(a) Each local plan shall be submitted for review, comment, and recommendation to the appropriate regional development center and shall become effective in accordance with this Code section. Each municipality and county within a region shall submit its local plan to the regional development center for that region for review, comment, and recommendation by the regional development center. The center shall maintain all local plans which it receives in this manner in files available for inspection by the public.

(b) Within ten days after receipt of a local plan, the center shall notify each municipality or county within its region which may be affected by the local plan of the general nature of the plan, the date of its submission, and the identity of the submitting municipality or county. In addition, any local governments contiguous to, or operating within, the submitting municipality or county shall be notified by the center in the same manner.

(c) Within 15 days after the center gives the notice required by subsection (b) of this Code section, any local government within the region and any other local government which received notice from the regional development center may present, to the regional development center, its views on the local plan in a public meeting or hearing which shall be held in accordance with rules established by the center with prior approval of the department.

(d) The center shall determine whether the adoption or implementation of the local plan would present any conflict. The center may recommend a modification of the local plan in such a manner as to eliminate any conflict or alleviate any problem or difficulty which such conflict may create. The center's determination shall be in writing, shall be made public, and shall be communicated by written notice given to the municipality or county which submitted the local plan within 15 days after the date of the public meeting or hearing.

(e) The municipality or county which submitted the local plan may request reconsideration of any recommendation by a center within ten days after the center's recommendation is made public. For purposes of such reconsideration, the center shall schedule, announce, and hold a public hearing within 15 days after receipt of the request for reconsideration. Notice of the time and place of any such public hearing shall be given by the center to all members of the regional development center, in accordance with such procedures as the regional development center may establish, subject to the prior approval of the department. The regional development center shall also give such notice to all affected municipalities and counties and appropriate state regulatory boards and agencies.

(f) Within ten days after the public hearing, the center shall either continue its recommendations or modify the recommendations. In either case, the center shall make public its determination and shall give written notice of its determination to the municipality or county which submitted the local plan.

(g) No municipality or county shall take any action to adopt any local plan, or to put into effect any local plan, until 60 days after the date when the municipality or county, as the case may be, submitted the local plan to the center for review, comment, and recommendation, except that any request for reconsideration of any recommendation by a center pursuant to subsection (e) of this Code section shall automatically operate to extend the 60 day period to 90 days.

(h) Nothing in this Code section shall limit or compromise the right of the governing authority of a county or municipality to exercise the power of zoning.