After our comprehensive analysis of the Walton County Comprehensive Plan (“Comp Plan”)and integrating your feedback from the visioning workshop, we’re pleased to share our recommended updates.
Thanks for being part of the process—your input shaped the vision.
The recommendations are organized by each element of the Comp Plan. Each section begins with a summary list of key recommendations, followed by more detailed policy suggestions along with explanations for each.
Every few days, we’ll be sharing one element of the Comprehensive Plan along with its recommendations. This gives you time to review and reflect on each section before the next is posted. County staff is currently reviewing the full recommendations report, which has also been shared with the Board of County Commissioners. They’ll ultimately decide which recommendations will be incorporated into the updated Comp Plan.
The first element we present is the broader set of Future Land Use recommendations.
The FLU recommendations are organized around a proposed new planning framework that makes development and conservation more adaptable and predictable.
We divided the County into three context-sensitive sectors that should be mapped:
- Protected Areas (conservation lands, agricultural and rural areas, generally north of the bay)
- Maintained Areas (established neighborhoods where character is preserved, generally south of the bay)
- Growth Areas (targeted corridors for walkable, mixed-use development, generally around existing municipalities and priority corridors).
A key feature of this framework is the use of Place Types, to further guide development based on location, intensity, and character appropriate to each sector.
This place-based approach helps align policies and investments with local needs, ensuring that growth supports economic sustainability, environmental stewardship, and community identity.
To learn more about the proposed changes to the Future Land Use, click here.
If you wish to review the entire document of recommendations, click here.
