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The future of LaGrange is in your hands. You’ve just got to raise it.

The City of LaGrange held the first of two planned town halls to hear comments from the public as it updates its Comprehensive Plan. 

The Comprehensive Plan is a 20-year plan for municipalities and counties that provides an overview of the long-term intentions for government initiatives, investment, zoning, and plans to meet the goals, wants and needs of the community. It’s essentially a roadmap outlining a community’s vision, goals and strategies for improving the overall well-being of residents and the environment.

In order to qualify for many grants, the plan has to be updated every five years and filed with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA). To do so, the city appointed a 14-member steering committee comprised of community leaders and stakeholders to take feedback from the public and guide the process, overseen by City Planner Mark Kostial.

“Our comprehensive plan is utilized to establish and promote the city’s vision for the future. Without this plan, it becomes incredibly challenging. We are truly blessed to have a diverse group of committed community leaders who have volunteered their time to serve on their steering committee. They all bring their own unique talents and perspectives to the table,” said Kostial. 

The City recently concluded an online community survey to gather public input, advertising the survey on social media and the Daily News, as well as sharing the survey with the Troup County School System and Wellstar, two of the city’s largest employers. In total, 870 survey responses were received.

Along with the survey, the city is hosting two town halls to get feedback from residents. The first was on Wednesday evening at the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce and one more will be held at the William J. Griggs Recreation Center.

The plan includes a community snapshot of current census data as well as an assessment of the city’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

LaGrange is growing according to census data. In 2010, LaGrange had slightly less than 30,000 residents. Now there are almost 33,000 residents in LaGrange for a roughly 10 percent increase in 14 years. The median annual income has also increased from about $31,000 to slightly more than $41,000.

The total housing units has gone from around 11,300 to 14,300, representing a 21% increase over that 14-year period.

Kostial explained that despite what people assume, the majority of those homes are not multifamily construction. 

“You’d be surprised to learn that only 37% of what is currently being built, or what has been built in the past 36 months in the city of LaGrange, is multifamily,” Kostial said, explaining that people think there are more apartments being built that traditional homes because they are more visible.

“By its very nature, multifamily is always going to be located on your major thoroughfares and corridors, so it’s highly visible,” Kostial said. “The reality is we’re building more single-family homes than we are multifamily, and the vast majority of that is in-fill development. So, unless you drive through established neighborhoods, you don’t see it.”

Kostial said the concerning issue and a potential weakness for the city is not the percentage of multifamily, it’s the percentage of owned versus rented homes. In 2010, LaGrange had 5,405 resident-owned homes and slightly more rented homes at 5,856. Now we have a few more resident-owned homes at 5,865, but 8,439 rented homes.

During the question-and-answer portion of the town hall meeting, residents brought up concerns about traffic, particularly about the planned widening of Davis Road. Kostial noted that most of the areas with major traffic concerns are beyond the city’s control. The Georgia Department of Transportation decided to widen Davis Road near the LaGrange Mall to reroute US 27, much to local officials’ chagrin.

Citizens also suggested creating programs to help young residents learn trades, such as apprenticeship programs.

Others asked about local retail and if the city could improve the stores inside the LaGrange Mall.

Kostial said that there is more of an opportunity for some big box stores to come, like the much-requested Target and Costco, now that the population and rooftops are growing, but ultimately, it’s up to the owners of the mall what goes inside.

The next Comprehensive Plan Town Hall meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 16, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the William J. Griggs Recreation Center on Glenn Robertson Drive in LaGrange.

The second reading and approval of the plan is expected on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

For more information on the 2025-2045 Comprehensive Plan, go to https://lagrangega.gov/government/comprehensive_plan.php.