Looking at the Layers of the MPC

I am frequently asked to speak to community groups,
professional groups, or students about the role of
the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning
Commission. More often than not, after each presentation
someone in the audience will say that he or she had no idea that we were involved in so many areas of the community.

I recently wrote an article with this topic in mind, where I compared the MPC to an onion. Below is an excerpt from the article and also a link to the entire article.

"The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) is a lot like an onion. Once you being to peel it, you see just how many layers there are. The first layer includes its most visible function, development and zoning. Since much of the MPC's meeting items relate to this function, most people readily recognize this layer. After all, this is what the public can see on Government TV (Cable Channel 16) replays. But when you begin peeling back this first layer, a number of other layers are revealed.

For example, the MPC staff serves 11 other boards as well as numerous ad hoc committees. Our staff provides a range of expertise and efficiencies to best support those boards.

The MPC was initially formed in 1955 to create a multi-jurisdictional master plan. In 1994, the Chatham County Commission and the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah renewed their commitment to a joint city-county agency, designating the MPC as the "principal planning agency for Chatham County and the City of Savannah." This joint resolution stipulated numerous additional duties and services, which expanded as the need for area-wide planning grew. At our core are the volunteer planning commission members and the talented, dedicated professional and support staff who serve this community through the MPC.

Today, after 54 years, the MPC continues to serve as a high-energy, transparent and customer-friendly place for consolidated government planning."

Here is a link to the entire article. I hope that this will give readers a greater understanding of the range of services that we provide to make Savannah and the unincorporated Chatham County the best place to work, play, and do business.

Please call me at 912/651-1446 if you have any questions or comments. You may also send an e-mail to me at thomsont@thempc.org.