LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga.- Adam Hazell of the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission presented the board with the 2022 comprehensive plan draft for their adoption.

Adam Hazell while presenting the findings to the board of commissioners.

The comprehensive plan draft outlines the community vision, community needs and opportunities, and the implementation program to make that vision happen. This draft will have to be changed once again after the commissioners finish their land-use revisions. For more information on that visit https://lumpkin.fetchyournews.com/2022/01/25/public-hearing-for-land-use-framework-revisions/.

The community vision has four big ideas. The ideas are to preserve Lumpkin County’s rural character, focus economic development on industries compatible with the rural character, pursue and celebrate government efficiency and effectiveness, and the county must address the evolution of housing types and affordability.

Community vision comes from public input, the assessment of current needs and goals. The public was able to provide input during public meetings and surveys.

The comprehensive plan is then broken down into community developmental strategies. The developmental strategies are broadband assessments, environmental assessments, community facilities and services, land use assessments, and recommended character areas.

The map shows the areas of broadband access in Lumpkin County.

The broadband assessments focus on how much broadband access the county currently has. The assessment also reviews the quality of the broadband offered in the county.

Environmental assessment reviews the different environments in the county. The assessment also reviews the criteria for environmental planning.  Community facilities and services are an assessment of the different areas in the county and the targets and needs of the departments.

The land use assessments are assisting the growth that is experienced in the county and how it affects the character area maps. Currently, the county is in talks to revise the framework for their land-use codes. Once these have been revised the comprehensive plan can and will be revised as well.

In the implementation program, there are four main components. Those are community needs and opportunities, reports of accomplishments, community work programs, policies, and long-term objectives. These areas will help the county to accomplish the vision.

The commissioners will be voting on adopting the comprehensive plan at the meeting on Feb. 15 at 6:00 p.m. There will be another work session for the commissioners to review just before the meeting at 5:30 p.m. To view the full comprehensive plan visit http://lumpkincountyga.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=1&ID=1577&Inline=True the plan begins on page 27.