Planning

The Planning Department’s mission is to provide support for programs and activities related to the physical and economic development and the use of land in the City of Toccoa. These activities include, but are not limited to, the development of the City’s Comprehensive Plan as well as reviewing and permitting land uses through processes such as rezoning and use permits.

The department provides staff support to a number of City Commission appointed Boards and Commissions including the Planning Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the Toccoa Initiative for Community Housing.

Staff researches and obtains grant awards for housing, trees, streetscape, community buildings, CDBG, etc. Staff is currently administering four grants, two for the Schaefer Center, one for streetscape improvements in downtown and another for CDBG funds to improve infrastructure and housing in the Trogdon Heritage District. Maintaining the websites for the City, Gas, Water, and Police Departments also falls under the responsibility of the Planning Department.

The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is a volunteer board, which serves as the city's preservation representative within the Planning and Community Development Department. The HPC was established by the City's Historic Preservation Ordinance.
 
The HPC is charged with the responsibility of initiating local designatuon, design review for designated properties, heritage education and public awareness, and preservation planning and research. The aesthetic and economic benefits of preservation are both qualitative and quantitative. Preservation provides the opportunity for tourism and an assured quality of life for residents. The local historic district map highlights in yellow the properties located in the historic district.
 
Commonly requested City of Toccoa applications and ordinances can be in our Document Center. These pdf files are provided as a public service for reference use only. The 2021 Planning Schedule is also available online, and features tentative dating for zoning, annexation, variances, and other matters. For information on the City of Toccoa's future goals, please refer to our Comprehensive Plan, last updated in 2021.
 
Tax maps and information about Toccoa and Stephens County properties can be found on the Stephens County Tax Assessor's Website.