October/November 2026 | maconmagazine.com 37
should not be painted onto previously unpainted
brick facades.
A H I G H LY U N I Q U E
C O M M I S S I O N
The county's historic districts are regulated by the
Design Review Board, whose recommendations are
passed on to P&Z for the official decision.
P&Z's five volunteers, who are appointed
by Macon-Bibb County's mayor and county
commissioners, have the final say — unless you
want to take them to Bibb Superior Court. That's
the case for all zoning decisions, which makes this
commission the only one of its kind in the state.
In the late 1940s, post-World War II growth
had local leaders crying out for a regulatory
board to protect property values and bring smart
development. A fledgling group of volunteers formed
as a recommending body to the Macon City Council
and Bibb County Commission.
Its first decision approved the commercial district
on Ingleside Avenue from Corbin to Rogers Avenue,
and led to an outcry from neighbors in the 300
block of Rogers. They wanted to block the business
ABOVE This
great blue
heron mural by
The Obanoth
(Hannah Webb)
was a previous
Macon Mural
Festival pick.
