Loganville City Council rewriting zoning law

City kicks off process that could take year or more

An estimated two dozen people, including Mayor Branden Whitfield and city council members, attended the Feb. 3 kickoff of the city’s rewriting of its zoning ordinance, a process that could take a year or more.

The effort, which will include numerous opportunities for public input, is being led by Franklin, Tenn. based Town Planning & Urban Design Collaborative. The firm is working under a $272,511.75 contract, which includes a 5% contingency, approved late in 2025 by the Loganville city council

TPUDC was chosen from among three firms that responded to a solicitation from the city seeking a rewriting of the zoning ordinance. The effort was spearheaded by Councilwoman Lisa Newberry, who chairs the council’s Planning & Development Committee.

Newberry had, in part, grown increasingly frustrated with a zoning process that often saw developers making changes to their development proposals on the fly at meetings of the city council and the city’s planning commission to meet commission, council and community concerns about their projects.

At the Feb. 3 kickoff, Brian Wright, founding principal of TPUDC, framed the central question of the zoning ordinance rewrite, suggesting to his audience that the city should look at the process as asking “How do we make a place that’s going to work for all the people who live here?”

“A lot of the towns and cities around here are kind of the same, and it’s because of their zoning,” Wright said. “So what do we do if we want to have something different than that?”

Prior to the Feb. 3 kickoff, Wright and other TPUDC staff talked with the city’s elected and appointed officials, took a tour of the city, and spoke with the city government’s various department heads.

Wright took time at the kickoff to address any concerns among the public that they might need to know something about zoning before becoming involved in the rewrite process.

The public’s next opportunity to become involved with rewriting the ordinance is the three-day “Codeapalooza,” which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in the city council chambers at City Hall, 4303 Lawrenceville Road in the edge of the downtown area.

According to information from www.buildbetterloganville.com, the official home of the
zoning ordinance update, Codeapalooza will offer “… a dedicated space for community members to share their input, voice their priorities, and receive direct answers to their questions.”

The Feb. 23 installment of Codeapalooza will include a hands-on mapping workshop. The event
continues in a drop-in format from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 24-25. Both days will include topical meetings – topics have not yet been decided – from noon to 1 p.m., with a second topical meeting set for 6-7 p.m. on Feb. 26.

Speaking broadly at the Feb. 3 kickoff for the zoning ordinance rewrite, Wright said some of the goals for updating the document should include cleaning up technical issues in the ordinance, such as contradictory language.

The effort should also look toward protecting the most loved parts of the city, and enhancing areas that need improvement, Wright said.

One benefit of a revamped zoning ordinance, Wright added, is that it should create more predictable outcomes on zoning issues, for developers as well as citizens and government staff.

At TPUDC, Wright said, “We see planning and zoning as an economic development tool.” He went on to stress the importance of wide public input in the rewrite effort.

“Our process is to really try and understand the essence of this place,” he said. “What’s the DNA of the community? And the only way that we can do that is by talking to you all.”

Beyond that, Wright explained, TPUDC likely will visit places identified as favorite locations in Loganville, and take a technical approach to figuring out what makes them special, by looking at things like building setbacks, building heights and lot widths.

Wright also had some overarching advice for community participation in, and development of, a new zoning ordinance.

“You have to decide where you want to go, and you have to say, ‘We are going to go there, no matter what’,” Wright said. “And you try it, and you see what happens,” he added, recognizing that changes can be made if results aren’t as expected.

Addressing TPUDC’s role in the process regarding public input, Wright explained, “Whatever we do has to represent the essence of Loganville. That’s where you all come into play. … We will never know this place the way that you all do. We deputize you all to be part of the team … y’all are like the ‘vibe’ check… We need you all to do that.”

As a parting thought to close the Feb. 3 kickoff of the zoning ordinance rewrite, Wright told those in attendance that the process “will be a journey” and that keeping an open mind and keeping the process
positive will contribute to the success of the effort.

“Part of the thing that’s kind of neat about our process is that … we’re helping people learn how to be citizens again, and (how to be) neighbors and participants,” Wright said.