Milton, GA
Home Menu2026 Comprehensive Plan Update
The City of Milton takes pride in being purposeful, forward-looking, and strategic in its projects and programs so that they are efficient, effective, and serve the community's interests over the long-term. Smart, inclusive, intentional comprehensive planning is the key to making this happen.
In 2026, the City will undertake a five-year update of its Comprehensive Plan. This will focus on 1) incorporating aspects of other City adopted plans and studies from the past five years, 2) updating demographic and economic data from that same period, and 3) creating a new priority list of projects (a.k.a. the "short-term work program"). The community vision and some initiatives from Milton's 2040 Comprehensive Plan will carry over as well.
While the process isn't as in-depth or involved as it was in 2021, there will still be ample opportunities for citizens to follow the development of the 2026 update and share their valuable thoughts. See the meeting dates below, look for the latest on the City's Facebook page, and/or contact Principal Planner Shubha Jangam (at shubhangi.jangam@miltonga.gov) if you have questions.
The City invites you to be active participants in these conversations that will shape Milton's future. Please come to the meetings so you can be heard!
Citizens will have several opportunities -- roughly once every month -- to attend public meetings that will help shape the 2026 update to Milton's Comprehensive Plan. Below is a tentative schedule of what's planned with video and other relevant links to be added after each one):
- JANUARY 21 at 6 p.m.: Kick-off of the 2026 Update at a Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
- FEBRUARY 5 at 4 p.m.: Opening meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC)
- MARCH 5 at 4 p.m.: Second Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee meeting
- APRIL 2 at 4 p.m.: Third Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee meeting
- MAY 7 at 4 p.m.: Fourth Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee meeting
- JUNE 4 at 4 p.m.: Fifth Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee meeting
- JULY 2 at 4 p.m.: Open House for the general public
- AUGUST 3 at 6 p.m.: Overview and transmittal of the 2026 Update document at a Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
- OCTOBER 5 at 6 p.m.: Vote to adopt the 2026 Update at a Regular Meeting of the Milton City Council
All these meetings are open to the public and will take place at City Hall's Council Chambers (2006 Heritage Walk). And again, if you can't make these meetings but want to share your thoughts, email them to shubhangi.jangam@miltonga.gov.
A Comprehensive Plan is a community-driven, living document that guides how those who live, work and play in a municipality want it to develop over an extended period. It reflects what citizens want Milton to look and feel like 20 years from now -- and what can be done to make that a reality. Other questions include:
- What does a Comprehensive Plan do?
It outlines a community's desired vision and serves as a guide for future decisions, projects, and policies (such as development regulations). A Comprehensive Plan also guides public investments in transportation and other infrastructure.
- Are Comprehensive Plans required in Georgia?
Yes. The Georgia Planning Act requires that cities and counties maintain Comprehensive Plans that outline priorities, projects, and a vision for a community's future.
- How often must they be updated?
An update is required every five years. (Milton's last version was in 2021.)
- Who determines if a city's Comprehensive Plan is suitable?
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs must review and approve a local government's Comprehensive Plan to ensure it meets State standards.
- What kinds of questions might the 2026 Update address?
The main questions the Update will answer are how far the City has come, whether we are on the right track, and where we want to go over the next five years. In doing so, it will consider changes in Milton's demographics, economy, and priorities. For example, it might answer a question like: Should we have more passive parks in Milton? We encourage you to be part of the process.
What the 2026 Update will focus on...
While it will not revisit "vision," "priorities," and other big-picture elements of Milton's 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the 2026 Update will dive into several matters that are critically important to the community. It will do so in the form of "short-term work programs" that outline specific, targeted, strategic actions that the City can take in line with Milton's long-term goals. These will focus on these areas:
- LAND USE: How to preserve and encourage desired land uses (such as low-density residential)
- TRANSPORTATION: Where future transportation-related improvements should go
- ECONOMY: Checking on trends and how tactical projects could boost Milton's economy
- PLACEMAKING AND BRANDING: How to keep Milton's admired brand identity consistent, including across different character areas
- SUSTAINABILITY: What can Milton do to safeguard the environment, with the mindset of "think global, act local"
Milton's Comprehensive Plan is the City's largest, most extensive planning document. But it is not the only one, as the City regularly produces community-driven plans and other such initiatives that are more focused in nature. Below you will find several such examples, each of which may impact aspects of the 2026 Update to the Comprehensive Plan:
- Destination Deerfield Urban Design Manual (2025)
- Arnold Mill Small Area Plan (2025)
- Windward Deerfield Master Strategic Plan (2024)
- Comprehensive Transportation Plan (2024)
- Urban Growth Boundaries (2023)
District at Mayfield Concept Plan (2023)
- 2040 Comprehensive Plan (2021)
- Milton Community Trail Prioritization Plan (2020)
- 2027 Parks and Recreation Master Plan (2019)
- Downtown Milton/Crabapple Placemaking Plan
- Crabapple Visioning Study
- Deerfield/GA 9 Livable Centers Initiative Study
- Birmingham Crossroads Plan
Whenever the City is working on a new or updated Comprehensive Plan, it convenes a Comprehensive Advisory Committee (or CPAC). This consists of 16 members -- seven appointed by Milton's Mayor and Council, the seven Planning Commission members, as well as the chairs of the Design Review Board and Board of Zoning Appeals. CPAC represents the community's viewpoints and advises on the plan's development.
The members for this cycle are:
- Mathew Titus (appointed by Mayor Jamison)
- Catherine Marshal (appointed by Councilmember Dolan)
- Anne D'Anella (appointed by Councilmember Cookerly)
- Greg Power (appointed by Councilmember Johnson)
- Jamey Rogers (appointed by Councilmember Hene)
- Cheryl Gloster (appointed by Councilmember Jacobus)
- Erika Grayson (appointed by Councilmember Cranmer)
- Sumeet Shah (Planning Commission)
- Judy Burds (Planning Commission)
- Stephanie Butler (Planning Commission)
- AJ Bulot (Planning Commission)
- Fred Edwards (Planning Commission)
- Brian McNeese (Planning Commission)
- Vic Jones (Planning Commission)
- Ken Warlick (Chair, Design Review Board)
- TBD (Chair, Board of Zoning Appeals)