Approach
The Georgia legislature adopted planning rules in 1988, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) was charged with overseeing the preparation, review, and adoption of a local government comprehensive plan (see Chapter 110-12-1Minimum Standards and Procedures for Local Comprehensive Planning).
Required Planning Elements
DCA identifies nine planning elements defined in Chapter 110-12-1-.03. The nine required and optional plan elements are:
Community Goals
- Required for all local governments
Needs and Opportunities
- Required for all local governments
Broadband Services
- Required for all local governments
Economic Development
- Required for all local governments in Georgia Job Tax Credit Tier 1
- Recommended for communities seeking improved economic opportunities for local citizens
Land Use
- Required for all local governments with zoning or land development laws subject to Georgia Zoning Procedures Law
- Recommended for communities considering new land development regulations, identifying target areas, or protecting character areas of specific parts of the community
Transportation
- Required for all local governments within a Metropolitan Planning Organization
- Recommended for communities with automobile congestion or parking issues in selected areas, or interested in alternative transportation modes
Housing
- Required for all HUD CDBG communities
- Recommended for areas with concentrations of low-quality or dilapidated housing, high housing/income disparities, or a jobs/housing imbalance
Community Work Program
- Required for all local governments
Capital Improvements
- Required for all local governments that charge impact fees
The Bainbridge Comprehensive Plan includes all nine of the specified planning elements defined in Chapter 110-12-1-.03, although the order of elements was changed to present the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Bainbridge.
TheCapital Improvements and Community Work Program are incorporated as separate Chapter12 - Community Work Program and Chapter 12 - Capital ImprovementPlan.
Optional Planning Element Options
DCA also encourages local communities to add optional elements to their comprehensive plan to address specific local needs. DCA’s supplemental planning recommendations include public infrastructure, community facilities, natural resources, cultural resources, human resources, education, recreation, green space, sustainability, resilience, public safety, target areas, intergovernmental cooperation, target areas, or other specific elements as needed.
The recommended plan for the Bainbridge Comprehensive Plan is to include optional elements for existing infrastructure as Chapter 1 – Bainbridge Today – Background, Resources, and History. Chapter 10 - Health Services is a proposed new element that focuses on community healthcare and aging facilities. Chapter 11 – Implementation Toolbox and Approach provides resources for decision-making in developing recommended plans and the community work program. These optional elements also provide a link to the Quality Community Objectives below:
Community Quality Objectives
Georgia DCA also provides supplemental recommendations to assist planners, stakeholders, decision-makers, and the community in preparing the comprehensive plan. These ten Community Quality Objectives overlap and interact with each other to ensure that the plan objectives help ensure a more successful future for the community:
- Economic Prosperity
- Regional Cooperation
- Resource Management
- Housing Options
- Efficient Land Use
- Transportation Options
- Local Preparedness
- Educational Opportunities
- Sense of Place
- Community Health
The planning process incorporates the planning elements and tries to integrate and address the quality community objectives for planning through the guidance of meetings with staff, stakeholders, and community input. The adopted comprehensive plan should provide documentation of the planning process, the goals, the public engagement, and the community’s recommended agenda for the 2025 to 2050 planning period.