A 45-acre vision for Rico—but no adopted master plan

Chattahoochee Hills’ comprehensive plan, adopted in October 2026, carries forward the idea of a walkable town center at Rico Crossroads. But it leaves the Rico studies pending further city consideration—not adopted as a master plan.⁠[1]

The plan’s progress report puts it bluntly: “Several planning efforts, but nothing ready for adoption.” Its instruction for what comes next is conditional: revisit and adopt a Rico Historic Crossroads master plan “if supported by the community.”⁠[1]

One of those visions is the 2025 Renaissance at Rico Crossroads study by an Urban Land Institute panel. As summarized in the comprehensive plan, it concentrates development on a 45-acre city-owned site, places a town center called “The Spark” at its heart and preserves roughly 70% of the land as open space. Those are features of a planning concept, not an approved construction project.⁠[1]

The public-input summary reveals an important tension. Historic Crossroads Working Group participants favored a walkable downtown and Rico’s role as the city’s civic center, while supporting organic, incremental growth and opposing development that feels overly commercial or master planned.⁠[1]

The resulting Rico community vision emphasizes continued community input, small-scale development mixing homes with commercial spaces, and buildings facing the street. It is a direction for further work, rather than a settled design.⁠[1]

For residents looking for a timeline, the implementation table places refining Rico’s vision and considering an overlay district or similar tool in 2029. That is a planning task—not a construction date. The comprehensive plan also explicitly says its land-use guidance does not replace the city’s development code or other ordinances.⁠[1]