Land owners and developers may have less time to request to amend the future land use map, based on a proposal put forth by the Henry County Board of Commissioners. The board voted in November to back a proposal for staff to draft a new policy when Henry County accepts comp plan amendments.
The future land use map is a visual guide where new construction can occur within the county. If a developer’s request is not consistent with the map, then they must apply to amend it alongside their rezoning request.
Henry County Comp Plan Amendments
The county adopted its present comprehensive plan in October 2023. The plan undergoes an update every five years. Although the future land use map is only one part of the comp plan, it is typically the most-commonly used aspect. The map gives land owners and developers a visual indicator what type of construction they can propose on their site. It also lets homeowners know what they can expect around them in the future.
The map breaks up the county into different areas. Henry County’s map generally supports more dense construction closest to I-75. Further outlying areas, such as Ola and Luella, support little to no residential construction. The availability of sewer, or lack thereof for some areas, is also a major determining factor what can build.
Right now, a land owner can apply to amend the comp plan at any time. This is generally done in conjunction with a rezoning request. The proposal introduced by Henry County Chair Harrell would limit this. During the November 19 board meeting, Chair Harrell asked staff to prepare a new comp plan amendment policy. Specifically, she asked the policy to limit accepting comp plan amendments to once per year. She suggested July as the acceptance window. The rest of the board voted in favor for staff to bring back the proposal.
Before the board can formally adopt a zoning policy change, they must hold a public hearing. That hearing is not yet scheduled. The board can then consider approving the change.
Past Comp Plan Amendments
The 2023 comprehensive plan reviewed new developments occurring between 2018-2023. This was based on the timeframe since the previous plan. The plan documented 96 projects in unincorporated Henry County. Of these, about 20% of them deviated from the future land use map. The comp plan states “some [changes] were complete departures, but more commonly there were changes that typically resulted in higher-than-envisioned densities and the relaxing of mixed use standards (page 60).” The comp plan further noted community members expressed “an environment of distrust and sense of futility in the planning process” because of comp plan amendments.
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The full comprehensive plan is available on the county website (PDF link – 140 pages).
Featured image shows an excerpt of the Henry County future land use map dated October 2023. Henry County photo.
