The Center for Preservation and Planning

Full disclosure — I interned here for three summers, so I might be a little biased, and I’ll try and soften my pure love for this place with some solid facts.
FACT! The Center is a non-​profit, started in 2002, and it’s mission is to empower the residents, businesses, and officials of Newton County and its municipalities to shape their future community.
Anyone living in or around Atlanta knows sprawl. That’s what originally started the Center — local residents and businesspeople set out to bring the community together and shape the imminent growth in a way that might turn out better than Gwinnett or Cobb counties.
A lot of this work is less than visible to the public, but the Center facilitates teams of multi-​jurisdictional officials to plan for this growth. It might sound basic, but you’d be surprised how rarely this kind of communication takes place in government. Or you might not.
The Center also offers opportunities for residents to engage in their community. Come to a public input seminar (times posted around downtown businesses or on the windows of the Center) and share your concerns with your governing officials and urban planners. Or just stop by and ask a question — the staff is friendly, the walls are covered with maps and information, and they’re here to help you understand your community as a whole and what challenges it faces in the future.