The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) is requesting approval of a resolution authorizing Council to adopt the City of Savannah Plan 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The City must maintain a Comprehensive Plan that meets the “minimum standards” as set forth by Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in order to achieve Qualified Local Government (QLG) status. Comprehensive Plans must be updated every five years and provide progress reports on an annual basis.

Since August 2020, the MPC staff has been working to update the Comprehensive Plan. The document provides a unified, long-term vision for the City of Savannah and unincorporated Chatham County in the areas of land use, housing, economic development, transportation, natural resources and quality of life. A widespread community participation effort was used to gather public input which influenced this plan. MPC staff coordinated closely with local partners to ensure that the Comprehensive Plan reflects the vision and goals of the Savannah Forward Strategic Plan and other planning initiatives.

On May 27, 2021, MPC presented information on the Comprehensive Plan during a Council Workshop. On June 29, 2021, after completion of a three-month MPC subcommittee review process, the MPC recommended approval of the draft Comprehensive Plan for submittal to the Council for action. On July 22, 2021, Council approved a resolution to forward the draft document to the Coastal Regional Commission (CRC) and the DCA as required by the Georgia Planning Act of 1989. Based on a request from Council, MPC hosted four additional in-person meetings to ensure the community was able to participate in the process.

The City of Savannah Plan 2040 Comprehensive Plan was reviewed by CRC and DCA and the final version of the document may be accessed through this link: Plan2040Draft.pdf (thempc.org)

Approval