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Peachtree City steering committee moves to hire consultant, sets multi‑year timeline for UDO rewrite
Summary
After a presentation from Fayetteville’s planning director, Peachtree City’s UDO steering committee agreed the city should hire a consultant to draft a Unified Development Ordinance and laid out a timeline extending to late 2026, with staff to pursue funding and procurement steps.
Peachtree City’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) steering committee discussed seeking a consultant and a multi‑year schedule for drafting a new UDO after hearing how Fayetteville reorganized its development code, members said.
The committee heard from David Rast, Fayetteville’s Community and Economic Development Director, who described how his office consolidated zoning, land‑development and administrative provisions into a single UDO and completed a rezoning effort for a 900‑acre downtown area. “When I started with Fayetteville, they had gone through a process … and it was one of the most confusing documents I’ve ever looked at as far as planning,” Rast said.
The committee said the item matters because a UDO governs what property owners and developers can build and how projects are reviewed. Members set an internal timeline that extends through December 2026 for completing the draft and acknowledged that cleanup amendments will follow after adoption.
Steering committee members and staff agreed Peachtree City lacks the internal bandwidth and specialized publishing skills—graphics, tables and a user‑friendly layout—that successful UDOs require. A city staff member, Laura, told the committee staff cannot complete the full drafting work alongside regular duties and recommended hiring a consultant to prepare the draft text and illustrative materials while staff and the steering committee provide oversight and local knowledge. “We will not be able to drop the file of that caliber with the level of work that we have on our table,” Laura said.
Committee members discussed procurement and budget steps. The group asked staff to confer with City Manager Justin about available funds and whether the city can reserve or encumber money for a consulting contract. The committee indicated it expects an RFP that will list selection criteria and that staff maintain a local list of consulting firms with UDO experience.
Committee members also discussed public outreach: two rounds of public education sessions were recommended, with the committee planning a follow‑up briefing for City Council in late 2025 or early winter (targeting November–December) to present a working draft and lessons learned from Fayetteville. The committee emphasized that drafting is only one phase and that the UDO will require follow‑up amendments after adoption.
Staff and committee members agreed to practical next steps: ask the city manager about budget and encumbrance options, finalize a short list of potential consultants and publish an RFP using sample language from other cities, and have city IT create a dedicated UDO email account routed through staff for security and recordkeeping.
The committee did not adopt an ordinance or make a final contract award at the meeting; members described the session as a direction‑setting discussion and a request that staff begin procurement conversations and assemble materials for a formal consultant selection process.
