Stone Mountain 2021 Comprehensive Plan Update
One of the fundamental responsibilities of local government is planning – a word used to describe how a community shapes and guides its future growth, development, and identity. Updating the comprehensive plan offers the community the opportunity to look beyond the execution of day-to-day services and consider where they want to be in the future, as well as what needs to be done to get there.
Check back here regularly to get up-to-date information about the City of Stone Mountain's 2021 Comprehensive Plan Update process and to participate in engagement opportunities to help shape the plan.
Draft Plan for Review
The first draft of the Comprehensive Plan Update was discussed in a public hearing at the September 21, 2021 meeting of Stone Mountain's City Council. That document and the public hearing discussion led to the development of the second draft, which will be submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) for state review by the end of September. The second draft is available online for review at this link. The public is encouraged to submit any comments on the draft to ChaQuias Miller-Thornton, City Manager, via email at cthornton@stonemountaincity.org.
Survey
As an initial step, we developed survey tool to gather public input on Stone Mountain's assets, challenges, and priorities for the future. The survey was open from April 22-July 6. Results are below.
Question title
What are the three (3) biggest challenges facing Stone Mountain currently?
If you see a response you agree with, you can upvote that response instead of replicating it.
Question title
What are three (3) words or phrases you would use to describe Stone Mountain to someone unfamiliar with the community?
If you see a response you agree with, you can upvote that response instead of replicating it.
New restaurants and entertainment revitalizing the downtown district
Walking distance to Stone Mountain Park
Becoming a dining/shopping/nightlife destination
Growing
A community with a mix of traditional southern values and visionary entrepreneurs who see the potential in modern ideas
A walkable, dog-friendly, golf cart friendly place where neighbors gather for barbecues in the summer and around fire pits in the winter
Question title
Quality of life can be defined as the standard of health, comfort, and happiness experienced by an individual or group. How would you rate the quality of life that you experience in Stone Mountain ?
Question title
What places in Stone Mountain are most important to you? (e.g., local businesses, parks, places of worship, community centers, buildings, etc.)
If you see a response you agree with, you can upvote that response instead of replicating it.
Parks
Good variety of restaurants
Why is library still closed?
Streets need cleaning
Public works is very poorly run
Historic Train Depot - home of the Tourism Center
ART Station
access to natural beauty
affordability for all
Historic homes
Businesses - love the ones that are here, but wishing and hoping others find us more desirable if we make netter and necessary decisions about our town.
Question title
Use this map to point out the places in Stone Mountain that are most important to you. (e.g., local businesses, parks, places of worship, community centers, buildings, etc.)
Question title
What are the most significant natural and environmental resources in the area? (Natural and environmental resources can include bodies of water, wildlife and wildlife habitat, forests, undeveloped land, etc.)
If you see a response you agree with, you can upvote that response instead of replicating it.
Trails.
All of Our parks that COULD/SHOULD be thriving.
hiking/access to nature
diverse, quaint, well maintained, affordable shops
Question title
How would you characterize the pace of development in Stone Mountain in recent years?
Question title
Where do you think new development should be focused or located in Stone Mountain?
If you see a response you agree with, you can upvote that response instead of replicating it.
The four acre tract downtown owned by First Baptist Church
MARTA lot on Fourth Street
Empty Storefronts
Embrace a chain store to start with for recognition
Making the Village have a local/community park experience (like Lilburn’s centralized community park) rather than rarely used parks like McCurdy, VFW, or Randolph Medlock parks which are not centralized (like the huge central green space across from downtown across the tracks) which could make the Village much more of a family destination (dining, shopping, and fun in the Village’s park of the city owned it rather than the church rarely using it)
Revitalize the downtown, add unique lighting and facelift the building fronts
Question title
How do you perceive the supply/amount of the following housing types in Stone Mountain?
Question prompt | Need More | Have the Right Amount | Need Less | No Opinion |
---|---|---|---|---|
Affordable Housing |
27%
|
45%
|
7%
|
20%
|
Senior Housing |
22%
|
40%
|
7%
|
31%
|
Multi-Family Housing |
19%
|
25%
|
39%
|
17%
|
Mixed-Income Housing |
21%
|
43%
|
14%
|
21%
|
Question title
How do you perceive the following aspects of the City's transportation system?
Question prompt | Poor | Below Average | Adequate | Good | Excellent | No Opinion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traffic Safety |
22%
|
35%
|
24%
|
13%
|
2%
|
4%
|
Traffic Congestion |
55%
|
29%
|
11%
|
2%
|
-
|
4%
|
Roadway Conditions/Maintenance |
38%
|
29%
|
30%
|
4%
|
-
|
-
|
Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety |
29%
|
40%
|
22%
|
5%
|
2%
|
2%
|
Public Transportation/Transit |
19%
|
23%
|
36%
|
8%
|
-
|
15%
|
Question title
Are there any locations in the City that you feel are particularly dangerous for pedestrians or bicyclists? Please list specific intersections or areas – and what makes the area dangerous (e.g., traffic, traffic signals, lack of crosswalks, quality of road surface, etc.).
Question title
What is your primary reason for visiting downtown Stone Mountain (select all that apply)
Question title
What do you think is the top project or improvement that could be made to downtown Stone Mountain?
If you see a response you agree with, you can upvote that response instead of replicating it.
Question title
If desired, please use the space below to list anything else you would like to be considered in future planning efforts for Stone Mountain that was not covered by the previous survey questions.
Elect members who have the skills and knowledge of projects and are capable of getting the ball rolling to make them happen. Teresa is one of the ones who stands out currently, and ...See More
Building Owners do not want to revitalize their properties.
Certain businesses do not open during the hours that they advertise on a consistent basis.
No alternate traffic route creates horrible morning and afternoon back-ups
Lack of retail shops
not enough businesses open consistently,
Lack of parking
Lack of downtown parking
Identity confusion with unincorporated Stone Mountain
Roads are terrible
Stigmatized as racist due to mountain monument
need revitalization with affordability of community outside the park
access to walking trails, cafes, shopping outside the park
If we are a golf cart community, we need to be able to utilize access more.
I own a building on Main Street and I do update and keep my building up. During this pandemic, I have not tried to rent my building. I have been doing some udating inside the building.
And the process of getting a tenant in the building is so long and drawn out with so many permits and inspections, that possible tenants are going to other towns. It takes around 6 months for a tenant to be approved. Persons who want to open a business in the village do not want to be tied up in permits for months. This has been my main problem with renting my building.
No good recreation
Bad downtown
The Village feels separate from Shermantown, rather than the two feeling like two combined areas that are working together
Traffic issues at five-way intersection as well as entering/leaving the Village on Main Street (start/end of work days and weekends)
Lack of upkeep on major roads
No grocery store
No playground (we need a great playground)
Need some more restaurant options
Need a market
Vacant Building Owners
Connectivity between walkable areas
code enforcement doing their job
city leaders bringing community together
Need better advertising/marketing for the city
Too hard to open a business
Empty storefronts/unused green space in middle of town
Need daytime retail and businesses open more regularly
How to benefit from or ameliorate the problem created by the enormous traffic flow on our "landlocked" Main Street.
Competition with larger Metropolitan Atlanta municipalities for experienced and talented governmental employees.
Blighted downtown without shops of interest
Apathetic citizenry
Blighted downtown
Nothing here to encourage new homeowners (i.e. parks, good schools, shopping)
Dumping ground for people too cheap to buy a park parking pass. They use our limited parking resources, burden our public works by trashing our city, and contribute nothing to the businesses or tax base by spending money in the city.
New Construction
Downtown if SAFE (no way to know who’s around you)
Lack of identity (village, unincorporated, and city)
Poor public infrastructure (broken, small sidewalks, lack of public parks, facilities, etc)