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Cusseta–Chattahoochee County releases draft comprehensive plan update, schedules Dec. 11 final hearing
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Summary
The Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County and River Valley Regional Commission published a draft Comprehensive Plan Update outlining a vision tied to Fort Benning and Columbus, priorities on housing, infrastructure, and broadband, and a final public hearing on Dec. 11, 2025.
The Unified Government of Cusseta–Chattahoochee County released a draft Comprehensive Plan Update on June 24, 2025, laying out a 20-year vision that emphasizes managed growth, protection of rural character, and closer coordination with Fort Benning and Columbus.
The plan, prepared with assistance from the River Valley Regional Commission, sets goals across economic development, housing, transportation, community facilities and natural-resource protection. County Manager Thomas Weaver and County Clerk Lisa Bickel are listed in the document as county staff supporting the update; Allison Slocum of the River Valley Regional Commission is listed as the public contact for the planning process.
Why it matters: the update is both a policy guide for local decisions and a precondition for state review by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). It frames infrastructure investments—particularly water and sewer upgrades—that county officials say are necessary before higher-density development can proceed in targeted corridors along SR 520/US 280, US 27 and SR 26.
Key elements: the plan reiterates a vision of maintaining a rural, small-town atmosphere while encouraging residential, commercial and light industrial development where infrastructure allows; it calls for using Quality Community Objectives set by the Georgia DCA and explicitly references O.C.G.A. 110-12-1 as the state planning standard.
Public engagement and next steps: the document records an initial public hearing on June 24, 2025, additional public work sessions, and a schedule that includes a final public hearing on Dec. 11, 2025 at the commission office (215 McNaughton Street, Cusseta). The plan indicates the county will submit the update to DCA after final revisions. For more information, the plan lists Allison Slocum at River Valley Regional Commission as a contact and Lisa Bickel as county clerk.
The county’s work program attached to the plan identifies a set of projects, funding sources and rough cost estimates for 2026–2031, including water distribution updates, streetscape and Broad Street redevelopment, and sewer planning. The final public hearing is set for Dec. 11, 2025; the plan notes formal submission to the DCA follows the public comment period.