Blakely Comprehensive Plan

The City of Blakely, Georgia is requesting proposals from qualified planning consultants to prepare a Comprehensive Plan update guiding the city's 20-year growth, land use, infrastructure investment, and economic development strategy, with proposals due July 15, 2026 and consultant selection on August 4, 2026. The planning effort is driven by construction of a 1-gigawatt data center campus within the community, expected to generate significant economic activity and development pressure.

The scope includes existing conditions analysis covering population, demographics, economic and employment data, land use inventory, housing market analysis, transportation systems, utility capacity, and fiscal analysis; data center impact assessment with infrastructure demand projections, land use modeling, workforce and housing demand implications, and fiscal impact analysis; community engagement through stakeholder interviews, public meetings, surveys, and online tools; vision and growth strategy development; infrastructure and capital planning; implementation strategy with timelines and policy recommendations; and municipal organizational and capacity assessment. Deliverables are a project work plan, existing conditions report, community engagement summary, growth scenarios, draft and final comprehensive plans, future land use map in GIS format, implementation matrix, and presentation materials. All work products become property of the City of Blakely.

Evaluation criteria across 100 points weight understanding of project and local conditions (15 points), comprehensive planning experience (15 points), data center or industrial growth planning experience (15 points), infrastructure and utility modeling expertise (15 points), municipal organizational assessment experience (10 points), public engagement approach (10 points), project team qualifications (10 points), project schedule and responsiveness (5 points), cost effectiveness (5 points), and quality of previous work products (10 points). The consultant must carry commercial general liability, professional liability, workers compensation at statutory limits, and automobile liability insurance each at $1,000,000 minimum.

Project start is September 1, 2026, with anticipated completion by September 1, 2027. Questions are due June 15, 2026. The selected proposer must participate in federal E-Verify and disclose conflicts of interest related to developers, utility providers, contractors, or entities associated with the data center project. The City encourages participation by disadvantaged, minority-owned, women-owned, and small business enterprises.