Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) Update
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) | Newton County, GA
Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) | Newton County, GA What is Happening with the UDO Update? Newton County is updating its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) to combine land use requirements, zoning, subdivision regulations, stormwater management, natural resource protection and design guidelines into a single document. It is intended to reflect the Newton County ‘s vision for a growing, healthy, safe and sustainable community. View the UDO Draft here: UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE DRAFT (Coming Soon) The UDO will be the primary regulatory tool for the implementation of zoning in Newton County. It will comprise of the Newton County Zoning Ordinance and the Newton County Development Regulations and will ensure that development is in line with the goals and aspirations of the County. Within Newton County, the UDO will include regulations that govern zoning districts, overlay districts, permitted uses, building and development standards, open space standards, and development review processes. UDO Progress Who Is Developing the UDO? The Board of Commissioners approved updating the UDO during the June 18, 2024 Meeting View meeting minutes here: June 18, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes. Kending Keast Collaborative/GMC is the consultant working with Newton County's Department of Development Services and Planning Staff Why Update the UDO now? Newton County is updating its ordinance so that it reflects the current needs of the community, and has regulations in place to manage and guide the growth of the County. Current Ordinance vs. UDO In 2020, Newton County combined the Zoning Ordinance, the Development regulations and the Water Resources manual into one document called the Unified Development Ordinance. When are UDO Planning Meetings taking place? The most recent meeting regarding the UDO planning process was a Work Session with the Board of Commissioners. The Chairman of the Planning Commission was also in attendance as the different chapters of the UDO were reviewed and feedback was provided. A draft will be presented to the Board of Commissioner and Planning Commission. after feedback from the board, commission and public is added. The Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission recently held two work sessions to go through the plan in detail. Their input is being added to the UDO before it is presented to the Board and Commission in October. Stay tuned for the date and time when the draft will be presented. Newton County began a pubic outreach campaign in September of 2024 and continues to seek public input in the update of its UDO. Upcoming meetings are being scheduled. See below for previous meetings and community input sessions. District Meetings Newton County held community meetings in each of the five commissioner districts in the fall of 2024. District 1 - Oct. 3, 2024 District 2 - Oct. 23, 2024 District 3 - Oct. 2, 2024 District 4 - Sept. 25, 2024 District 5 - Sept. 23, 2024 A town hall on modules 1 and 2 was held in the Newton County Historic Courthouse on May 20. Each received the same presentation before residents had a chance to voice their input. The presentation can be found here: Group Meetings Newton County also held meetings with two other groups - a focus group and stakeholders. The focus group met from Sept. 10, 2024 through Sept. 30, 2024. The stakeholder group met from Sept. 10, 2024 and Sept. 11, 2024. BOC Update Sessions Following the community meetings and other development work on the UDO, first phase of the first module's draft was presented to the BOC in two meetings. January 8, 2025 BOC Presentation October 8, 2025 BOC Presentation The same presentations were also given to the public during community meetings on Jan. 8, 2025 and Oct. 8, 2025. Upcoming meetings are being scheduled as draft modules advance.