We’re Macon it Happen! This is our community’s big-picture plan for the future — how we want to grow, get around, and keep Macon-Bibb County a great place to live, work, and visit. The Comprehensive Plan is a chance for everyone to share ideas and shape what comes next. Because when it comes to our future, it only works if we’re Macon it Happen together.

Close-up of the front porch of a historic house with curved marble stairs, tall white columns, and decorative plants in planters, with trees in the background.
An old wooden entrance to a burial mound or ancient tomb, with a grassy hillside surrounding it and a partly cloudy sky overhead.
A close-up view of a historic red brick church with ornate Gothic architectural details, arched stained glass windows, decorative white accents, and a tower, set against a clear blue sky.
Sign reading 'Macon Downtown' in front of a street with parked cars and buildings, trees, and a partly cloudy sky.
Check mark inside a square, representing approval or completion.

We are here!

The Process

Schedule

A project timeline from January 2026 to October 2027 showing phases such as 'Opening Night', 'Transportation', 'Economic Development', 'Quality of Life', 'Housing', 'Land Use', 'Final Plan Summit', and 'Adoption'. Color-coded icons indicate different activities: green for Ramp Up, blue for Community Meetings and Deliverables, purple for Community Meetings, orange for Economic Development, red for Housing, teal for Land Use, black for Draft and Final, and yellow for Adoption.

Our planning process uses a “deep dive” approach, focusing on one or two plan elements at a time to truly understand the community’s priorities. For each element, we begin with a ramp-up phase—researching current conditions in Macon-Bibb County and holding focused small-group conversations with key stakeholders. Once we have a solid understanding, we’ll spend dedicated time with the broader community to clarify questions, gather insights, and learn what matters most.

Next, we’ll draft that portion of the plan, outlining clear goals, needs, opportunities, and action items that support the overall vision. After all five elements are complete, we’ll bring everything together into a cohesive plan, refine it based on feedback, and move forward with adopting a community-driven plan.

Clock tower with Gothic architecture and a green roof, partially obscured by a leafy tree, under a clear blue sky.

FAQS

  • A comprehensive plan is a guiding document that outlines how a place’s long-term vision for land development will be implemented over time. It answers three big questions:

    a.      Where are we now?

    b.     Where do we want to go

    c.     How do we get there?

  • Comprehensive plans guide future land use and development decisions over a long period of time, with a focus on the next 5 years. They provide policy direction for related elements, like transportation, housing, and economic development, while weaving in policy direction provided by other recent and ongoing planning efforts.

  • This plan will focus on five elements:

    1.      Land use (allocating space for growth and development)

    2.      Transportation (how we get around)

    3.      Housing (where we live)

    4.      Economic development (how we grow our local economy)

    5.      Quality of life (the things that make our community worth living in)

    The plan will include a community work program that will outline all of the actions that Macon-Bibb County and Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning Commission will take on to make the vision a reality.

  • Your voice is important! We'll have multiple opportunities throughout 2026 and 2027 process for you to get involved. Check out our "Engage" page for key dates and a link to our survey!

  • Yes! Planning doesn’t happen in a vaccum. This comprehensive plan update builds on years of community conversations, technical studies, and adopted plans that shape how our community will grow and change. Together, these documents provide the foundation for decisions about land use, transportation, housing, economic development, and quality of life. This section highlights the key plans that will inform and guide this update. For a look at the plans we have so far looked at, please visit the Plan Foundations page.