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Elbert County steering committee reports survey: residents favor preserving rural character, cite poor roads
Summary
The comprehensive-plan steering committee reported Oct. 16 open-house results to the Planning Commission: nearly 1,000 respondents emphasized preserving county heritage and open space, limited new residential development, and poor road conditions; staff said draft plan work is ~40–50% complete with adoption targeted for spring.
The Elbert County Planning Commission received an update Oct. 21 on comprehensive-plan outreach and survey results that staff and commissioners said will guide forthcoming regulatory changes.
Commissioner Nicole Hunt, who serves on the steering committee, said the committee’s Oct. 16 open house and survey drew nearly 1,000 responses. "Ninety-eight percent of those who responded believe that Elbert County has a heritage worth preserving," she said, summarizing top priorities. She told the commission that 75% of respondents said no new residential development is needed, 81% identified current road conditions as a weakness, 90% supported preserving open space and creating recreational trails, and the most common single-word vision chosen by respondents was "rural." The open house itself hosted roughly 50 attendees, Hunt said.
Staff (Jennifer) said the summary boards and the full raw survey results are posted on the comprehensive-plan website and noted the plan is approximately 40–50% complete. Staff recommended additional public engagement, including another open house in January or February, and suggested a possible joint work session with the BOCC to refine regulation priorities and seek guidance on whether a full code rewrite is feasible.
Why it matters: the steering-committee feedback reinforces a county-wide preference for limited growth and stronger road standards, items commissioners discussed as they consider updates to zoning and subdivision regulations. Commissioners agreed to compile priority topics into a master list for staff and suggested a work session to align priorities with the BOCC.
Next steps: staff will coordinate with commissioners and the BOCC on whether to schedule joint work sessions, to produce priority lists for regulation changes, and to publish draft regulation redlines when appropriate. The commission also discussed procedural cautions about emailing multiple members, which the county attorney’s office warns may create an inadvertent meeting.
Reported by: Nicole Hunt (steering committee update), Jennifer (staff).
