Blueprints Communities

Blueprints for Successful Communities is a program of the Georgia Conservancy designed to facilitate community-based planning efforts across the state.

Since the Blueprints program’s inception, we have worked in many different communities, including urban neighborhoods, transportation corridors, rural communities and environmentally sensitive coastal areas.

The following communities have participated in the Blueprints process:

Lithonia (2011)
In the Lithonia Town Center Blueprints, the Blueprints team worked in partnership with the City of Lithonia and DeKalb County leadership to determine revitalization options for this historic town. Named for its unique granite geology, Lithonia, which means “city of stone”, is located in eastern DeKalb County within the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. Lithonia’s close proximity to the scenic and natural amenities of Panola Mountain State Park and the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, its connection to these natural amenities through the PATH Foundation’s Arabia Mountain Trail, and its rich African-American history, along with issues of a declining downtown and lack of connectivity to local and regional assets, drew the attention of the Georgia Conservancy’s Blueprints for Successful Communities. This report provides recommendations and strategies that build on existing assets and opportunities with a focus on three major improvement areas: tactical urbanism (immediate actions), plaza revitalization, and long-term redevelopment.
View: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Harrisburg, Augusta-Richmond County (2011)
In this Blueprints, the Georgia Conservancy worked with Augusta leadership and community stakeholders in an inclusive planning process to develop prioritized revitalization steps for the historic Harrisburg neighborhood. Located just northwest of downtown Augusta, this 200-year old historic neighborhood has experienced an increase in renter-occupancy rates, disrepair of housing stock and public safety concerns. The neighborhood, however, is home to some regionally and nationally significant assets such as a walkable block structure, historic mill housing and mills, the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area, and the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Building on these assets and addressing community challenges, this report focuses on issues of neighborhood identity, neighborhood revitalization strategies, Broad Street improvements, Augusta Canal connectivity, and Calhoun Expressway alternatives.  
View: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Neighborhood Planning Unit-G, City of Atlanta (2010)
This Blueprints studio worked with residents of northwest Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit-G (NPU-G) to develop solutions that take advantage of the NPU’s assets – an industrial park, the Chattahoochee River, proximity to downtown Atlanta, new development opportunities, and other environmental and cultural resources – to address the challenges facing NPU-G – low employment, lack of retail and services, decaying housing stock, and poor public transportation options.

Pin Point (2009)
Assisted the coastal community of Pin Point is establishing a vision for the future that embraced preservation of the community's heritage as part of the Congressionally-designated Gullah-Geechee National Heritage Corridor while addressing the immediate needs of property development and infrastructure improvement.

Newton County (2009)
The Conservancy produced a land conservation plan for the county that looks to the year 2050, envisioning a build-out scenario where the county could preserve its rural character while accommodating additional population growth. This was achieved by designating up to 50 percent of the county’s land for compact communities and 50 percent for "green" land uses including conservation and recreation land, agricultural land, and very low density, low impact development.

Lindbergh-LaVista Corridor Coalition, City of Atlanta and DeKalb County (2008)
This Blueprints worked with the Lindbergh-LaVista community to create a strategy that focused on development nodes, multi-modal transportation corridors and green infrastructure to improve the community, preserving existing single-family neighborhoods, improving pedestrian and vehicular circulation, and enhancing neighborhood identity. Transportation planning along LaVista Road, a major corridor in DeKalb County, led to the adoption of the transportation recommendations from this Blueprints report into DeKalb County’s Comprehensive Development Plan.

Collier Village, City of Atlanta (2008)
One of the smallest study areas to date, this Blueprints focused on a four-block area at the intersection of two congested roadways. "Collier Village" is an aspirational name for an underutilized commercial area on the brink of major redevelopment. The Blueprints addressed pedestrian safety, connectivity, environmental concerns, zoning, land use and urban design. In a classic Community Benefit Agreement, Collier Village took one of the recommendations from this Blueprints report – fix signal timing and add a traffic light – and negotiated with a developer who was building a large-scale development nearby to pay for both the signal timing and the traffic light improvements.

Westside, City of Atlanta (2007)
Building from BeltLine planning, this Blueprints reframed the transportation and transit discussion, developed templates for corridor redevelopment, addressed green space connectivity, and looked at infill redevelopment opportunities around transit and brownfields in an area spanning 37 neighborhoods.

Piedmont Heights, City of Atlanta (2007)
With a focus on maintaining workforce housing and increasing connectivity, this Blueprints identified methods for protecting the single-family neighborhood core of Piedmont Heights while planning for compact, pedestrian-friendly development on its fringes.

Toccoa, Stephens County (2006)
In this Blueprints, we worked with stakeholders to look at alternative zoning approaches to housing, economic development, transportation, and protection of cultural and natural resources. A land use plan was developed for Toccoa to guide future growth, outlining zoning strategies for a number of character areas including greenway corridors, agricultural areas, rural residential areas, urban service delivery areas, and historic/cultural areas.

Middle Chattahoochee Watershed (2006)
This Blueprints organized and educated a stakeholder committee to identify assets and challenges within their watershed. After defining conservation and economic development priorities in three sub-watersheds, a watershed stewardship program was established to implement the recommendations through promoting public awareness and action.

Pittsburgh, City of Atlanta (2006)
In this Blueprints, a partnership with the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership was formed to identify ways to stabilize and improve one of Atlanta's oldest in-town neighborhoods. Strategies included redeveloping vacant property, creating neighborhood retail nodes, and leveraging funding opportunities.

LaVista Road, DeKalb County (2006)
This Blueprints recommended methods by which neighborhoods along the north DeKalb section of LaVista Road could establish pedestrian connections within the planning area, address incompatible infill development, strengthen the commercial core, and preserve parks and greenspaces.

Moultrie, Colquitt County (2004)
Working with the City of Moultrie and Colquitt County, this Blueprints identified tools to protect a strong rural agricultural community in a way that is economically viable, exercises stewardship of natural resources, and promotes the progress of new and existing businesses.

Berkeley Park, City of Atlanta (2004)
This Blueprints provided recommendations to Assist the neighborhood of Berkeley Park in developing a vision for the neighborhood and identifying potential strategies to mitigate the impacts of growth in the area while maximizing the benefits of private and public investment.

Ocmulgee River Corridor, Macon/Bibb counties (2004)
This Blueprints proposed the Ocmulgee National Heritage Corridor as a way to promote education, understanding, and appreciation of the Ocmulgee River’s natural and cultural heritage and as a strategy for protecting these resources and promoting economic development.

Sandfly Community, Savannah (2004)
This Blueprints worked with the small coastal community of Sandfly, one of the oldest African-American settlements in Georgia, in an effort to maintain the community's unique character in the face of commercial development. Sandfly was rapidly losing its heritage and identity as it became increasingly squeezed by commercial development and a new interstate interchange. Blueprints helped organize the community, gave them a voice, and the tools with which to talk with developers. Over the years, Sandfly has managed to stay involved in conversations with developers and with the County and is now planning for a new bike and pedestrian trail to link to their community with schools, parks, and neighboring communities.

City of Conyers-Rockdale County (2003)
Addressing greenfield and greyfield site options, this Blueprints identified a framework for redevelopment in the larger surrounding commercial area of the Highway 20/138 corridor.

University Parkway, Barrow, Oconee Counties (2001)
This Blueprints examined the sections of the proposed Atlanta/Athens rail corridor within Barrow and Oconee Counties, studying how these largely rural areas could incorporate rail stations within them and prepare for projected growth while preserving their character.

University Parkway, Gwinnett County (2001)
This Blueprints examined the Gwinnett County piece of the proposed Atlanta/Athens rail corridor, studying how the urban and suburban communities of Dacula, Lawrenceville, and Lilburn could incorporate rail stations within them and capitalize on the economic development potential.

Athens-Clarke County (1999)
This Blueprints tested components of the Athens-Clarke County proposed Concept Plan and Future Land Use Plan on three areas of the city, presenting options for urban design and future development configurations.

Home Park, City of Atlanta (1998)
This Blueprints worked with Home Park, a neighborhood in Midtown Atlanta, to create a plan that would protect the community’s assets and solidify a neighborhood organizational structure. In 1999, Home Park was being squeezed on one side by an expanding Georgia Tech campus and on the other by a brownfield redevelop, known today as Atlanta Station. Blueprints recommendations included actions to protect the historic single-family core of the neighborhood, define the neighborhood edges, ensure the continued diversity of housing and income groups, and establish what has been an ongoing dialogue with both of its neighborhood communities. In addition Home Park leveraged work done in the Blueprints process to fund a neighborhood master plan.

Lakewood Heights, City of Atlanta (1998)
With a focus on economic development, this Blueprints proposes a plan for revitalizing the inner-city neighborhood of Lakewood Heights, improving its appearance and fostering neighborhood pride.

Senoia, Coweta County (1998)
This Blueprints evaluated the impact of rapid population growth and a proposed commuter rail station in the historic railroad town of Senoia. Recommendations were made to allow Senoia to manage growth while preserving the town character and enhancing quality of life.

Covington, Newton County (1997)
Our first Blueprints community planning workshop was held in 1997 in the City of Covington in Newton County. The City and County were trying to accommodate growth while maintaining their small-town, rural quality of life. One of the recommendations coming out of the Blueprints report was to establish a non-profit community organization to oversee future development in Covington. The outgrowth of this recommendation is the Center for Community Preservation and Planning, which has risen to be one of the leading champions of quality growth in Georgia. The most successful aspect of The Center is that it makes planning visible and understandable to the citizens of Covington and Newton County. Some of the projects that can be directly attributed to The Center’s efforts are: The Covington & Newton County Trails Master Plan, The Clarke’s Grove EarthCraft Community Pilot Project, and The Square Market, Covington’s public market.