The city of Cumming has adopted a new plan for future land-use decisions.

On Tuesday, the Cumming City Council approved an update to the city’s comprehensive plan, which will guide land-use decisions for the next 20 years.

The update will be used as a guide for future zoning decisions made by the council, including changes to city zoning ordinances. Those changes will still need to be approved.

“The comprehensive plan will set the framework for any ordinance changes we might make in the future,” said Scott Morgan, Development Director for the city. “That, of course, is a completely different process and will be done by planning and legal staff.”

The plan was approved by the council in April to be transmitted to the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission and Department of Community Affairs, who approved the plan with “some minor revisions.”

Morgan said the city would still be able to make some changes.

“As long as any of those changes, of course, don’t come in conflict with any rules and regulations, we certainly can make changes,” he said. 

During the meeting, there was discussion on current rules allowing up to 30 units per acre for certain categories. Morgan said he had never had a request for that density, which requires council approval, and it could be removed with the code change. 

“I didn’t want the impression to be we were going to accept 30 units per acre,” Mayor Ford Gravitt said. 

Jerry Weitz and Associates were selected as the firm to do the update and Weitz presented the plan at several city meetings. Meetings with the plan’s steering committee began in August 2016.

In previous meetings before the council, mixed-use developments were heavily discussed for combinations of residential, institutional, office-professional or commercial uses. 

Morgan said revisions to the plan were based on those meetings and public comments.

“Based on the meeting we had, as well as the questionnaires that we received online, we threw in some provisions to the document,” he said. “I believe those revisions were in accordance with what was asked for.” 

The plan makes changes to several zoning categories. Single-family and multi-family residential will be replaced with: residential-1, up to 1.5 units per acre; residential-1A, 1.5-2.5 units per acre; residential-2, 2.5-3 units per acre; and residential-3, for single- and multi-family developments with 3-6 units per acre.

Previous categories of vacant/undeveloped and agriculture/forestry are not included in the new plan.

Goals are also laid out for housing, historical preservation, economic development, land use, community facilities and services, transportation, intergovernmental cooperation and natural resources on the environment.