Approximately 80 citizens of Forsyth County are requesting a denial for Zoning Application 3438. On January 17, 2008, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will either approve or deny ZA 3438 for a change from A-1 zoning to Neighborhood Shopping, (NS), to build a strip mall on three acres in the Big Creek Watershed on Castleberry Road. The approval of this rezoning application would not be following the law as spelled out in the Unified Development Code. This Code states that Neighborhood Shopping Districts are to be located at intersections.

Leifeste said she is praying that the BOC will pay special attention to this Consideration and consider all of the children who will be traveling this segment of Castleberry Rd., many of them with their parents, twice a day, 5 days a week

Jo Ann Leifeste and Michael Goodman have become friends after becoming involved with zoning application conflicts. Both conflicts concern rezoning land from A-1 to NS. Goodman and Leifeste became aware of the conflicts as they worked to oppose two rezoning applications, 3417 and 3438. ZA 3417 was approved for a strip mall to be placed on one acre by a 3-2 vote of the BOC on Dec. 13, 2007. The small strip mall is to be built in a residential area which does not comply with the Unified Development Code - Chapter 12. “The UDC - Chapter 12-1.1 states, "This district (NS) is intended to discourage the random sprawl of commercial development by concentrating neighborhood-serving businesses in activity centers at road intersections rather than in a strip or linear pattern..., says Leifeste."

Leifeste contends that if the rezoning for 3438 is approved it will again be contrary to what the law states in Chapter 12 of the UDC plus the safety of children and adults would be at stake on the now, two-lane Castleberry Road.

A Forsyth County traffic study was done in October, 2006 showing more than 4,000,000 vehicles annually on Castleberry Road, 1/4 of which average 55 mph, 10 mph over the 45 mph speed limit. With Whitlow Elementary School opening in 2008 with approximately 1000 students and a 325 home subdivision to be built next to the Whitlow ES, vehicles entering off and onto Castleberry Road will greatly increase. Developing a strip mall on a sharp, hidden curve in this heavily traveled area, with no access from an intersection, the flow of traffic would be problematic. The strip mall would be located 2/10 of a mile from the stop light located at Hutchinson Road. "Once Castleberry is widened, drivers traveling south to enter the strip mall will need to make a U-turn at Rollins Rd., and upon leaving the strip mall will have to make another U-turn, probably at Hutchinson, to continue south while drivers traveling north to enter the strip mall will need to also make a U-turn after exiting the strip mall if they intend to return to their original location south of the strip mall, says Leifeste.” She added that once Castleberry is widened, those who presently drive 55 mph will probably exceed that speed. One of the Special Considerations for Decision on page 49 of the UDC, (v) (e), pertains to "Effect of increased traffic on safety". Leifeste said she is praying that the BOC will pay special attention to this Consideration and consider all of the children who will be traveling this segment of Castleberry Rd., many of them with their parents, twice a day, 5 days a week.

ZA3438 and 3417 are only two examples of conflicts between subarea maps and the county-wide Land Use Map. Twelve conflicts were found in 4 of the 10 subarea maps that citizen committees prepared in 2004 to plan lower-density, lower intensity uses. ZA 3438 (and 3417) is shown on the Cumming Subarea Land Use Map as Office Transitional but it became Neighborhood Commercial, 9/20/04 when the 2004-2025 Comprehensive Plan was approved by the then BOC, a recommendation from FC Planning and Development, for a more intense use. (Other changes were approved for Activity Center, General Commercial and Corridor Commercial.)

Leifeste and Goodman believe with Forsyth County the 9th fastest growing county in the United States that our quality of life is at stake. The subarea committees planned for a lower density and intensity use of our land not a higher density or the intensity which was approved by the previous BOC. This makes the county more urban. These discrepancies most be resolved before proper zoning can proceed in Forsyth. This can happen with the help of the current BOC and citizens working to resolve the conflicts before the approval of the 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

If you want to get involved and help the present BOC resolve the conflicts during this downturn in the economy, when requests for rezoning(s), etc., are less, contact Michael Goodman (770-205-7176, mlgsummit@aol.com), or Jo Ann Leifeste (678-232-9258, dorisjoann1@yahoo.com).