At the 11/6/2024 City Council meeting, Council members approved the Master Plan for the City of Young Harris. The plan, created over the last year, incorporates past planning, community input from recent public forums, and facilitation and vision from our regional partners, the Georgia Mountain Regional Commission, the Carl Vinson Institute of UGA, and the Fanning Institute of UGA.
The purpose of this plan is to establish the City's official goals and strategies for the future of downtown Young Harris. It defines the City's Planning Principles (values), Goals, and Objectives (action steps). The visual renderings in the plan are conceptual, meaning they are simply examples of potential downtown development. These are not set in stone, but they instead serve as a model that can be presented to our local businesses, community partners, and potential investors.
Throughout early 2025, the YH City Council, Main Street Board, Planning Commission, Mayor, City staff, City attorney, and YHC liaison gathered on three separate occasions to discuss the 2024 Master Plan and identify priorities, which are located below in the "Matching Passions & Projects" document. You may also find a laminated copy of the priorities at YH City Hall, The Fix, and Cable's Gallery. The City welcomes your input, and if you or your group would like to volunteer to help accomplish our goals, here's a very short survey to complete. If you are a member of a group would like a presentation, please contact Main Street Director roseroyston [at] cityofyoungharris.net (Rosemary Royston).
The City Council, Mayor, and Main Street Director are excited about our next steps. Many of these initiatives will take years to accomplish, and we will have to be flexible with our planning. We always welcome your thoughts and input.