Forsyth County plans meetings for Coal Mountain district

A satellite view of the Coal Mountain Overlay District in Forsyth County, for which upgraded standards are being developed (Courtesy Google Maps)

A satellite view of the Coal Mountain Overlay District in Forsyth County, for which upgraded standards are being developed (Courtesy Google Maps)

Two upcoming public hearings are set on changes in the Forsyth County Unified Development Code in part of northern Forsyth. The hearings on upgraded standards for the Coal Mountain Overlay District are set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday before the Forsyth County Planning Commission and before the full Forsyth County Commission at 5 p.m. July 6. Both meetings will be held at the Forsyth County Administration Building, 110 E.Main St., Cumming.

Up for discussion will be upgraded standards and restrictions — on top of basic zoning — for the district, the general concept for which was OK’d by the commission earlier this year. The guidelines center along the Ga. 369 corridor include a 20-foot-wide landscaping strip. The plan also sets up three character nodes and bans a number of types of businesses such as adult entertainment, car dealerships and building supply yards. Other standards are aimed at signage, building architectural standards and plantings.

District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills has spearheaded the effort and said if the final plan is in good order it could be adopted on July 6. She said several businesses are poised and ready to build once the plan gets final OK.