InTucker Magazine

Back to the Future

With the Groundwork Laid, Tucker is Primed to Fly into the Future 

A new city is a lot like a child. Once they’re born, they take a lot of work. They can’t do very much at first and then eventually they learn how to crawl. Very soon after, they’re cruising around walking as if they’d been doing it for years. And then finally they’re running, able to hold their own while playing with friends and older siblings.

That’s where Tucker is. Over the first four years of cityhood, it’s gone from no money with no staff and no direction to a thriving and experienced city government that is balancing fiscally responsible budgets year in and year out. A brand new city was never going to be able to compete with established neighbors like Dunwoody or Chamblee when it came to capital projects and major improvements. But now, thanks to some guiding documents, Tucker is poised to make long-term changes that will impact residents for generations to come. Those documents include:

• Comprehensive Plan – Tucker began its Comprehensive Plan process in the very first year of cityhood, 2016. Hundreds of residents and stakeholders provided input on what their vision for Tucker was and what they wanted to see changed as the City moved ahead into the future. This document, which was formally adopted about a year and a half later, lays out how zoning and development decisions should be made for the next couple of decades and beyond. 
• Transportation Master Plan – Formally adopted as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, this was crafted by engineering professionals, shaped by public feedback, and formally adopted by the Mayor and City Council in 2019. This very thorough approach to the City’s future transportation needs looked at transit, intersection safety, road design and walkability. While it is a long-term planning document, it is already being used to make substantive changes in Tucker.
• Trail Master Plan – Knowing that any strong community needs a component of walkability, the City partnered with the PATH Foundation in 2019 to take an in-depth look at how a system of trails could be constructed through Tucker and connect to surrounding cities. The process got tremendous public engagement and residents should soon see the first fruits: a multi-use path that winds right through the heart of downtown Tucker.
• Downtown Master Plan – Tucker’s downtown, and Main Street in particular, is iconic. So iconic, in fact, that brokers and developers are keen to jump in and capitalize on what Tucker has to offer. Before they are able to put their thumbprint on Tucker, the City decided to contract with experienced consultants to look at how best the downtown can be built out and its history maintained over the next generation. 
• Parks Master Plan – When the City of Tucker assumed responsibility for its parks and recreation services in 2018, there was a lot of work to be done, but also a lot of opportunity. With about 300 acres of parkland to examine, consultants polled the public and used their own expertise to offer recommendations on how to improve Parks and Recreation in the future. The approved Master Plan has already yielded a renovation of the Tucker Recreation Center gymnasium and there are other major improvements planned in the years to come.