South Fulton presents draft comprehensive plan and new future‑land‑use map; council and residents ask for more outreach

City consultants from the Sizemore Group presented the draft 2025–2045 Comprehensive Plan and a proposed future‑land‑use map to Mayor and Council on Oct. 14, asking for permission to forward the draft for state review and for comment from neighboring jurisdictions.

What was presented

Deanna Murphy of the Sizemore Group summarized the plan's process, elements and public outreach. The plan consolidates prior studies and public engagement conducted in 2024–2025, updates the city's vision and goals, adds two new goal categories (community communication & coordination; infrastructure & facilities), and proposes revisions to the future‑land‑use map and "character areas" such as entertainment nodes, agribusiness corridors, a film industry area and riverfront development.

Murphy said the plan proposes adjusted residential densities in selected live‑work categories — for example, raising the top end in some areas to allow townhouse and garden‑style apartment types where appropriate (village live‑work: 9–15 units/acre; community live‑work: 15–25 units/acre; regional live‑work: 25–50 units/acre) — and added a category to preserve conservation and parklands. She said the community work program will be translated into a five‑year departmental work list.

Public comment and council reaction

At the required public hearing that followed the presentation, several residents and community leaders urged slower timetables and more outreach. Michael Venable and other speakers opposed certain entertainment designations and raised concerns about increasing density along long‑standing neighborhoods on Old National. Penny Webster Lewis and others said some map colors and category labels are too similar and recommended clearer definitions; Webster Lewis specifically called the density increases "excessive" for some areas.

Council members generally praised the consultants' outreach effort but asked for more opportunities to review detailed maps and to host additional district‑level meetings. Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis and others asked that the plan better protect agricultural land and include clearer labelling for adjacent jurisdictions so that rezoning conflicts at jagged municipal borders can be tracked. Councilman J.C. Sebastian asked about the intergovernmental review process; staff said neighboring jurisdictions (e.g., Union City, East Point, Fairburn) will be sent the draft as part of the state review process.

Next steps

Murphy and staff recommended forwarding the draft to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for review once the city adopts a resolution to do so; the consultants said DCA/ARC review typically takes up to 30 days, followed by any required revisions and the council's final adoption. Staff told council they had already scheduled a second public hearing for Nov. 12 and proposed a vote on a final version in December, but council members asked for additional district meetings and more time for residents to submit comments online and via the interactive future‑land‑use map.

Ending

Staff emphasized the plan's link to state grant eligibility and capital programming; consultants said the blueprint is intended to guide the city's department‑level work programs for the next five years as well as the 20‑year vision. Council instructed staff to expand outreach, clarify map graphics and provide more plain‑language materials before a final vote.