Forsyth County commissioners approve rezoning of Kernersville Little League site to RS‑40 after public hearing

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to approve zoning map amendment F‑16‑59, rezoning a 6.89‑acre parcel currently used for Kernersville Little League from HBS (Highway Business Special Use) to RS‑40 (residential single‑family, 40,000 square foot minimum lots).

The decision came after a public hearing in which county planning staff and neighbors described the site and the differing expectations about future development. Chris Murphy, Forsyth County director of planning, told commissioners the county originally rezoned the property to HBS for recreational uses in 1987 and that staff’s current recommendation evaluates what could be built under the requested RS‑40 general‑use rezoning. He said RS‑40 is consistent with the surrounding pattern of RS‑30, RS‑40 and agricultural zoning within a roughly three‑ to four‑square‑mile area and with the county’s Legacy 2030 plan and the Northeast Rural Area Study.

Neighbors who spoke in opposition said they had been told different information by the listing agent and by others about the buyer’s plans. Several speakers asked for transparency about the sale, questioned whether the posted “for sale” sign had been visible, and expressed concern the property could be developed into seven lots if rezoned. Michelle Davis, who lives about 400–500 feet from the fields, said she was not opposing rezoning per se but asked for “as much truthful information as could possibly be shared” and described worries about traffic, road widening, loss of property to easements and impacts on wildlife and a shared private well.

Other residents described the site’s long history as ball fields and said it had not been actively used or regularly maintained in the last two years. Mary Foll said the property had improved under Little League stewardship and asked commissioners to consider neighborhood impacts. Reverend Joanne Lockard Hawkins described the road maintenance arrangement and said neighbors have been maintaining the unpaved roadway that serves homes in the area.

Planning staff clarified several points during the hearing. Murphy said the county received the 1987 site plan (the plan of record) at the earlier hearing and included it in the packet; that plan authorized the ballpark, parking and pavilions and contained operating conditions, including previously approved hours of use. He reiterated that the current request is a general‑use rezoning, not a conditional plan; there is no specific development plan tied to the RS‑40 request. Staff noted that under a general‑use RS‑40 classification, the 6.89 acres could accommodate up to seven 40,000‑square‑foot lots based on lot‑yield calculations used in staff reports, but that such a subdivision would require separate permitting steps.

Murphy also addressed access and road ownership. He said Sahabi Road is state‑maintained; Stuntstall (shown on a 1965 plat) was offered for public dedication but was never improved or taken over by NCDOT and remains unimproved and not maintained by the state. On water, staff said multiple existing wells serve nearby homes and, while not a well‑and‑septic study, county staff did not expect six additional wells to have an adverse effect on the local water table.

After public comment and commissioner questions, a commissioner moved to approve the rezoning, citing consistency with the comprehensive plan and the adjoining RS‑40 and agricultural zoning pattern. The motion noted the site is in Growth Management Area 5 (rural area) and that RS‑40 is intended for large lot single‑family development in areas without public water and sewer. Commissioner Wilson seconded. The board voted to approve the map amendment; the motion carried unanimously.

The rezoning removes the HBS special‑use classification that had allowed the ballpark use since 1987 and returns the property to the same residential zoning classification that surrounds it. Because the approval was a general‑use rezoning, no specific development is mandated or approved by this action; any future subdivision or building will require separate applications and permits. The county retained as part of the record the 1987 site plan and the earlier conditions of approval that described hours and lighting restrictions for the ballpark under the prior zoning.

Residents and the petitioner were encouraged to pursue follow‑up discussions about site access, road maintenance and wells with county staff and the seller, and commissioners noted that while the current stated buyer planned a single home, RS‑40 zoning would not legally bind future owners to that plan.