The planning process took part in four broad phases over the course of about 16 months, during and after which a supplemental plan was developed to update the city's zoning standards along AL Hwy 77. The planning process began with an introductory research and analysis phase. During this period, demographic trends from multiple government sources were assessed to determine the context in which the rest of the planning process would take place. This helped to identify the existing trends and conditions in Southside that needed to be taken into account when prioritizing future strategic investments. The initial research phase was followed by a period of extensive public engagement. During this outreach period, data from the research phase was presented to the public and residents' input was gathered to establish a shared vision for the city's future. Using the public's input from a variety of engagement tools that included online and in-person methods, the plan development phase of the process began to distill the feedback into a set of tangible goals and organize those goals into broad development strategies. These development strategies were then presented back to the public for another round of input to ensure that the plan was aligned with the public's vision for the future. Following a revision period based on this additional feedback, the implementation phase of the process began. During this period, the plan's development goals and strategies were organized into an action matrix to support implementation. The plan was formally adopted as the city's comprehensive policy by the city council and action on the goals identified in the plan was able to begin.