In April 2013, the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization engaged Market + Main, an Atlanta planning firm, to steer the neighborhood through a community master planning process. CPNO’s Master Plan Steering Committee oversaw the work and assisted Market + Main in a thoroughgoing public engagement phase.
That public engagement featured three open meetings/work sessions, a charrette, numerous less formal “focus” sessions and dozens of instances of individual input both electronically and in person. Among those consulted were elected officials, representatives of various state and local agencies, local school officials (including representatives of Mary Lin Elementary School), nearby neighborhood organizations, and business and commercial property owners.
In August, after an earlier draft was put before the community, CPNO members approved the plan’s final draft, moving it on to City Council for formal consideration. City agencies suggested minor changes to the document, and Council adopted the Candler Park Master Plan by consent during its Dec. 2 meeting.
In January 2014, CPNO members voted to created a Master Plan Coordinating Committee to help the neighborhood prioritize and implement the plan’s 108 recommendations. Tangible results of their work include the formation of the Candler Park Conservancy and many infrastructures improvements throughout the neighborhood.