DAHLONEGA, Ga. — Lumpkin County officials met with Caleb Davidson, a regional planner with the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Commission, Tuesday in an ongoing effort to draft the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

Davidson said the plan is important because it helps communities plan for future commercial, economic and residential development. “Once the community develops a vision, the comprehensive plan will help them to realize that vision,” he added.

Counties are required to adopt a comprehensive plan as a legal basis for land use planning and to qualify for state and federal grants.

Officials spent much of the two-hour meeting adopting the vision statement: “An historic mountain community merging small town tradition with responsible, focused growth while promoting the expression of recreational living and southern charm.”

Stakeholders are invited to provide input at a public hearing scheduled March 31 at 6 p.m. in the County Administration Building.