Forsyth County approves rezoning for Hastings Road townhomes over neighborhood objections

Forsyth County commissioners on May 22 approved a zoning map amendment to rezone 27.89 acres along the east side of Hastings Road between Interstate 74 and High Point Road from agricultural (AG) to RM-5S (multifamily, maximum 5 units per acre, special use), clearing the way for a planned townhouse development by a 5–2 vote.

The rezoning applies to land immediately south of the Weatherstone subdivision and near Union Cross Elementary and the North Carolina Leadership Academy. The developer’s site plan in the county record and the motion approved by the board show a 25-building plan comprising 38 townhome units, associated streets, sidewalks and a recreation area. At the hearing the developer at one point said the project would include “138, townhome units,” a statement inconsistent with the site plan and the commissioners’ motion; the county record and the motion both identify 38 townhomes.

Planning staff told the board the property lies in Growth Management Area 3 (GMA 3), which allows higher densities where public water and sewer are available, and that a sanitary sewer manhole from nearby Weatherstone provides sewer service to the site. The county’s Southeast Forsyth County area plan update recommends large-lot…