A future development road map for a swath of north Forsyth County is a step closer to reality. Forsyth County Commissioners voted recently to create a zoning overlay district for the Coal Mountain area. County staffers will work on creating a map and will bring it back to a commission work session so that the matter can go to public hearings.

A citizens committee met earlier this year and focused on mainly commercially-focused standards and restrictions covering proposed landscaping, lighting, building architecture and parking. The committee also examined three distinct development nodes centering on what’s seen as the primary commercial corridor along Ga. 369.

The area’s been under a commercial development moratorium and county attorney Ken Jarrard said having a plan in place by mid-June would help lead to the moratorium being lifted.

Such overlay districts are designed to enhance the appearance and add value by imposing stricter standards than those outlined by basic county zoning.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. (center) is flanked by GOP whip Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo. (left) and Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, as Thune speak to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earlier Tuesday, the Senate passed the budget reconciliation package of President Donald Trump's signature bill of big tax breaks and spending cuts. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

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