OUR VIEW
The final 79-page draft of the Lumpkin County land-use plan is officially out and available for reading.
Last week we printed it out at The Nugget and took a close look.
And we won’t lie, you probably won’t find it on any best seller lists anytime soon.
But given the importance it could hold for the future of Lumpkin County, it’s still a page turner.
The measures introduced in this document have the power to regulate everything from boiled peanut stands to revival tents to haunted houses to corn mazes. And that’s just all on one page in Sec. 27-5.1.1.
More impactful is the detailed classification plan which will define what kind of growth can occur in different Character Areas in the county.
And so we are now getting very close to the end of an extensive planning process that has included months worth of discussions, debates and multi-hour hearings.
From the onset county officials asked for input from the public, and the public responded.
This is a good thing.
But as those officials begin to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, it’s important to remember that there is no magical plan that will make everyone happy.
Some will like it. Some won’t. But having a solid workable plan is key.
Because growth is on the way.
We have to find a way to harness it.
We have to find a way to direct it.
And, to put it more bluntly, we have to find a way to do it without becoming another Dawsonville.
We also don’t want to become Helen or Cumming or Roswell or Peachtree City, for that matter.
The goal has always been preserving Dahlonega and Lumpkin County while at the same time providing an avenue for growth.
The county will meet next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. to discuss this plan and perhaps approve it.
But before you head to the meeting, make sure you CLICK HERE to visit their website to see the plan.
So get to turning those pages. Because best-seller or not, this is important stuff.
No matter what Character Area you live in.