Plan 2040-2045 Update, our Comprehensive Plan, is a shared vision for the future of our community.
The Comprehensive Plan is a guide for the short- and long-term growth, redevelopment, and preservation of Chatham County, Garden City, and Savannah. It reflects the community's values and goals, and lays out strategies to achieve them.
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs establishes the standards and procedures for comprehensive planning by all local governments in Georgia ( Chapter 110-12-1 Minimum Standards and Procedures for Local Comprehensive Planning ). In order to maintain qualified local government certification, and thereby remain eligible for selected state funding and permitting programs, each local government must prepare, adopt, maintain, and implement a comprehensive plan as specified in the State’s standards. Each community’s comprehensive plan must include specific plan elements, communities are also encouraged to go beyond these minimum required elements and supplement its comprehensive plan with other plan elements to make the overall plan a good fit for the community.
Since our last Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2021, the County has grown considerably. Continued progress of our community must follow a strategic approach that balances a desirable built environment, economic development, natural resources, transportation options, and a high quality of life for all of our residents.
Plan 2040-2045 Update is a five-year update of Chatham County and the City of Savannah’s existing Comprehensive Plan that will be used by local officials as a guide to help make policy decisions regarding the community's growth and development for the next twenty years.
The Advance Planning and Special Projects Department prepares the long-term plan, known as the (Previous) Plan 2040: Comprehensive Plan for Chatham County & Savannah, which describes specific goals and strategies designed to achieve a shared community vision. Advance Planning staff also works to ensure that other plans and projects are consistent with the goals and objectives identified in the Chatham County – Savannah Comprehensive Plan.
