Macon-Bibb residents share input on county’s comprehensive plan

Community members attend first meeting to help guide long-term growth and youth representation

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Macon-Bibb Planning and Zoning invited community members to help shape the county’s next comprehensive plan, a long-term document county leaders say will guide future growth and development.

County leaders and consultants helping guide the process say the comprehensive plan will serve as a roadmap for future growth, balancing long-term goals with near-term priorities.

“A comprehensive plan is a long-range, guiding document that city and county governments use to guide decisions regarding land development,” said Allison Sinyard, a project manager with consulting firm TSW. “So when new development comes through the permitting office, the zoning office, this is a way to determine if this is a development that is in line with the city or county government’s vision or if it’s not.”

Sinyard says public input is central to shaping the plan and said community voices will help determine how Macon-Bibb County grows.

“This is your plan,” Sinyard said. “This is not our plan. None of us live here in Macon-Bibb County, so it is really, really important that we are capturing your voices.”

Resident Marshall Talley said community participation is critical, noting that certain groups are often left out of the planning process.

“A lot of times our youth are not represented in these plans, or our youth aren’t able to come here because transportation issues,” Talley said. “So I want to make sure that we package this and we are able to take it into schools and get real data from our youth.”

The opening meeting marks the beginning of a nearly two-year process to shape the county’s future.