Forsyth County commissioners debated the matter for about 15 minutes at their public meeting last week and decided not to schedule a public hearing requested by the development watchdog group, Smart Growth Forsyth County, over the zoning of a piece of property.

District 4 Commissioner Patrick Bell argued that the commission could not legally hold a public hearing because that would violate the Unified Development Code.  District 2 Commissioner, Chairman Brian Tam, argued that the commission should go ahead and schedule the public hearing and cancel it if, on further examination by staff,  it was determined holding the hearing was against the UDC.

District 5 Commissioner Jim Boff, after much debate, agreed with Bell.  In a 2-1 vote (Tam opposed), the commission denied Smart Growth's request for a public hearing.

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez