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'The time is now for public comment'
Richmond Hill's comprehensive plan soon to be available for public review
RH-council--Tricia-Reynolds
Tricia Reynolds at the Dec. 18 RH city council meeting.
Tricia Reynolds, planning director with the Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center (CGRDC), made a power point presentation at the Dec. 18 Richmond Hill City Council meeting to get city officials up to speed on the work being done on the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
The plan, which Reynolds referred to as a “road map for the city for the next 20 years,” is state mandated and looks at all facets of the city. It is geared to help guide how the city is to grow in the years to come.
Among the things it touches on are development, public safety, population, housing, natural and cultural resources, and community facilities and services.
Reynolds said the assessment phase is complete. She said city officials will post the entire document on the city’s website.
“The plan is ready for public review and now is the time for public comment,” said Reynolds, who stressed the importance of public participation during the Community Agenda phase.
“It’s about their (RH residents) future. We take what we hear from the public and turn it into policies and procedures,” she said.
The city did appoint an advisory committee, which advised Reynolds and her fellow CGRDC planners and helped them prepare for upcoming public workshops in February, March and April.
Among the things noted in the assessment are the following:
- A land use study says Richmond Hill is 42 percent residential, 16 percent agricultural, 15 percent parks and recreation, 10 percent transportation or roadways, eight percent commercial, seven percent public/institutional, one percent industrial and one percent undeveloped.
- A recent Georgia Tech study projects the city population to be 15,632 by 2030.
- A housing study says homes in the city are mostly “largely detached, single-family housing in good condition” and there is a lack of affordable housing here.
- An economic development study says the “largest single industry sector was educational, health and social services, followed by retail trade” and encourages city officials to market the city in order to lure tourists who are already visiting Savannah.
- A transportation study recognized there is no public transportation, increasing congestion and improvement plans in the works.
- Studies complimented the city’s current water supply, treatment center and wetlands protection.
Reynolds said the plan must be completed by June and will then be voted on by council before implementation.
She also said the plan is ultimately slated to be fused with the comprehensive plans for both Pembroke and Bryan County.
Richmond Hill Mayor Pro Tem Floyd Hilliard complimented the plan and the work of the CGRDC, calling the “Comp Plan” a “great tool to help us plan for the future.”
For more details on the comprehensive plan, you can contact Reynolds at 264-7363, ext. 245 or at
treynolds@coastalgeorgiardc.org.
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