Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Comprehensive Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Consultants launch Brookhaven City comprehensive-plan update, urge broad public engagement
Summary
A planning team told the Brookhaven City board it will begin public engagement in June on a 20–25 year comprehensive plan, emphasizing surveys, public meetings and a project website; the team recommended a practical, implementable approach and a tentative public timeline through December.
Nathan Willingham, a planner representing the Oxford-based consulting team engaged by Brookhaven City, formally kicked off the city's comprehensive-plan update on the board's agenda. "It's essentially a policy guide for growth and development over the next 20 to 25 years," Willingham said, outlining the plan's role in guiding land use, transportation and community-facility decisions.
Willingham said the plan will include four statutory elements: goals and objectives, a land-use plan, a transportation plan and a community-facilities plan. He described the current phase as visioning and said the formal public-engagement period will start in June and run through about December, with multiple opportunities for public feedback including surveys, focus groups and public meetings.
The consultants stressed a "community-first" engagement approach and described a four-step cycle—prepare, communicate, execute and follow up—for each outreach activity. Willingham said the team will publish presentation materials, maps and survey results on a project website and that a QR code shown during the presentation links directly to the initial community survey.
Willingham also outlined project staffing: he noted two AICP-certified planners lead the team and that they have a project manager, a GIS technician and support staff who will run engagement logistics. He said the firm currently maintains a stakeholder list of about 73 organizations and individuals and plans a mix of in-person meetings and online outreach to capture broad input.
Why it matters: The comprehensive plan will serve as the city's long-term policy guide and a reference for zoning and investment decisions. Willingham emphasized that the plan's usefulness depends on community participation; he asked residents and local organizations to respond to the survey and attend public meetings.
The board did not take a formal vote on the plan's contents during the presentation; the consultants said future meetings will include draft sections and milestone updates as the team compiles public feedback.
