Milton’s Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee will focus on economic development – and what that might mean in our community going forward – when it meets this Thursday.

The March 5 meeting will begin at 4 p.m. in City Hall’s Council Chambers. People can attend in person or watch online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY8Cx1z99FU.

This will be the second meeting for this Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, also known as CPAC. At each meeting, members dive deep into and offer their thoughts on specific topics that are within the Comprehensive Plan framework.

This 16-member board serves as citizen representatives in helping shape the 5-year update of this living document that guides City decisions, policies, and projects. Unlike in 2021, Milton’s Comprehensive Plan is not being overhauled this time. Rather, the Update will check-in on past progress and confirm that efforts going forward align with the Plan’s community-driven vision. It will incorporate elements of more recent plans and studies, upgrade economic and demographic data, and create a new list of priority projects (a.k.a. a “short-term work program”). 

For more information on the City’s 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update, visit www.miltonga.gov/2026CompPlanUpdate. 

Thursday’s meeting will begin with a recap of what transpired on February 5, the first time this group got together. This included talk of incorporating recent recent land use initiatives – like Destination Deerfield and Arnold Mill area plans and Urban Growth Boundaries – as well as discussion of housing-related issues and opportunities. 

Then CPAC will shift to a discussion about economic development in Milton. Division Director of Economic Development Mark Farmer will begin by outlining the City’s guiding economic development principles such as weighing projects’ costs and benefits, retaining and recruiting businesses that fit Milton, evaluating housing and transportation impacts for all projects, protecting natural resources, and partnering with outside organizations to collectively serve the community’s best interests. 

Farmer will put the idea of Economic Development into broad context before breaking down what strategies – such as placemaking, small business development, retail analysis, and more – may best apply in Milton. He’ll then lay out specific initiatives that correspond to City priorities, like promoting the creation of accessible civic spaces as part of Deerfield redevelopments. 

Following this presentation, CPAC members will take the lead in sharing insights and opinions on economic development going forward in Milton. Their feedback can help inform future-looking elements of the 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update. 

After Thursday, the committee is next scheduled to convene on April 2.