FORSYTH COUNTY, GA — One of the fastest growing counties in the country is again extending its pause on certain types of housing as leaders work to manage a surge in population.
Forsyth County commissioners have extended a building and zoning moratorium through October for most residential developments on lots over one acre. The pause includes apartments, townhomes and subdivisions.
Commissioners cited rapid growth as a major concern, saying schools and roads are struggling to keep up.
“Ultimately it was the school board that raised the red flag and said, ‘you’ve got to do something.’ I know that I’ve got schools in my district that are at or extremely near capacity that new development is just going to inundate them,” one commissioner said.
The move comes just weeks after the county lifted parts of the moratorium for certain rezoning requests, including residential 1 and mixed-use residential districts.
County leaders say the goal is to find a way to balance growth without overwhelming resources. Commissioners estimate it could take four to six months to develop a plan.
“We’re probably looking at 4-6 months to truly get a code that we may be able to be comfortable with. This is not something that’s been done in the state of Georgia so we are truly the bleeding edge of the state on this,” a commissioner said.
Some residents argue that continued growth could help fund infrastructure improvements.
“Growth can help pay for the growth of infrastructure, having more residents can pay for more roads. You can’t stop growth, y’all have seen that, people are moving here,” one resident said.
The county has grown by more than 100,000 residents over the past 15 years.
Officials say the moratorium is intended to give the county time to determine how to manage development while limiting strain on schools and roads.
WSB Radio’s Keith Cromwell contributed to this story.