Deerfield – and specifically, possible changes to City Code with that area’s future in mind – will be front-and-center Monday evening when Milton’s City Council is joined by the Planning Commission for a special meeting.

The City Council had a Work Session already planned to start at 6 p.m. on February 10, so this joint meeting will occur within that same timeslot. People can attend it in-person in City Hall’s Council Chambers (2006 Heritage Walk), or they can watch online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y608adNwd-M.

Typically, the City Council has multiple items on its agenda for any given meeting. But this Monday, there will only be one – Deerfield – though it is a far-reaching, multi-faceted topic that is important to Milton in many ways.

Encompassing properties in and around Highway 9, Windward Parkway, Webb Road, Deerfield Parkway, and Morris Road, Deerfield is the most heavily populated and commercial section of Milton. It has tremendous potential to become the city’s thriving economic engine and an even more vibrant, connected, and uniquely Milton destination for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.

That potential led the City to work to develop a Deerfield Implementation Plan, which will be a dynamic, long-term vision for this critical area. Community members have played a vital role in a process that has made significant progress, leading up to Monday’s milestone meeting.

At it, Director of Special Projects Bob Buscemi will give a presentation and solicit feedback on these six potential changes to City Code that are in line with this fledgling vision (as well as conservations with several prospective developers):

• Exploring incentives to encourage amenities (such as civic space and structured parking)
• Reviewing the 50/50 ratio requirement for multi-family and townhouses (which, as is, states at least half of developments in this area must be non-residential)
• Allowing Townhomes as a use along Highway 9
• Allowing Townhomes as a use in T6-zoned areas (which, in this instance, includes properties off Deerfield Parkway and Morris Road)
• Allow stormwater facilities (like retention ponds) to be counted as open space
• Allow the front portion of the expansive Stonecreek Church property to be zoned T5 – which would make it consistent with the zoning category directly to its north and south

Planning Commission members will participate to lend their insights and ideas, allowing for an even fuller and more robust discussion. Mayor Peyton Jamison and City Council, meanwhile, will take the lead and may offer direction to City staff that could guide what happens over the coming months. Still, since this is a Work Session, no conclusive votes will be taken.

For more about the Deerfield project, visit www.miltonga.gov/Deerfield.