An independent traffic study must be completed as the first step before work begins to widen Castleberry Road.

The Forsyth County commission voted 5-0 to set the requirement during a work session Tuesday afternoon.

The scope of the road project has been debated since voters first approved it as part of a 2003 1-cent sales tax referendum.

At issue is whether the effort should modify Castleberry’s existing two-lane setup, by adding turn lanes and other improvements, or widen the road to four lanes.

Also during their work session, commissioners:

• Appointed Commissioner Patrick Bell to serve on the Forsyth County Community Advisory Board for Professional Development.

The board, which is formed through North Georgia College & State University, will hold its first meeting today.

• Appointed Chairman Jim Boff for a one-year term to the Lanier Joint Development Authority, a group formed in 2006 to encourage cooperation between Forsyth and Hall counties.

• Named the green space property bought from the McClure family Chattahoochee Point, and the road leading into it Chattahoochee Point Drive.

The future park, scheduled to open in summer, is along the Chattahoochee River in the southern tip of the county.

• Agreed to hold public hearings regarding a proposed overlay that would apply an equestrian theme and other design aesthetics to properties along major roads in District 3.

Individual residential properties in the district, which covers southwestern Forsyth, would be excluded.

Two hearings will be required before commissioners can vote on the change to the unified development code.

• Canceled the work session scheduled for Feb. 14, as it was no longer necessary.

Note: All votes were 5-0, unless otherwise noted.