South Fulton launches five-year comprehensive plan update; planning commission weighs several rezonings and tightens public‑participation rules

The South Fulton Planning Commission on Wednesday began the city'025 comprehensive-plan update and approved changes to how developers must notify and engage the public on zoning cases.

The meeting, held in the newly renovated city hall at 5440 Fulton Industrial Boulevard, opened with staff presentations on the comprehensive-plan timeline and community outreach, followed by public comments and a series of contested rezoning cases. The commission also voted to recommend amendments to the city—ode that will require developers to give earlier notice, hold in-person (or hybrid) meetings and provide records of those meetings to city staff.

The comprehensive-plan presentation: why it matters

Randy Gibbs of the Sizemore Group told the commission the update is required by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for the city to maintain "qualified local government" status, which in turn supports grant eligibility through the Atlanta Regional Commission and the state. Gibbs said the update will include a parcel‑by‑parcel review of future land use, a report of accomplishments for the 2021 plan, and a new five‑year community work program with an implementation matrix showing responsible parties and high‑level cost estimates.

Gibbs said the consultant team aims to produce a draft by the end of June and a final package for ARC and the Department of Community Affairs by the end of October. He described a three‑phase public outreach schedule with listening sessions beginning Feb. 18 and Feb. 24, district workshops in early April and final recommendation hearings in late spring and summer, and said the project will include pop‑ups, a bus tour and an online engagement portal.

Reginald McClendon, director of Community Development and Regulatory Affairs, told the commission that a project website will be the central repository for materials, meeting recordings and public comments, and that staff will build a persistent distribution list pulled from existing contacts as part of the city—ffort to keep engagement materials available over time.

Public input and common concerns

During the public‑comment segment, residents raised consistent requests for clearer, earlier notices and for a range of…