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 sidewalks, are already congested, and would be unsafe if used as the primary entrance and exit for almost 100 additional homes. Amanda Hayes, a resident who led several speakers, said the neighborhood had collected signatures opposing the rezoning and that officials had given inaccurate measurements for existing street widths: "We measured, we put tape measure on the ground, the widest point we can find is 19, not 22," Hayes told the board. She and others asked the county to deny the rezoning or require the developer to find an alternative access connected to a major road.

Residents raised multiple, related concerns: traffic volumes and queuing at the nearby Old Hollow Road (US 158) and NC 66 intersections, lack of sidewalks where children and school bus routes exist, and strain on nearby schools. Deanna Spainhour, a Walkertown resident and substitute teacher, said the streets are used for walking and reported an estimated "900 trips per day" would be generated by the development, creating safety risks for children at bus stops.

Speakers also cited the county planning board27s recommendation history. Murphy said the Planning Board voted 6–2 to recommend approval after a February public hearing; two dissenting planning board members, according to residents' remarks read into the record, had cited access and safety concerns as reasons to oppose.

During discussion, some commissioners acknowledged broader housing shortages in Forsyth County but supported the residents27 access and safety arguments. One commissioner noted that, even with NCDOT-required turn lanes and other improvements, "there's still no cure for the right turn out off of Martin Street" and that access constraints could require unsafe maneuvers.

A motion to deny the rezoning was made and seconded; the board voted 6 in favor, 1 opposed, and the motion carried to deny F-16-56. The transcript records the outcome as "Motion carries to deny 6 to 1." The record does not list individual roll-call vote names in the public transcript for the tally.

Why this matters: The vote keeps the property at RS-20 zoning for now, preserving existing density limits in a neighborhood whose residents argued local streets and services are already at capacity. The denial highlights tensions countywide between adding housing supply and ensuring road and school infrastructure keep pace.

What27s next: The developer may choose to revise the site plan, propose alternate access arrangements (including possible annexation steps to align municipal maintenance boundaries), or pursue other options consistent with RS-20 zoning. The transcript records county staff explaining that annexation or parcel consolidation could present alternative access solutions but that no formal revised plan was before the board on April 24.

Sources: Planning and Development Services Director Chris Murphy; resident speakers Amanda Hayes, Denise Waddell, Deanna Spainhour, Liston Hayes, Linda Wicker, Harry Ballz (public comment); Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting transcript, April 24, 2025.