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Chattahoochee Hills launches 2026 comprehensive‑plan update, consultants promise wider community engagement
Summary
The Chattahoochee Hills City Council on Jan. 6 opened the city’s five‑year comprehensive plan update with Kimley‑Horn, which proposed an outreach‑heavy schedule, steering‑committee formation and a target adoption ahead of ARC/DCA review. Residents urged clearer UDC education, transparent notification and stronger implementation steps.
Chattahoochee Hills on Jan. 6 formally kicked off its required five‑year comprehensive plan update, with consultant John Tuley of Kimley‑Horn outlining a timetable and an expanded community‑engagement approach.
Tuley told the council the initial public hearing is a required first step under the Georgia Department of Community Affairs process and described plans for steering‑committee meetings, pop‑up outreach, online engagement and two mandatory public hearings. "The public hearing at this point is a requirement from the state, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs," he said, adding the team hopes to reach residents across the city through targeted in‑person and online events.
Mayor Camille Lowe said the city will seek input beyond formal hearings, encouraging residents and civic groups to suggest locations for pop‑up events and to engage online. "Please give us ideas because those sorts of pop‑up things are wonderful ways to get people involved who would not otherwise show up on purpose for a comp‑plan meeting," she said.
During public comment Tiffany Towns of Lowbrooke Court urged clearer public education about land‑use terms and the timing of zoning actions, asked how residents will be notified, and pressed the council on ensuring the plan is implemented rather than only adopted. "I think we need to have an educational series that lives on the website to explain some of these terms to people," Towns said, urging transparent links between the comp plan and any future UDC (Unified Development Code) changes.
Kimley‑Horn’s presentation described the comprehensive plan as a high‑level guide for land use and public investment — not zoning itself — and highlighted the community work program that will identify near‑term land‑use priorities. The consultant team said the bulk of planning work will take place between January and June with ARC and DCA review afterward and a goal of final adoption by October.
Next steps include forming the steering committee, publishing online engagement tools, conducting in‑person outreach across neighborhoods and holding the required later public hearing on a draft plan before submission to the Atlanta Regional Commission and DCA.
