Stone Mountain, GA — The Stone Mountain City Council on Thursday adopted its 2021 Comprehensive Plan after eight months of steering committee meetings, public engagement sessions, surveys and public hearings.

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs requires cities to complete such plans every five years. The city hired the Atlanta Regional Commission to help it update its 2016 plan.

“Adoption of the plan solidifies the city’s continued Certified Local Government status,” city manager ChaQuias Miller-Thornton said during the special called city council meeting.

Maintaining that status keeps the city eligible for federal Certified Local Government Grants, gives the city the opportunity to review local nominations for the National Register of Historic Places before consideration by the Georgia National Review Board, presents opportunities for technical assistance and improves the communication and coordination of local, state and federal preservation activities.

The city had a virtual public engagement open house in June and ran an online survey from April through July. The public comment period ended on Oct. 22. Both the Georgia DCA and ARC have approved the plan.

All five councilmembers present voted in favor of the plan, along with some minor technical changes. Councilmember Shawnette Bryant was not in attendance. It will go back to ARC next.

In other news from Thursday’s meeting, the council approved a grant application to be submitted to the State Road and Tollway Authority to fund a project at the intersection of Main Street and Mimosa Street.

The project would improve traffic flow, sidewalk connectivity and crosswalk safety.

The application is due Dec. 15. There is up to $15 million available funding. The project is estimated to cost between $500,000 and $750,000, according to Mayor Pro Tem Chakira Johnson.

“With the completion of the engineering documents we’ll have a better understanding of what that estimate will be,” she said.

The engineering will be complete by December, she added.

If the city gets the grant, it will have to come back before council to approve a resolution that accepts the award and the terms. All five councilmembers present voted in favor of the application.

Caption: A 3D rendering of the Main and Mimosa Street intersection project. Courtesy City of Stone Mountain.

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