Algood is updating its commercial land use plan to modernize development standards and manage growth along the Highway 111 corridor and the historic downtown area.
Planning Director Tommy Lee said the update serves as a 20-year guide for the Algood Municipal Planning Commission when making decisions regarding rezoning and site plan reviews. Lee said the plan distinguishes between the historic downtown core and regional commercial corridors to ensure development remains contextually sensitive.
“What we do with this is this basically guides us as to how we want development to go here in the city of Algood and it is not an absolute plan,” Lee said. “We don’t absolutely have to stick by this but it can help us out with decisions that we make with regards to rezoning, things of that nature.”
The plan establishes a dual-track framework that prioritizes small, local businesses in the central business district while directing high-intensity retail toward major arterial roads. Lee said the downtown strategy focuses on maximizing existing infrastructure through adaptive reuse of vacant buildings and enhancing pedestrian connectivity.
“In the central business district, what you really want to focus on is you don’t want to focus on the big box stores there in the central business district,” Lee said. “It’s more about local small businesses that can operate there.”
For the Highway 111 and Main Street corridors, the plan introduces modern standards for access management and aesthetic quality. Lee said these regulations include controlling driveway spacing and requiring shared entrance points to prevent continuous strip sprawl.
“Outside the downtown core commercial activity shifts to major arterial corridors designed to accommodate higher traffic volumes and regional retail demands,” Lee said. “In these areas, the city enforces modern development standards to ensure safety, aesthetic quality and traffic efficiency.”
The updated guidelines also mandate buffer screening, such as fences or trees, whenever a new commercial or industrial development touches a residential district. Lee said high-intensity projects like freight logistics or big-box retail will be steered toward areas with pre-existing infrastructure for sewer, water, and roads.
“Directing high-intensity commercial activity such as big box retail or freight logistics away from the narrow city central business district streets,” Lee said. “Mandate frontage roads, shared driveways and controlled ingress egress points for large-scale development.”
The Algood Municipal Planning Commission will review the proposed changes further before moving toward formal adoption.
