Community members will get another opportunity to better understand and help steer a dynamic guiding vision for Milton’s Deerfield area at an “Open House” next month.

This latest public engagement event will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, in the Milton Municipal Courtroom (13690 Highway 9, in the back building of the Public Safety Complex). All who care about this important section of southeastern Milton are encouraged to attend.

The City has been working for months on a Deerfield Implementation Plan that will outline an ideal, vibrant future for an area that incorporates what’s around the Milton parts of Highway 9, Windward Parkway, Morris Road, and Deerfield Parkway. You can learn more about this pivotal project at www.miltonga.gov/Deerfield.

The goal is for the community to drive the plan to make the Deerfield area a vibrant destination for people to live, work, and play. The City’s project team has made a point to include the community every step of the way – including an in-depth online survey and packed Open House earlier this fall at Stonecreek Church.

The December 11 Open House will begin with a presentation that, among other things, will feature highlights from those public engagement efforts. This will touch on the most popular potential uses and architectural styles, as well as what cultural, play, and other activities that people liked best for a future Deerfield. Citizens will also hear the latest on thoughts for open spaces, streets, sites that may be redeveloped, and efforts advocating the Georgia Department of Transportation to implement citizen-favored priorities along a redesigned Highway 9.

A major, consistent takeaway from this feedback has been a strong desire to make Deerfield more connected, green, and walkable. That interest has led the City’s project team to come up with a Deerfield trail loop that, as implied, gives pedestrians and bicyclists a way to circle – and, through north-south and east-west paths, intersect – this area. Attendees will learn about this potential trail network, which will take advantage of existing and soon-to-be-created trails and multi-use paths (and thus should not incur substantial additional investments of City funds).

This Open House won’t just be a listening exercise; it’s also an interactive event. Attendees can circulate to see renderings, maps, and other visuals placed around the building, then share their opinions. For instance, they can add “notes” suggesting what trail amenity (i.e. restrooms, bike racks, exercise option) they’d like and where. The project team also wants to know what “light industrial” use people think could work in Deerfield. (This can include things like a research or biotech lab or lighting showroom with a larger warehouse in the back.) And project team members will be positioned around the space to take in comments and answer questions.

So far, the community has impressed with its ideas, intelligence, and evident interest in charting the best possible path forward for Deerfield. The City project team is eager to continue to listen, engage, and incorporate this input – including at the December 11 Open House.