Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 110-12-1-.02 - Requirements

O.C.G.A. 50-8-1 et seq. gives the Department authority to establish standards and procedures for comprehensive planning by all local governments in Georgia. Those standards and procedures, embodied herein, emphasize preparation of plans that help each local government address its immediate needs and opportunities while moving toward realization of its long-term goals for the future. In order to maintain qualified local government certification, and thereby remain eligible for selected state funding and permitting programs, each local government must prepare, adopt, maintain, and implement a comprehensive plan as specified in these standards.

(1) Required and Optional Plan Elements. Each community's comprehensive plan must include the required plan elements specified in the "Required for" column below. Each community is encouraged to go beyond these minimum required elements and supplement its comprehensive plan with other plan elements (refer to the list of optional plan elements in the Supplemental Planning Recommendations for suggestions) to make the overall plan a good fit for the community.

Plan Element	Required for	Recommended for	Specifics at
Community Goals	All local governments		110-12-1-.03(1)
Needs and Opportunities	All local governments		110-12-1-.03(2)
Community Work Program	All local governments		110-12-1-.03(3)
Broadband Services Element	All local governments		110-12-1-.03(4)
Capital Improvements Element	Governments that charge impact fees		110-12-1-.03(5)
Economic Development Element	Communities included in Georgia Job Tax Credit Tier 1	Communities seeking improved economic opportunities for their citizens	110-12-1-.03(6)
Land Use Element	Communities with zoning or equivalent land development regulations that are subject to the Zoning Procedures Law	Communities that: · Are considering new land development regulations · Include Target Areas in their comprehensive plan · Wish to improve aesthetics of specific areas or protect the character of specific parts of their community	110-12-1-.03(7)
Transportation Element	Local governments that have territory included in a Metropolitan Planning Organization	Communities: · With automobile congestion problems in selected areas · Interested in adding alternative transportation facilities for bicyclists, pedestrians, public transportation users · That may have too much or too little parking in specific areas	110-12-1-.03(8)
Housing Element	HUD CDBG Entitlement Communities	Communities with: · Concentrations of low-quality or dilapidated housing · Relatively high housing costs compared to individual/family incomes · A jobs-housing imbalance	110-12-1-.03(9)

(2) Community Involvement. Each element of the comprehensive plan must be prepared with opportunity for involvement and input from stakeholders and the general public, in order to ensure that the plan reflects the full range of community needs and values. The three steps for involving stakeholders and the general public in developing the comprehensive plan are listed below.

(a) Identification of Stakeholders. Compile a list of stakeholders who need to have a voice in the development of the plan. Refer to the list of suggested stakeholders provided in the Supplemental Planning Recommendations for suggestions. Members of the governing authority must be included among the selected stakeholders and be actively involved in plan preparation, such as serving on the steering committee that guides development of the plan. This will help ensure that the plan will be implemented, because leadership that is involved in plan development is likely to become committed to seeing it through.

(b) Identification of Participation Techniques. Review each of the recommended community participation techniques identified in the Supplemental Planning Recommendations to select those to be used locally for involving the selected stakeholders in the process of developing the plan. At minimum, your community must form a steering committee to oversee and participate in development of the plan that includes some of the stakeholders identified in section (a) above, members of the governing authority, local economic development practitioners, and local government staff.

(c) Conduct Participation Program. Invite each of the stakeholders identified in section (a) above to participate in the activities and events identified in section (b). Use these participation events to solicit specific input on the content of the plan. Hold regular meetings of the steering committee to provide input and feedback to the plan preparers as the plan is developed.

(d) Documentation of Community Involvement Activities. Include an appendix to the comprehensive plan which assembles documentation showing that the activities discussed, above, occurred. This documentation must include: a list of stakeholders who were specifically identified to provide input on the plan; an overview of the participation techniques used to gather community input; and a list of the members of the steering committee that specifically identifies the governing authority and economic development practitioner representatives. Additionally, documentation of the community involvement activities and events undertaken in preparing the plan must be provided. The breadth and types of documentation may vary based upon community dynamics and the nature of the specific activities the community has undertaken. Acceptable types of documentation of includes, but is not limited to: sign-in sheets from meetings/workshops/etc.; photographs of community involvement events; survey questions and results; records/agendas/minutes of meetings; copies of published advertisements of events; and/or copies of published social media posts.

(3) Consideration of the Regional Water Plan and the Environmental Planning Criteria.

During the process of preparing its comprehensive plan, each community must review the Regional Water Plan(s) covering its area and the Rules for Environmental Planning Criteria (established and administered by the Department of Natural Resources pursuant to O.C.G.A. 12-2-8) to determine if there is need to adapt local implementation practices or development regulations to address protection of these important natural resources. The community must certify via a cover letter signed by its chief elected official that it has considered both the Regional Water Plan and the Rules for Environmental Planning Criteria when it transmits the plan to the Regional Commission for review.

(4) Review of the Comprehensive Plan. Upon completion, the comprehensive plan must be transmitted to the Regional Commission for review. Both the Regional Commission and the Department will review the plan and respond to the local government with findings and recommendations. Once approved by the Department as being in compliance with the Minimum Standards and Procedures, the local government may adopt the plan. Specific details for this review process are covered in section 110-12-1-.04.

(5) Official Listing of Planning Requirements and Deadlines. The Department maintains and makes available on its website a recertification schedule identifying the deadlines for comprehensive plan updates, and the specific plan elements that must be included in each update, for all counties and municipalities in Georgia.

(6) Alternative Planning Requirements. Any Regional Commission may apply to the Department for approval of alternative planning requirements for a particular community if both the community's leadership and Regional Commission agree that an alternative to the planning standards provided herein is more appropriate for the community. Communities interested in pursuing alternative planning requirements should consult with their regional commission for ideas and guidance prior to beginning their local planning process. Specific details about applying for this exemption are covered in section 110-12-1-.04(3).

(7) Planning Resources and Support.

(a) The Department's Supplemental Planning Recommendations provide ideas and suggested best practices to assist communities as they prepare their plans and address these Minimum Standards and Procedures.

(b) The community's Regional Commission is available to prepare the four core elements of the comprehensive plan (i.e., the Community Goals, Needs and Opportunities, Broadband Element, and Community Work Program), or an alternative plan of similar or lesser complexity agreed upon under the alternative planning requirements specified in section (5) above, at no additional cost for any interested community.

(c) To help ensure the ongoing efficacy of the comprehensive plan, the community's Regional Commission will meet with each community's leadership regularly to:

· review the plan;

· identify any needed changes or updates;

· discuss the community's recent plan implementation accomplishments;

· prioritize plan implementation activities for the upcoming year; and

· offer Regional Commission assistance with plan implementation.

Notes

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 110-12-1-.02

O.C.G.A. § 50-8-7.1(b).

Original Rule entitled "Definitions" adopted. F. Mar. 21, 1997; eff. May 1, 1997, as specified by the Agency. Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Dec. 31, 2001; eff. Feb. 1, 2002, as specified by the Agency. Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Dec. 4, 2002; eff. Jan. 1, 2004, as specified by the Agency. Repealed: New Rule entitled "Overview of Planning Requirements" adopted. F. Apr. 7, 2005; eff. May 1, 2005, as specified by the Agency. Repealed: New Rule entitled "Requirements" adopted. F. Nov. 13, 2012; eff. Dec. 3, 2012. Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Feb. 6, 2014; eff. Mar. 1, 2014, as specified by the Agency. Amended: F. Sep. 11, 2018; eff. Oct. 1, 2018.