The Northwest Georgia Regional Commission will be meeting this Thursday to draft an update to the Northwest Georgia Regional Plan.  The plan must be submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs before July 1, 2024.

The commission is made up of representatives from fifteen Northwest Georgia counties.  Chattooga County is represented on the commission by County Commissioner Blake Elsberry, Summerville Mayor Harry Harvey and private citizen Jim Henry.

The commission will be meeting at 11 AM on February 15th at the Rome Civic Center, located at 400 Civic Center Drive in Rome.

The Northwest Georgia Regional Plan sets regional goals, development maps, an analysis of needs and opportunities, and an implementation program for activities in 2024 through 2028. The document, put together with public input gathered at meetings around the region, can be viewed online at nwgrc.org.

A separate hearing will be held on the Regionally Important Resources warranting special consideration that have been identified by local governments in the plan. They include places such as environmentally sensitive areas, historic sites, state and federal forests, parks, Civil War battlefields and trail corridors.

The plan also overlays the RIR map with projected land use through 2050 to pinpoint areas that are likely to need special attention to conserve.