Today, local governments are busy implementing 2050 Plan initiatives.
The City of Covington and Newton County have jointly revised their
ordinances for a designated growth corridor in the Covington area, in
compliance with the new plan. Covington has also adopted a formbased code promoting mixed-use development for greater densities
and decreased auto dependency as the basis of all planning in the city.

Following the local tradition of collaboration, Covington’s new codes
are intended to serve as a model for new ordinances in all urbanizing
areas of the county. And, with the help of students working through the
University of Georgia’s Metropolitan Design Studio, hosted in Covington
each spring semester, the City of Oxford is updating its master plan.

Kay B. Lee, one of the founders of the Center and its current director,
emphasizes the significance of these accomplishments: “All of these
things happening locally is a kind of miracle in itself, given the lack of
resources in this community. If we can set a more sustainable growth
pattern and save millions of dollars in the process, would it not be
reasonable to assume that any community, anywhere, can replicate
what we have done?”

Download the full report here.

At Celebrate Our Home “we” found a visual diary of our County – its historic, natural, governmental, nonprofit, faith-based, civic, recreational, and cultural assets – in one place and at one time.

At Celebrate Our Home “we” met local businesses who have a product they create and sell right here at home.

“We” met government officials from the County, Water and Sewerage Authority, School System, Covington, Oxford, Porterdale, and Newborn who told us all about the services “we” pay for with our tax dollars.

“We” met the Chamber of Commerce President and Lisa, whose skills at selling Chamber memberships is only exceeded by her enthusiasm.

“We” recorded our Newton County story for The Covington News and “we” marked our home on a county map tended by a young adult raised and educated in Newton County who was volunteering for the event.

“We”  listened to great music from Johnny Roquemore and Friend and watched performances by members of our next generation of leaders.

I feel blessed to be amongst the “we” that make up the citizens of Newton County.  Come see the beauty of our home, meet other Newton residents, listen to great music, make new friends, and celebrate our home this weekend at Alcovy High School.  Saturday afternoon from 4 – 7:30pm.  ”We” will see you there!!!!

The Bloodworths enjoy Celebrate Our Home

Sharing the 2050 Plan

"We" talk business with United Bank.

And if you get anything out of COH, we hope it’s a sense of community. Did you know that 61% of Newton County’s population moved here in the last 20 years? That’s a lot of new neighbors you may not be acquainted with. That’s why COH is such a unique event –it’s an opportunity to meet them, eat with them, and get your face painted with them. Well, you don’t have to paint your face, but you can enjoy a variety of activities, entertainment, and informational elements COH brings to you.

Before I mentioned the Leadership Collaborative and The Center, but truth be told the “we” putting all the COH elements together is a growing army of community officials, agencies, organizations, and super-citizens committed to throwing one heck of gathering—five times!! I am plumb giddy about some of the great ideas people are coming up with—Newton County is in for a real treat. We’ll try to keep y’all updated as we move forward. If you want to get involved in ANY way, shoot me an email at anna@thecenter-newton.org or just drop by one of Thursday night planning meeting (5:30 @ The Center) — we’ll be excited to have you join us!

Where do the UGA students call home?
From Alexis Wakely Chamberlin:

This semester, the eleven UGA participants in the Covington Metropolitan studio are very diverse. Four students have Asian origins, ranging from Vietnam, South Korea, China and Laos. Several other students are also from Mexico. With the one exception being from Washington D.C., however, we all consider Georgia to be our home and look forward to finding a sense of community with everyone in Covington.

What is life like for the students while they’re in Newton County?
From Alex Tidwell:

Here at the Covington Metropolitan Studio, we are staying in a fairly newly developed part of the historical section of town. In the neighborhood, Clark’s Grove, there is a small variety of business and living options. The student living place is in a mixed use building above a salon, a café, and other small businesses. In the townhome there is a large living space with a kitchen large enough to accommodate our large group. The kitchen was well stocked with plates, cups, pots and pans for the students to use. The living space also has a large dining table and two sofas. On the top floor of the living space are two large bedrooms with five bunk beds in each room. Both rooms have a bathroom with two sinks, two showers and six closet spaces for the students. The room did seem to shrink a little once everyone moved in but the space is efficient for the 11 students staying at the Covington studio for the 10 weeks.

What do they hope get out of their time in Newton County?
From Stephanie Rattanog:

I have personally have never had the experience outside of school as a landscape designer and I am thrilled to be working with actual people who take seriously the future of planning and the visions they have in mind for future generations. So far the L.A. field is complementary to the emergence of programs related to sustainability that the opportunities to enhance the environment are endless. As we the 2012 Covington interns take part in understanding how critical the environment is to economic development, one of our many tasks is to educate the public and inform them of issues related to environment. We hope to communicate our best ideas having considered all possible creative solutions for enhancing the town.

This is the perfect time for the Center to launch a new website. The latest crop of UGA Metropolitan Design Studio arrived this week. For all the zaniness of preparing for the Annual Meeting, this roving band of landscape architects adds a much appreciated excitement, especially while we all sneak peaks at their work.

Plus, it’s 2012 – a full ten years since the last website went online.

But most importantly, the Center and the Leadership Collaborative are entering the implementation phase of the 2050 Plan. The circle of people involved in the Center’s activities will soon expand from about 100 to almost 100,000. To reach out and open ourselves up to this new, broader audience, we need a new communication tool. Hence – new website.

The Center has always been a resource for the entire Newton County community. In theory, anyone can come into the Center and learn about land use, transportation, water management, or place-making. But really, those things can be pretty dull, and we don’t get a lot of walk-in traffic. People don’t want to hear about zoning unless they have to.

Through its first decade, the Center’s principal visitors have been elected and appointed officials. At first, some of these people would probably have preferred not talk about zoning, either. But they did, and they realized there was something to long-term planning. Their questions turned into research, which turned into plans, and will now turn into policy over the next few years.

This new site will better showcase how this plan came to be, the purpose it will serve, and the steps remaining. Whether you’re a Newton County native, a professional planner, or just curious what we’re doing, please, talk to us. Leave a comment, shoot us an email, ask us questions, or share your experiences. The Center’s physical site is still open for questions (during office hours, of course), but we hope that this virtual site will allow more people to join the conversation.