Forsyth County is one step closer to becoming home to an upscale, regional mall.

The Forsyth County Commission unanimously approved a zoning overlay district Thursday night, specifically drawn for the proposed Taubman Centers Inc. development.

The live-work-and-play project being proposed along Ga. 400 in south Forsyth would include hotels, Class-A office space, high-end housing and a mall anchored by at least two upscale department stores, like a Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus.

"I'm delighted to have this potential project in our community," County Commissioner Jim Harrell said just before the vote. "Any county would be lucky to have Phipps Plaza North, as I like to call it."

The overlay district sets special zoning standards for the development, allowing, among other things, 12-story buildings and up to 875 multifamily housing units.

Taubman executives have said the project will be built in phases. They have said the mall could open within three years of receiving final government approval.

For commissioners, who see it as a financial windfall for the county, it was clear Thursday night that the building can't start soon enough.

"Bulldozers will be there tomorrow?" Commission Chairman Charles Laughinghouse asked immediately after the 5-0 vote.

"As soon as possible," responded Mark Putney, the company's vice president of development.

The company has assembled 164 acres in south Forsyth County, off Ga. 400 at McFarland Road for the project.

At build-out, the project is expected to generate about $24 million in annual revenue to the county —- about $12 million from sales tax collections.

The company has said about 7,800 permanent jobs eventually will be created.