Plans & Reports

A key component of the CHNA is to identify the top health priorities we'll address over fiscal years
2023, 2024, and 2025. These priorities will guide our community benefit work. They are, in no
order of importance:

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This plan is the result of a year-long process engaging all of
Macon. It provides a road map for how arts and culture in
Macon can best serve the community. Arts and culture provide
models for creative problem-solving that can be applied to
transportation, housing, education, and other essential sectors.
Data shows us that the arts are key to economic development,
driving cultural tourism, attracting businesses and talent
alike, and promoting workforce development and educational
success.

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................................................. 3
PROJECT OVERVIEW ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Competitive Assessment: Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Target Business Analysis: Summary .......................................................................................................................................... 5
One Macon! Our vision, Our Future. ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Community & Economic Development Strategy ................................................................................................................ 7
1. Schools ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Schools: Strategic Recommendations ...........................................................................................................................12
2. Jobs .................................................................................................................................................................................19
Jobs: Strategic Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................22
3. Places ..............................................................................................................................................................................35
Places: Strategic Recommendations ..............................................................................................................................38
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................................5

Macon Action Plan (MAP) is a comprehensive,
community-driven, plan that envisions
the future of Macon’s Urban Core. The
Macon-Bibb County Urban Development
Authority received generous grants from
the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
and the Peyton Anderson Foundation to
fund this effort to plan for our collective
future. Facilitated by the Macon-Bibb Urban
Development Authority, Macon-Bibb County,
and their partners, MAP is our roadmap to
guide change and decision making in coming
years.

The Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority (MBCIA) has been an essential component of
the economic development success of the region for decades. The Georgia General
Assembly authorized the creation of MBCIA providing its capacities to support recruitment
and expansion of industrial and commercial businesses. Today, the authority structure
serves as a competitive advantage for Macon-Bibb County and will continue to do so in the
future.

Five years ago a collaborative of community leaders came together to recognize their
shared interest in the future success of Macon-Bibb. They charted the disparate
activities underway and defined a new operating model, the OneMacon! Way. Trust is
a critical element to the plan that follows and it is what has been built over the past
few years - the trust to share challenges, to give more than one gets, and to share a
dream for Macon-Bibb to be recognized as a national leader in transformed
communities. Such trust is what helped catalyze many of Macon-Bibb’s successes,
including its growth of its downtown.

One
Macon! Our Vision, Our Future. – to establish a new Community and Economic Development Strategy,
designed to unify the community around a consensus vision for its future. It will provide Macon-Bibb’s
leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors with a clear understanding of the community’s
competitive assets and key strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities. The assessment of these
factors will inform the creation of a comprehensive Community and Economic Development Strategy that
will guide the community’s efforts during the next five years as it seeks to improve its overall prosperity.
This Competitive Assessment represents the first phase of the strategic planning process, presenting a
thorough review of the competitive issues facing Macon-Bibb.