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Mapleton council votes to transmit 2045 comprehensive plan to state reviewers after months of outreach
Summary
After two years of community outreach, the council voted to send the draft Mapleton 2045 comprehensive plan to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the Atlanta Regional Commission for review. Consultants said the plan sets a 20-year vision and includes a 89-item community work program.
Mapleton — The Mapleton City Council voted on May 13 to transmit the draft Mapleton 2045 comprehensive plan to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) for formal review.
John Funny, principal at Grace Consulting Group, told council the draft is the product of a two-year process of public meetings, steering committee work and pop-up engagement events. The plan establishes a long-range vision across land use, housing, transportation, economic development and environment and calls out 12 character areas for citywide guidance.
The plan’s community work program lists 89 projects and initiatives, including 14 for land use, 11 for economic development, eight for housing, 32 for transportation, 14 for environment and sustainability, five for cultural resources and five for historic preservation. The document is intended as a “40,000-foot” policy guide rather than parcel-level regulation, Funny said.
During public comment, steering committee and planning commission member Dante Philpot urged the council to forward the draft, saying the plan reflects broad resident input. Several council members and residents voiced support; resident Denny Wilson asked where a previously seen, longer version of the materials could be found on the project website and raised concerns about housing affordability figures he recalled. Funny said the full document is posted in two PDF parts at mapleton2045.org and explained the plan includes a market analysis recommending a mix of housing types.
The consultant cited ARC’s area median income (AMI) figure and said the plan recommends pursuing housing at multiple affordability levels, including options in the 50–60% AMI range to broaden access. The consultant also read and addressed three written comments received online — about public safety coordination with Cobb County, solid-waste services and corridor-level work for Mapleton Parkway — and said those topics are addressed in the draft or listed in the work program.
Councilmember discussion focused on next steps: the plan will be transmitted to ARC and DCA for review, the city will receive comments, the consultant will prepare revisions and the final plan will return to council for adoption. Because this was a transmission to reviewers, council did not adopt the plan tonight; it approved only sending the draft to ARC and DCA for their formal review.
What happens next
Staff will transmit the draft to DCA and ARC, collect their review comments and the consultant will update the draft as needed before the council considers a final adoption ordinance. The council directed staff to make the full, two-part plan easily accessible to residents who raised concerns about missing pages.
