Henry County commissioners table proposed change to schedule for comprehensive plan amendments after public comment

Henry County held a public hearing Jan. 7 on a proposed amendment to the Unified Land Development Code that would change the schedule and procedures for reviewing amendments to the Henry County Comprehensive Plan and its future land use map. After discussion among commissioners and a series of public comments, the board voted to table the ordinance to allow staff to rewrite certain provisions.

Planning staff had proposed language to limit comprehensive-plan amendment hearings to a biannual schedule (the second and fourth quarters), with an explicit clause allowing additional hearings "as directed by the board of commissioners upon a majority vote." Staff said the objective was to reduce the frequency of changes to the comprehensive plan and to give staff and the board time to evaluate amendment requests in consolidated hearings.

Commissioners expressed differing views. Some commissioners said a single annual review would meet the objective of limiting amendment frequency and asked for firmer calendar guidance (for example, a single annual hearing in July). Others favored the staff recommendation for biannual hearings and an explicit carve-out allowing the board to schedule additional hearings when warranted, such as to align with a master plan adoption.

Public commenters urged the board to preserve residents' ability to challenge plan changes. Jocelyn Williams, a resident of Stockbridge, said she opposed limiting review frequency because she viewed the restriction as a tool that could slow or reduce public scrutiny of proposed land-use changes. Representatives of Conserv Henry requested that the board consider how the change would affect public accountability and asked the board to ensure that the amendment would not diminish residents' ability to oppose applications inconsistent with the future land use map.

County staff told the board that options included accepting applications year-round but scheduling hearings once or twice annually, or continuing to accept applications but recommending automatic denial for applications not consistent with the adopted future land use map (which would prevent reapplication for a year). The county manager also noted that a board-adopted master plan could be bundled with a comprehensive-plan amendment as part of the board's approval of the master plan.

After the public hearing, a motion to table the ordinance passed. The board requested staff return with revised language that addresses commissioners' concerns about timing and exceptions. The item will return for a future meeting with revised verbiage and without an immediate decision on the frequency option.