With the Forsyth County Comprehensive Plan well underway this month, residents and stakeholders have been attending design workshops to discuss the types and styles of development they desire in various locations across the County. Five design workshops, hosted by consultants and Council members Jacobs and Kimley-Horn, were held this week and last to gather input on the land use portion on the plan.
The Council participated in the workshops and the online Community Survey and encourages all Council members to provide input on the plan as well. Residents and stakeholders in attendance at the meeting discussed the need for Forysth to offer a better variety of housing types including townhomes and multi-family housing in town center style developments potentially in downtown Cumming and along the GA-400 corridor. Participants discussed the need for housing that is suitable for residents during all stages in life including higher density options desired by young professionals and empty-nesters, while also preserving the character of existing residential neighborhoods. The need for a more diverse tax base was also discussed, highlighting the need to attract retail and office developments to the County.
Once adopted, the comprehensive development plan will guide the County’s policy decisions related to growth and development moving forward. The plan will address housing types, commercial development locations, transportation priorities and economic development in Forsyth. Additionally, the completed plan will also likely influence the ongoing discussion of impact fees, residential zoning and permitting and other growth concerns prevalent in the County. Members of the Forsyth Board of Commissioners are encouraging all stakeholders, including developers and property owners in the County with current and future projects to provide input on the plan as the outcomes from this planning process will shape policy and regulations and provide justification for zoning decisions.
Council members can participate in a final design workshop in an online format that will open up this Saturday, May 21st and be available for one week. The consultant team will then review all of the input gathered throughout the vision process via the workshops and community survey to prioritize issues and goals for the plan document which will be drafted and available for public review in August. View the Project Website!
