COBB COUNTY - At its Tuesday night meeting, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the River Line Master Plan and include it in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

At a public hearing before the vote, Dana Johnson, Cobb's planning division manager, recapped what had led up to the approval of the plan.

"We held five public meetings and two public information meetings where we really tried to work with everyone before coming to this final plan," Johnson said. "We feel the plan addresses all of the objectives we had when developing this vision, which included connectivity to the surrounding community, industrial uses, more exposure for the Chattahoochee River, and an identity for the area that will become recognizable in the future."

The River Line area is in south Cobb, bound by the Chattahoochee River and Buckner Road, and encompasses eastern portions of Veterans Memorial Highway and southern portions of Oakdale Road.

The county developed the plan with the hopes of creating a definitive character for the area, much like Vinings and Mableton, by attracting more neighborhood developments and businesses.

Roberta Cook, whose home and subdivision lies in the center of the master plan, said that she supports the plan.

"It's a vision, but I look forward to the trails and greenspace preservation the plan suggests, and I urge the board to accept this plan," Cook said.

Chairman Sam Olens said that the plan was started 16 months ago, and recognized Cook as a leader within the community during the plan's development. After several industrial and business owners in the area felt that their voices were not appropriately heard on the original steering committee, Olens agreed with the Cobb Planning and Zoning Commission's suggestion that four members of the business committee be appointed to the plan's committee.

"This is a very important piece of Cobb County," Olens said. "Dana did a really great job with this by working with business leaders when they felt they were being left out, and he worked to create a plan that was acceptable to everyone. It is not easy to get a group of homeowners and business and industrial owners to come to agreeance on a plan like this, but he found a way."

During the board of commissioner's afternoon work session, Turner Construction Project Manager Winston Williams gave several updates on the status of the construction of the New Superior Court Building.

"We are moving exceedingly well through our schedule, and through our continuing buyout process, have been able to give almost a million dollars back to the county," Winston said.

Winston said he expects the building to be completed in March 2011.

Several county judges and elected officials attended the work session, and Olens thanked Winston and his construction group for allowing those who will be using the building to be actively involved in the construction process.

On Tuesday night, the board approved a change order of $538,600 to be transferred back to the county. After a previously approved transaction of funds, this brings the total amount of savings for the county to $938,600.

Also Tuesday, three local small business employees requested that the county's business license ordinances be revised. Olens said the group should speak with Cobb's community development agency director Rob Hosack and the office of the county's attorney.