A Comprehensive Plan is a long-range plan that sets goals for a community's physical development, covering areas like land use, transportation, economic development, housing, and other topics.

A comprehensive plan is the community's roadmap for Decatur’s future. It helps guide decisions on land use and development over the next 20 years, with a special focus on what should happen over the next 5. It also sets direction for key topics like transportation, housing, and anything else important to that city’s residents and stakeholders. The plan brings together ideas from past studies. It adds new policies shaped by community input to create a clear, shared vision for Decatur's growth.

The short answer is, “no.”

A comprehensive plan does not change zoning or rezone property. Instead, it is a long-term guide that explains the community's vision for future growth and development.

The Future Land Use Map shows how the community would like different areas to develop over time, but it is not a zoning map. It does not change what property owners can legally build or how land can be used. Instead, the comprehensive plan helps City staff and elected and appointed officials make informed decisions about future rezoning requests and other land use decisions. It provides a policy framework to help determine whether proposed changes support the community's long-term goals.

Zoning is different. Zoning is the law that determines what uses and development are allowed on a property today. Any zoning changes must go through a separate public process with public hearings and approval by the local government.

In simple terms, the comprehensive plan sets the vision, and zoning puts that vision into law.

This plan will focus on eight elements:

• Land use

• Transportation

• Economic development

• Housing

• Community facilities and services

• Historic and cultural resources

• Open spaces and natural resources

• Climate

Destination 2030, adopted in 2021, was a 3-in-1 planning effort that combined the City’s Strategic Plan update, Comprehensive Plan update, and LCI Plan update. This effort is concentrated on updating the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which the Georgia Department of Community Affairs requires updating every five years. This plan update will continue to align with the six core themes from Destination 2030.

We'll have multiple opportunities throughout the plan process to get your feedback. Check out our "Engage" page for upcoming meeting dates and other ways you can get involved!