Have you seen us? The Georgia Conservancy is crisscrossing our state engaging with towns and neighborhoods to creatively support efforts to build and sustain thriving communities.

Throughout 2023, we have worked with leadership and citizens in both Gilmer and Toombs counties to help position their communities for an expansion of equitable, sustainable housing opportunities that protect community character and natural assets.

After months of synthesizing data and stakeholder input, we’ve compiled a final report and organized recommendation events for Gilmer County during October and November. In the Toombs County communities of Lyons and Vidalia, a Housing Summit in October brought together local leaders, members of the public, and agency officials around the focal point of housing opportunity.

In 2007, Georgia Conservancy’s Blueprints for Successful Communities program completed a comprehensive plan for the Piedmont Heights neighborhood of Atlanta. Sixteen years later, we have returned with Canvas Planning to help the community update this guiding document with a goal of being incorporated into the City of Atlanta’s newest Comprehensive Plan.

Thirty-five miles south of Atlanta, the Georgia Conservancy is partnering with the small city of Senoia to create a conservation strategy for the future. Popular for its rustic charm and as a major filming location for The Walking Dead, its appeal has attracted a wave of new development. Our efforts include mapping natural assets and recommending responsible development and conservation mechanisms.

And in Marietta, our staff is helping citizens better connect with (and to) The Mountain to River Trail through a trail activation study. As part of the study, we will lead community engagement and feedback opportunities, study land use around the trail, and make recommendations to improve trail usability, design, and activation.

Questions? Please reach out to Georgia Conservancy Community Design Lead Luben Raytchev at lraytchev@gaconservancy.org