Zoning categories will look a little different in Forsyth County after commissioners approved several changes to residential standards and issued a new moratorium.

At a recent meeting, Forsyth County Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve changes to several residential districts, removed the CR-2 zoning district and approved a new moratorium for conservation districts for single family residential Res-1, Res-2 and Res-3 zonings.

Changes to Res-4 increased the minimum lot size when on sewer from 8,000 to 10,000 square feet, lowered maximum density for properties on sewer from 3.5 to 3 units per acre, increased the minimum green space from 22 percent to 25 percent and will make the district age-restricted, meaning a least on person 55 or older must live in at least 90 percent of units in a development.

“The first change in regards to Res-4 is to age-restrict the housing,” said Vanessa Bernstein-Goldman, deputy planning director. “It would have to comply with HUD standards, but any product within the Res-4 district would be age restricted for new zoning proposals.”

Changes were also approved for other residential zoning districts, including the deletion of the single-family community residential district CR2. 

“What that means is that zoning applications would no longer accept requests for the CR2 district,” Bernstein-Goldman said. “We do have a CR2 that’s been approved. It would not affect a preexisting CR2 designation, but again there would not be the ability to request this zoning district in the future.”

Changes were also approved for other zoning districts.

The changes were approved to increase the minimum heated floor area per units to: 1,000 to 1,500 square feet for Res-1; 1,000 to 2,000 square feet for Res-2; 1,250 to 1,500 square feet for Res-4; and would change Res-6 from 600 square feet to 1,500 for non-apartment zonings and 900 square feet for a one bedroom apartment with an additional 150 for each extra bedroom.

The minimum side setbacks for Res-2, Res-3 and Res-4 would also be changed to 10 feet.

Maximum density per acre would decrease for Res-2 zonings from 1.71 to 1.5 units per acre for developments with on-site sewage disposal and from 2 to 1.8 units per acre for those on public or private sewer, and Res 4 would have a minimum lot width of 80 feet instead of 70.

Commissioners also unanimously approved a moratorium through July 7 on the acceptance of rezoning applications for Res-1, Res-2 and Res-3 conservation subdivisions and to prohibit the acceptance of land disturbance permits or sketch plat permit applications for those districts. 

A moratorium previously for CR2, Res-3, Res-4 and Master Planned District zonings was lifted for all districts except MPD, which will continue until Aug. 4.