time employment upon graduation. Rural Hancock County, however, has few restaurants of any kind and almost no fast food. 
Local teens are not left out of the workplace though, thanks to the county's new Youth Opportunity Center, established as a goal in the comprehensive plan and built with a $376,000 Innovative Community Development Block Grant. At the YOC, young people learn the aspects of running a business by, in effect, running a business. The kids take care of food service, run recreational and tutoring programs, maintain the center's grounds, produce programs for a community cable TV channel, and take on various other jobs themselves, all with only a modicum of adult supervision. To be "hired," each teen must write and submit a resume and interview with a screening committee. The focus is on 10th through 12th graders, but the center also serves younger kids. Recently, the older group initiated and ran a summer camp for some 300 children! 
8 
 
Many Hancock County children enjoy summer camp thanks to the work of the county government and its Youth Opportunity Center. 
 
 Ro sw EL L 
 
PLANNING, GROWING, ACHIEVING 
 
Roswell's plan is based on the idea that a development boom is an opportunity to create and maintain a beautiful, high-quality urban environment. Acting on this opportunity, the city's planners looked around the nation at well-regarded, slightly larger cities having similar growth rates and demographics, and borrowed some of their good ideas and adapted them to fit the community's needs. For example, in a series of town meetings, Roswell citizens advocated protection of streams flowing into the Chattahoochee and preservation of horse farms in western Roswell. After looking at other cities' experiences with such issues, Roswell borrowed a stream/greenways concept from Boulder, Colorado and an estate/equestrian district idea from Lexington, Kentucky. 
To accommodate commercial development with the least intrusion into residential areas, the city set up six commercial districts, each with its own self-reinforcing character. They are the Commerce District (the new downtown), the Historic District (the old downtown), the Neon Zone (fast food, etc.), the Medical District, the Village District, and ION Alley (industry, office, networking). Each has its own unified approach to urban design supported by both public and private investment. 
 
High standards of urban design are transforming Roswell's commercial areas. 
 
HOMERVILLE 
 
H omerville's plan recognizes two Significant barriers to further economic development: inadequate wastewater treatment capacity and limited housing options for the employees of potential new businesses. Information in the plan indicates that a number of current workers are driving to jobs in Homerville while living in other communities where housing is more readily available. Perhaps more importantly, three different industrial prospects have been lost because of the wastewater and housing situations. 
To correct these problems, the city has begun efforts to encourage more residential development and to expand wastewater operations. A big step toward the latter goal was the recent receipt of a federal grant for constructing a state-of-the-art wastewater facility. 
 
Homerville gets a big checkfor planned infrastructure improvements. 
 
9 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
Mitchell County Commission Chairman Benjamin Hayward at one of the county's agribusinessfaGilities. 
10 
 
 PLANNING, GROWING, ACHIEVING 
 
MITCHELL COUNTY 
 
G oal Nine in Mitchell County's plan,"Promote agribusiness as a major source of basic economic activity," was to be implemented in part through Policy 9.3, "Identify processing plants which will utilize our local crops and resources." As it turned out, Mitchell County and Camilla probably did a little better than they expected. They competed for and landed a $40 million poultry plant employing over 1500 workers. The huge Cagle's, Inc. processing facility created even more jobs and investment by buying broilers from farmers within a 35-mile radius. 
The county was competitive because it had a strong agribusiness base, a capable work force, readily available water and sewer service from Camilla, and substantial state job tax credits. It also had planned to be competitive. 
 
Expanding agribusiness sector helps Mitchell County grow in other ways. 
 
BLACKSHEAR 
 
For many years, the southeast Georgia city of Blackshear was bisected by the busy tracks of CSX Railroad, creating a continuing problem for residents and visitors who needed to get from one side of town to the other. It was especially problematic for emergency vehicles. Frequently blocked tracks were also a hindrance to industrial development. 
Blackshear's comprehensive plan laid out a step-by-step approach to getting an overpass built. First, discussions with DOT were followed by planning for approach routes, then engineering, funding, contracting, and finally, construction. The bridge is now open and functioning as planned. 
 
Blackshear's Purdom Street railroad overpass. 
 
11 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
G ,AI I N N E T T 
CoU N TY 
 
The recently opened Sugarloaf Parkway in central Gwinnett County incorporates bikeways as recommended in Gwinnett 2002, the county's comprehensive plan. Gwinnett planners are also working with residential developers along the new road to help them build more bike-friendly streets and intersections. 
Another bikeway, built by the city of Suwanee along the flood plain of Suwanee Creek, had also been envisioned in the plan as a recreational greenway with a biking/walking path. It has recently been extended to a city park which itself has a sizeable trail system. In addition, joint-use easements along a new Suwanee/Ivy Creek underground utility line will allow a second extension of the trail several miles to the northeast. 
 
The Suwanee Creek trail links two city parks and an elementary school. More such links are plannedfor the near future. 
 
JA c K s o N 
 
I n Jackson, the City Council, acting as the planning committee, took a direct, hands-on approach and wrote the plan themselves. They were assisted by McIntosh Trail RDC planners who provided data and briefed them on the state's minimum planning standards. 
Of the many planning items considered, several stood out. The first was the lack of a truly useful future land use plan. The "FLUP" then in use was nearly a decade old and did not include zoning information. To bring it up to date, the Council evaluated existing land uses, considered growth pressures, and discussed how they wanted the town to develop. They then revised the planning map and zoned it appropriately. 
Writing the plan also led the city to get out of the garbage business. Difficulty in finding a landfill location as well as higher costs brought about by new solid waste regulations convinced the council to privatize the garbage service. 
12 
 
Jackson Mayor Charles Brown and the City Council wrote the city's comprehensive plan themselves. 
 
 PLANNING, GROWING, ACHIEVING 
HOUSTON, PULASKI 
& DOOLY COUNTIES 
H ouston County's plan assessed the local jail and determined that it lacks adequate capacity to accommodate the Middle Georgia county's expected future growth. Meanwhile, Houston's neighbors to the south and southeast, Dooly and Pulaski counties, also have found themselves in need of new jails. After analyzing their respective situations and recognizing that a single facility might serve the needs of all, the three counties recently formed a regional jail authority. By pooling their efforts, the three expect to take advantage of significant economies of scale that should save them millions of dollars in construction and operating costs. 
Houston, Pulaski, and Dooly counties may jointly build a new jail similar to this one under construction in southwest Georgia. 
MADISON COUNTY 
M adison County and its cities have accomplished many of the goals outlined in their 1991 comprehensive plan. Among these are a thorough survey of historic places, a National Register nomination for the town of Comer, a recycling program, and a county-wide address system. The county also has a new zoning ordinance that helps protect agricultural land, as well as a river corridor protection ordinance. The latter measure established 100-foot natural vegetative buffer zones alongside the Broad River and a part of the Hudson River, two of Georgia's most scenic waterways. These buffers will help reduce stream bank erosion and keep silt out of the waters. 
Madison County's scenic Broad River. 
13 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
BRooKs 
 
This small Fayette County town Cpop. 425) was marked by abandoned stores and other empty structures, but citizens knew that suburban growth was coming their way and they knew the town was going to change regardless of whether they took an active role. Fortunately, the townspeople of Brooks decided to become active. 
Their principal goal was to keep the town's rural, pastoral character while accepting growth. To accommodate commercial development, Brooks constructed a sewer system and upgraded the water system. But the city also took steps to steer any new businesses to the empty buildings and vacant lots in the center of town by building the sewer system there only. This was backed up by a town center ordinance, a subdivision ordinance, and the establishment of a design review board. The number of curb cuts on city streets was also limited. Taken together, these actions will tend to revitalize the center of town and accommodate development without destroying the rural landscape. 
 
Brooks Mayor Virgil Brownlee and the town center. 
 
BLAKELY & 
EARLY COUNTY 
 
The comprehensive plan called for streetscape improvements around the courthouse square and a coordinated design approach to pull together an attractive atmosphere in the downtown area. Blakely and Early County worked hard to get it done and the results are stunning. The courthouse square is now as impressive as any in the state with its new pedestrian-scaled streetlights, improved sidewalks, plantings on the courthouse grounds and at pedestrian crossings, and a magnificently rehabilitated courthouse. 
14 
 
Early County courthouse and downtown Blakely. 
 
 PLANNING, GROWING, ACHIEVING 
 
Bu LLo CH CoU N TY 
 
W hen Bulloch County put zoning into place a couple of years ago as a result of its planning process, an often-heard complaint was"I don't want anyone telling me what I can or can't do on my property." County officials still hear that, of course, but they also know that many citizens (including some former zoning opponents) understand that their investment in property, and their enjoyment of their homes, depends upon having reasonable limits on what can occur on the property next door to them. Like Georgians across the state, they understand that land uses that may be acceptable in some areas are not acceptable everywhere. With zoning, a community can legally insist that such uses go to areas where they are appropriate. 
Because of the university and strong business investment, Bulloch has grown significantly in recent years. Planning and zoning have helped the county work toward sound and orderly growth. 
 
Bulloch County's new zoning regulations will help protect the county's attractiveness as a place to live. 
 
GI LM ER CoUN TY 
 
G ilmer County's plan called for cleaning up Cox Creek, a tributary of the Ellijay River, by ridding it of the residential sewage discharge that had polluted it for years. But the county had limited funds, and there were many projects and needs identified in the plan. Gilmer County High School teacher Mark Stallings and his class pushed to keep the issue as a high priority. Their efforts got results when a CDBG grant application for the clean-up was approved. 
15 
 
Cox Creek flows clean again. 
 
 GEORGIA'S COMMUNITIES 
 
MONTICELLO & JASPER COUNTY 
 
Several Georgia communities included Olympics-related items in their five-year work programs. Writing their plan four years before the games, Monticello and Jasper County were not sure exactly what could be done for the Big Event, but they intended to do something to take advantage of the opportunity and stated so in the plan. Thus, the community was excited when it was announced that the Bermuda equestrian team had chosen the county as a training site-and disappointed when fate intervened and canceled those plans. Fortunately, other Olympic activities had been planned. Local elected official Sage Edwards and others had discussed possible Cultural Olympiad events and had decided on a gospel musical because they knew that visitors would be looking for things Southern. "Praise the Lord and Raise the Roof," a celebration ofAfrican-American church choir music, was the result. 
Despite its relatively small population, Jasper County is working to build a strong foundation for cultural activities. An ongoing project is the renovation of an old school into a community civic center (photo, right). 
 
Sage Edwards and Monticello Mayor Susan Holmes at the Jasper County Civic Center. 
 
MOUNT AIRY 
 
M any good things have come out of Mount Airy's planning efforts. One example is a new park built at the spring where the town began and where the downtown once stood. Another is the caboose on Main Street which serves as a local history museum. The Crepe Myrtle Festival, which celebrates some century-old specimens found here as well as many newer ones, was begun as a result of the plan. Mount Airy also has some new development tools: a city base map, zoning and development regulations, a planning commission, and the plan itself (it was the first comprehensive plan in the city's history). 
16 
 
The showy crepe myrtle is celebrated in Mount Airy's festival. 
 
 IN 
 
ADDITION 
 
  
 
Of the many planning success stories in Georgia, only a few could be told in the limited space available in this booklet. Among the others are the following: 
 
Trenton 
 
New City Hall 
 
Monroe County 
 
Water supply 
 
Wilkinson County 
 
Landfill 
 
Walton County 
 
Watershed protection 
 
Lincoln County 
 
Historic preservation 
 
Warm Springs 
 
Wastewater treatment 
 
Rome 
 
Bike trails 
 
Grantville 
 
Library/GED center 
 
Franklin/Heard County Literacy program 
 
Cuthbert 
 
Housing 
 
Statesboro , 
 
City and county offices 
 
Gainesville 
 
Main Street program 
 
Waverly Hall 
 
Housing 
 
Jakin 
 
Library, museum, and gazebo 
 
Troup County 
 
Recycling 
 
Manchester 
 
Water supply 
 
Temple 
 
Recreation 
 
Patterson 
 
Recycling 
 
Tybee Island 
 
Beach improvements 
 
Calhoun 
 
Main Street program 
 
Columbus 
 
Transportation 
 
Augusta 
 
Riverfront 
 
Hahira 
 
Housing 
 
Baconton 
 
Historic preservation 
 
Whitfield County 
 
Health department 
 
Cordele 
 
Housing 
 
 Georgia Department of Community Affairs 
60 Executive Park South, N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30329-2231 
(404) 679-4940 
An Equal Opportunity Employer 
Publication No. 0267 
If you are disabled and would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please contact the Georgia Oepartment of Community Affairs at (404) 679-4950 or 
(404) 679-4915 (TOO) or 1 (800) 736-1155 (TOO). 
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