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March 12, 2021 | News

LaFayette receives planning grant

Writer: Staff Reports

Published March 12, 2021
Walker County Messenger The Catoosa County News

LaFayette officials announced the city’s recent selection for a grant that will help build and design a master plan for a new vision for downtown with assistance from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia.

The University of Georgia’s Renaissance Strategic Visioning and Planning Process (RSVP) team will work closely over the next year with the city government, LaFayette Downtown Development Authority (DDA), LaFayette Junior Council, downtown business and property owners and residents to drive an innovative plan for the future of downtown.

A grant award from the Lyndhurst Foundation and additional financial awards from the Georgia Municipal Association and the Georgia Cities Foundation will fund the project. This master plan will come at no cost to taxpayers, and typically a plan like this would cost $150,000 or more with a private firm, they said.

RSVP process

According to the RSVP website, the RSVP is both a downtown master planning process and a downtown planning document that illustrates the community’s vision for the future and provides the step-by-step blueprint to get there.

The RSVP engagement process will include community meetings, interviews with business and property owners, educators, government officials and citizens, with surveys and economic data collection among other activities.

Upon completion of this process, the city will have a vision for downtown that will help it develop as a booming hub for long-term growth and engagement.

The most valuable element of this plan is extensive community involvement.

UGA’s RSVP team will work with the city and DDA to focus and facilitate the planning process. The eventual plan should enable both entities to direct their resources most efficiently as they seek to implement new development projects downtown. This grant is an important milestone in accomplishing this goal.

RSVP planning process

The planning process will consist of three major steps of focus which include the following:

♦ “Where We Are?” will consist of public input and engagement, a visual preference assessment, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, a demographic scan, plan review and steering committee meetings.

♦ “Where We Are Going?” will consist of those ideas and concepts gathered illustrated by designs, renderings and visualizations.

♦ “How Do We Get There?” will consist of outlining a path to success by creating a work program and implementation plan.

Previous communities have seen substantial revitalization and improvements in their downtowns following this rigorous planning process. Officials say they are excited to see the community come out and get engaged in building the future of LaFayette.

To learn more about the LaFayette RSVP, visit www.lafayettersvp.com.