Planning Department

Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs) are large-scale developments that are likely to have regional effects beyond the local government jurisdiction in which they are located. The Georgia Planning Act of 1989 authorized the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to establish procedures for review of these large-scale projects by the RCs. These procedures are designed to improve communication between affected governments and to provide a means of revealing and assessing potential impacts of large-scale developments before conflicts relating to them arise. At the same time, local government autonomy is preserved since the host government maintains the authority to make the final decision on whether a proposed development will or will not go forward.

Population and Development Thresholds

Thresholds are used to determine whether a proposed development qualifies as a DRI. The thresholds vary by type of development and the population category of the county in which the proposed development will take place. There are various categories of development, each with separate thresholds, including (among others): office, commercial, hospitals, housing, industrial, hotels, mixed-use, airports, recreation, post-secondary schools, waste disposal, quarries and asphalt plants, wastewater treatment and petroleum storage, etc.

Local Government Role

The local government role related to DRIs involves the following:

• Identifying potential DRIs as part of the local development review process. Examples of activities triggering the process include rezonings and issuance of development permits or building permits.
• Notifying the Regional Commission (RC) of all potential DRIs for intergovernmental review.
• The local government is strongly encouraged to take the findings of the RC into account when making a decision to approve, approve with conditions, or deny a proposed DRI.

Regional Review Process

The intergovernmental review process for each proposed DRI consists of the following:

• The regional development center distributes a summary of the proposed development to other affected local governments and public agencies, asking for their comments.
• The regional development center evaluates the likely impacts of the proposed development and determines whether the development is consistent with the regional plan and the plans of affected local governments.
• Based on the evaluation of impact and comments received from affected parties, the regional development center determines whether the proposed development is in the best interest of the region and notifies the host local government of its finding.

The RC’s report on the results of the intergovernmental regional review process is advisory in nature, designed to help the local government anticipate possible impacts of a proposed development. The local government is encouraged to take this information into account in deciding whether to approve, deny, or require modifications to the development in order to mitigate any undesirable impacts uncovered in the DRI review.