The Vinings Village Homeowner’s Association, Cobb County and other community members are taking big steps toward regaining and saving the community’s name.

“We felt that we had lost our identity,” said Ursula Wolk, the association’s government liaison.

After Cobb County’s community development planning division hosted four public meetings over the course of a year, starting in May 2011 and ending last month, the Vinings vision is complete.

Now, this comprehensive plan to help reserve the historic community needs approval by the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, which is scheduled to vote on the issue July 24.

“One of the things that have made this so successful is that we’ve had incredible community input,” said association president Glenn Dyke.

The new plan is a “road-map” to help improve and better prepare the Vinings Village from reoccurring issues, such as traffic, zoning and overdevelopment, according to Dyke.

Because it is an unincorporated community, Vinings has obscure boundaries and is often confused with other towns like Smyrna and Mableton, said Cobb County Planning Division Manager Dana Johnson.

“The U.S. Census Bureau actually has Vinings as a defined place but it includes a much broader area,” Johnson said. “These efforts to secure the Vinings Village name as the core area of Vinings is really important.”

Vinings Village’s borders extend from Atlanta Road, follow the railroad tracks and border the south end of the Cumberland Community Improvement District, according to Dyke.

“By having Cobb County adopt Vinings Village as a defined area in the comprehensive plan, we’ve taken the first step to protect our name and our brand,” Dyke said.

At the association’s annual meeting in March, the plan was released to the public for the first time and posted on the county website. The community was encouraged to give feedback and can still do so until the board approves it.

“Over the last decade, Vinings has experienced tremendous growth and during that period of time, we’ve experienced some growing pains,” Dyke said. “They [the community] wanted to see preservation and wanted to see a continuation of residential character.”

According to Wolk, Vinings Village is 90 percent residential.

“Our greatest fears are overdevelopment, constantly controlling traffic and the identity issue,” Wolk said.

Even throughout the ecoomic downturn, development pressures continued in Vinings Village.

“It’s an attractive zip code,” Dyke said. “I think in entering a new period of growth in Atlanta that is going to continue to be a pressure.”

The Vinings Historic Preservation Society, Vinings Village Woman’s Club and the Vinings Village Civic Association also are involved in building the vision.

“We’re certainly optimistic that the commissioners will adopt the plan in the July meeting,” Dyke said. “And then we’ll be off on our way toward implementing [it].”

Information: visit

www.ViningsHOA.org.