Blueprints: Downtown Hogansville
In 2017, Georgia Conservancy was approached by the City of Hogansville Downtown Development Authority (DDA) with the request to assist in a community revitalization vision as one part of a multi-phased effort to support neighborhood residents and stabilize the community. Georgia Conservancy reached out to partners at Canvas Planning and Village Green Consultants to assist in the urban design, planning, and market analysis work. The process, developed in concert with DDA leadership, included in-person stakeholder interviews, presence at the annual Hummingbird Festival, two public forums, and team meetings to identify a community-supported future vision for a revitalized downtown Hogansville in Troup County.
This walkable downtown, in proximity to several nearby natural resources and only 40 minutes south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, allows us the opportunity to develop opportunities for continual investment in a sustainable small-scale urban landscape.
A project area was determined to encompass the commercial core of downtown Hogansville, including the historic downtown buildings along East and West Main Street and the car-oriented retail developments along Highway 29. Within the Study Area, there are 62 commercial buildings with approximately 421,000 square feet of commercial space. Roughly 31% of this commercial space is currently vacant. Hogansville contains several historic districts, two of which include the downtown study area: Hogansville Local Historic District and the East Main Street - Johnson Street National Register District.
This master plan and market study effort complements recent City initiatives including the Royal Theater Master Plan, inclusion in the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (Troup County and its member cities), implementation of SPLOST funding and a trails plan, as well as the Downtown Development Authority’s 2014 Strategy document. These planning efforts have been considered as part of the planning process and resulting recommendations complement or reiterate recommendations found in the above documents.
Over an approximately 8-month process, the team conducted site visits, interviewed key stakeholders, coordinated with the city and DDA, held two public forums/community meetings, analyzed neighborhood information in GIS, and reviewed previous planning documents. The discussions, findings, and results of that process are detailed in the following pages.
The final master plan that was compiled by the Georgia Conservancy and our partners was approved by both the Downtown Development Authority and the City of Hogansville. The plan was instrumental in Hogansville receiving an important rural zone designation by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Click here to read the Hogansville-approved Downtown Master Plan
To learn more about our Hogansville Blueprints project, please contact Georgia Conservancy Senior Planner Nick Johnson at njohnson@gaconservancy.org
