All Eyes (and Ideas) on Buckhead’s Future Wanted
A few weeks ago, we talked about the importance of zoning and the City of Atlanta’s Zoning 2.0 effort. Today it’s time to talk about the Comprehensive Development Plan, zoning’s forward-looking companion. Unlike the zoning code, which speaks to what you can do with your property today, the CDP discusses what we want from our community in the coming years (and decades). Every local government in the state of Georgia is required to maintain such plans and update them every three to five years. This year it is once again time for the City of Atlanta to update their CDP plan, also known as Plan A.
The city kicked off this effort on Feb 29, 2024, with a series of workshops to gather information from around Atlanta. Two were held in Buckhead, one on March 26 at Buckhead Library and the other on April 23 at Northside Library. People who did not want to attend an in-person meeting had the opportunity to comment online. From that input, city staff and consultants have now released the first part of the actual Plan A document and are looking for your input. It discusses all the land use related decisions and zoning codes that each land use type includes. There are low resolution maps, charts, tables and pictural examples of land use types. It also includes the overarching narrative of the entire CDP process, historical events and framework. There are both citywide and land use specific policies.
It is important to mention that this document is incomplete as only one of the nine Planning Elements is included for review. The remaining eight which cover transportation, housing, development, broadband, ecology, urban design, historic preservation and public safety will not be released until October 2024. For those of you who want to zoom in and see the actual land use maps in greater detail, click here.
This is where you come in! These documents and maps need a local review from those who know Buckhead best. And there are a few ways to participate. The easiest perhaps is to comment directly on each of the documents. Simply click on the part of the document you want to suggest or ask a question about and add it. It is that simple. These documents are again:
If you do not want to navigate a full plan, the city has a map-specific survey open as well.
Do not take too long waiting around to provide your input on the future of Buckhead and the City of Atlanta—input and surveys end for this section of Plan A on July 19, 2024!
As for Zoning 2.0—we have not forgotten about that! So far, no deadlines have been set for comments so please interact with the documents directly at this location. The city will also host an online Q & A coming up on July 9 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Click here for more information about that.
