Forsyth commissioners deny Walkertown-area rezoning amid resident safety, traffic and school-capacity concerns

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners on April 24 denied zoning petition F-16-56, a request to rezone 29.62 acres at the northern terminus of Martin Street and Avile (Avilee) Street from RS-20 (20,000-square-foot minimum lots) to RS-12S (12,000-square-foot minimum lots, special use), after residents urged the board to protect neighborhood safety and local school capacity.

Planning and Development Services Director Chris Murphy told the commission the proposal would allow about 29 additional lots beyond what the existing RS-20 zoning permits, that the site plan calls for roughly 93 total lots and that the property would be served by a County/municipal sewer lift station. Murphy said the proposal "provides a continuation of the single-family development at area-plan appropriate densities" and noted the Walkertown area plan recommends 0–8 units per acre for the site.

But residents who live on Martin, Avile and Annie streets told the commissioners the narrow, ribbon-paved neighborhood streets lack…