Inside Perry, Georgia
Inside Perry, Georgia
Zoning, Simply Explained
We sit down with Community Development Director, Joe Duffy, to unpack how Perry’s zoning code actually works, why it exists, and what it means for your street, your business idea, or your next home project. From the century-old origins of zoning to today’s land management ordinance, we walk through the guardrails that keep homes, shops, and industry compatible - and how those rules adapt as our community changes.
You’ll hear a clear explanation of the documents that guide decisions: the zoning code that sets standards block by block, and the comprehensive plan that charts the City's long-term vision. We dig into practical questions residents ask every day, how to find your property’s zoning, when historic district rules trigger design review, and how to navigate permits without wasting time or money. For bigger changes, we break down the rezoning process step by step: filing the application, staff analysis against state and local criteria, public hearings before the planning commission, and the final vote by city council. Along the way, Joe shares why proposals often evolve through feedback from City staff and the community.
Most important, we highlight how your voice shapes outcomes. Public hearings, online portals, and open meetings make it simple to review applications and weigh in with support or concerns. We also preview Perry’s 2026 comprehensive plan update, a year-long effort where residents can influence future land use, growth corridors, and neighborhood character. If you care about housing choices, small business vitality, historic preservation, or how streets feel and function, this conversation gives you the tools to engage with confidence.
If you like Inside Perry - subscribe and share the podcast with friends and family. The podcast is available on all major podcast platforms.
Visit us at perry-ga.gov.
We hope to see you around in our amazing community...Where Georgia Comes Together.
Welcome to the Inside Perry Podcast, where you get an inside look at Perry, Georgia's local government. We're glad you chose Perry where people make the difference. Whether you stay a few hours or a lifetime, your time in Perry will be rewarding and unforgettable. I'm Tabitha Clark, Communications Director for the City of Perry. So welcome back to the Inside Perry podcast. Today we're pulling back the curtain on planning and zoning in Perry, what it means, why it matters, and how it affects everyday life in our community. So I'm super excited for the first time to welcome our sort of brand new community development director, Joe Duffy. So welcome, Joe.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you. It's great to be here.
SPEAKER_02:All right. So we are going to get into one of kind of the hot topics here in the city of Perry. Because of course, you know, with growth comes concerns about, you know, houses and businesses and zonings, rezonings. And it is a quite a complex process. Am I right?
SPEAKER_00:It it is relatively complex. Um, there are a lot of different moving pieces. You know, in our department, we we talk to a lot of different folks who have a lot of different ideas about different things they'd like to do. They come to us usually in hopes of getting some guidance on the best way to execute some of those visions. So we we use uh something called the zoning code. It's uh officially known as the land management ordinance.
SPEAKER_02:That's right.
SPEAKER_00:It's a about a 200-page document with a number of different chapters and sections that each apply to certain types of creations, if you will, that ranges from buildings, designs, physical presence across the city. Um, really, if you want to build anything in Perry or in pretty much any city in America at this point, uh, most cities use zoning to help establish the guidelines for what is allowed.
SPEAKER_02:It's very light reading, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:I would I would argue it's pretty dense reading. Um not exactly a good Sunday afternoon uh treat for most folks.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, it is very detailed. Um so let's go back to the very crux and foundation of this. What exactly does planning and zoning mean and why should everyday residents care about it?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's a great question. So zoning really got started in the United States back in the 1900s, I believe in New York City, as a way to protect folks from living next to factories. Oh, okay. So, you know, you can understand back in the industrial age, um, you know, we've got a an apartment building, say, with lots of folks living in it, families, children, seniors, folks of all ages and and types, next to a big building that's spitting out a bunch of smoke and making a bunch of noise and a bunch of racket and kind of uh not really what we would call today as a compatible situation. So that's basically as a result of that exact situation, starting in New York and spreading across the country, other cities started enacting what we call local zoning, which is basically similar guidelines to what we have today, but basically establishing physical districts on a map where certain types of uses are allowed and certain types of uses are not allowed, with the goal of uh having a cohesive community.
SPEAKER_02:Right. So you kind of answered my next question of why does the city even need zoning? Why can't people just build what they want where they want?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, I think it it kind of gets back to the idea of just because somebody wants to do something, that goal of theirs, you know, might be fine and well, but it may also have negative impacts on others in the community. So the goal of zoning is to balance all of these competing interests and and you know, everyone's got a different agenda of some kind or different goal, we'll say. And um by establishing the zoning code, we arrive at what zoning code is through a community process. So it's not like something we just dreamed up and and and created just uh for fun. It's it's it results from a lot of community discussions. The zoning code changes over time. It's meant to be a somewhat firm but flexible document in that um you know we're constantly tweaking it in response to different community needs. The city also we are actually required by state law to have something called a comprehensive plan, which is another document I would argue an easier read than the actual zoning code. But the comprehensive plan is a document we're required to create that spells out exactly what the city's vision should be for the future, and we use that, which is generally a little bit more conceptual in nature, aspirational in many cases. Sure. Um, but it does it's the intent of the community vision should should be reflected in our local zoning code.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, great. So let's bring it down to an individual level. So if I'm a property owner in the city of Perry, how exactly do I find out what my property is zoned for?
SPEAKER_00:Probably the easiest way would be just to call us. We we answer that question all the time. We have maps on our website as well. You can look at the the county website. We use a website called Q Public often, which does list zoning on it for every parcel in the county as well as in the city. But uh for city zoning questions, we we would direct you to the Department of Community Development. Uh we're happy to look up your property and tell you exactly what is currently allowed there and what your options might be. Typically try to walk folks through the process as early as possible because I know we've seen it a few times where folks don't know what the zoning is on a property and might purchase a property with an idea for of something to do and it might not be permitted in the city. So we want to make sure that you have those answers as early as possible in your your process.
SPEAKER_02:Sure. So as like an individual property owner, if I want to build a new fence, deck, addition, things like that, do I need zoning approval for that?
SPEAKER_00:So we actually don't issue fencing permits, but I guess the the short answer to your question is a little bit complicated.
SPEAKER_02:Sure.
SPEAKER_00:Um and it depends on where your property is located. Um so in the city of Perry, we do have historic districts which have a higher level of design review in that they projects that would involve a fence, let's say um really anything visible from the street level are required to be approved and issued what's called a certificate of appropriateness by our historic preservation commission. And again, on a case-by-case basis, we're always happy to talk through some concepts with folks because not every parcel in the city has the same rules applying to it. So, you know, there's there's rarely a simple answer, and and yeah, there there are different approvals for different areas.
SPEAKER_02:So the main takeaway and pro tip, if you will, is to call community development before you build anything, correct?
SPEAKER_00:Yes, please. It's a lot a lot easier to do it uh with us helping you than than not to.
SPEAKER_02:That's right. You don't want to get too far in the process, sure. So rezoning. So you have been here for how long as of this recording? Three months?
SPEAKER_00:Um, I think right around two and a half. Two and a half. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:All right. So you know just as well as everybody else, rezoning is the topic, you know, or one of the topics of um the city of Perry growth. So let's talk about rezoning. So if I want to change my land and what it can be used for, how do I request a rezoning or find out more information?
SPEAKER_00:So um that would also be another great item to reach out to us in community development about. There is a formal application which you can also find on our website to request a rezoning. So let's say, for example, you have a residential property that you'd like to or a property that's zoned for residential. Let's say it doesn't have any buildings on it, but you'd like to build an office on that building or on that land. So you would need a rezoning to request a change of the official zoning map to permit a commercial use on the property. So you'd fill out the application, it's pretty straightforward. You would explain the reasons why you're requesting the rezoning, which we would compare to state guidelines on what can be allowed to permit a rezoning. There are these are actually state guidelines that the city follows to make some of these judgments. And ultimately the the decision would be reviewed first by staff. Staff would form a recommendation based on the available information. Probably have a bit of a conversation with you about you know what exactly are you trying to do, so get as many details as we we possibly can to make an informed recommendation. Then that recommendation is read before what's called our planning commission, which is a group of city residents who all come from different backgrounds, really a great uh representative community of of the city. And they will ask you to present your case following the staff recommendation. They will make either an independent decision by taking into account uh what staff have reported out on and what the applicant expresses verbally before them at a at a scheduled meeting. These are also public meetings. Folks can have an opportunity to make their case before the planning commission. And from there, the planning commission will actually make its own recommendation, which is just that. It's a recommendation because these meetings are actually followed by another meeting with the city council in which a final determination is made. So that's kind of a three-step process between staff, planning commission, and city council for rezoning.
SPEAKER_02:Right. So that would be my next question about do residents get a say in the rezoning or the new developments? Because normally with the process, if a application is filed on that piece of land or property or whatever, there's a sign that talks about the public hearing, right? Date, time, location, things like that.
SPEAKER_00:Yep, we are required by state law and we're we're we're happy to post those signs. Public hearings are held for rezonings. The public are certainly invited to provide feedback. I'll say that the planning commission do take into account what is expressed in those meetings. You know, they're going to be asking questions, you know, about what is, you know, say it there's a request for what's called a variance, which would be you're approved to do one thing, but you want to do something slightly different from what the guidelines say, but not an entire change of use. A question to expect under in that case would be what is the hardship that the applicant may have that would warrant a deviation from the local regulations. The public are certainly inclined to express uh either support or disdain for uh any proposed uses and planning commission are certainly happy to hear that as our staff.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. And if you're not familiar, we always refer back to the website, which is our informational hub of all official city information. Uh so if you go on to parry-ga.gov, you can look under business services and see community development and then the planning commission and the planning and zoning pages, and that gives you an idea of when those meetings are going to be held. So our key takeaways about zoning, it is a complex process, and people need to understand that the best thing to do is to come and call or come by community development and really get, you know, what the legal obligations are first before you start planning, you know, anything of significance on your property. So what's the one thing, what's a common misconception, Joe, about the planning and zoning planning commission or or just about the process?
SPEAKER_00:Well, you know, I think that one thing folks may lose sight of is that, you know, a lot of the applications we process for planning and zoning are they originate from private property owners who wish to do something with their property. And obviously what they wish to do can range greatly. So you know, planning and zoning does not exist to curtail private property owners from from doing what they'd like to do, but it it is intended to serve more as a guide and to to establish guidelines really for what is permissible. There's a degree of zoning that can be a little bit subjective, and hopefully through that three-part process I mentioned, you know, these decisions are intended to not be made quickly, and they're not intended to be left up to a single individual, such as a staff person. So they start with staff. We kind of filter through the information to try to distill what's at the the heart of the inquiry and provide that to planning commission, and then planning commission will provide that further in hopes of uh refining a proposed solution uh for the city council who will have the final say. So there are a lot of moving pieces to it. If you have concerns or questions about a particular idea you may have, and we're certainly happy to to consult with you about that. Yeah, we actually do find it kind of exciting. We know looking through the book of regulations isn't necessarily everyone's cup of tea, but well, that's why we have you and the staff joke. We do our best. We're always learning about the code too. So it's it's it's a meant to be a flexible document, as I mentioned, and we're always looking to improve the code. So, you know, we're hoping to solicit community feedback in 2026. The city will be going through a new comprehensive plan update process over the course of 12 months. And we're super excited about that. That's another one of those items we're required to do by law, but it's really just a great thing for us to do. You know, my personal hope is that you know we'll we'll come out of that process with a great document that everyone in the community has had a chance to impact a little bit and and say their their piece about you know how they envision Perry to grow in the future and just kind of how we want the the the community to take shape.
SPEAKER_02:Right. And that's also just a great way for public engagement. And we will definitely, when that process is solidified and approved by council, we will definitely make sure that we get out the dates for those community engagement, you know, sessions and those listening sessions because we really do want to hear from the community. And another probably point that uh we've seen often is when an application comes in, all of them are available to the public through our portal that we have on the website. Kind of piggybacking off your point earlier is sometimes the applications that come in are going to change significantly as they go through the process. So just because you see one thing doesn't mean it's gonna be approved or or that's exactly going to be the end result. I know sometimes y'all see that a whole bunch.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. And and we appreciate that. You know, sometimes someone's idea for a property changes or on its own as a result of uh these various levels of review and and different feedback loops that folks will get, which is great, great to see. You know, it I think that's that's an example of the the process being successful and helping craft a better project out of something that may have started as a different idea.
SPEAKER_02:Right, exactly. So, well, Joe, thank you so much for joining me today. And for our listeners, we always, of course, encourage you to reach out and uh if you have any questions, concerns, we always like to answer those, especially the hard questions. Uh we answer those every day. So also make sure you take a visit onto our city website, parry-ga.gov. Visit the planning and zoning page, attend a public hearing, and as always, we want you to stay engaged. So thanks so much, Joe. It was great talking with you today.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you.
SPEAKER_02:Thanks for listening to the Inside Perry Podcast, your inside look at Perry's local government. Take a look at the show notes for more information about today's episode. If you like Inside Perry, we encourage you to subscribe and share the podcast with your friends and family. We look forward to seeing you around in our amazing community where Georgia comes together.