Forsyth County Commissioners have recently been discussing the possibility for permitting short-term rentals following a discussed request for a conditional-use permit, CUP, in northwest Forsyth. The property in question, located off Aaron Sosebee Road, conjured some angst between neighboring homeowners who were not in favor of the CUP.

At a planning commission meeting in late February, neighbors from Gregory Estates voiced concerns about the permit being allowed close to their subdivision. In a letter to Forsyth County News, Pat Ploshay said that residents of Gregory Estates were “concerned that [their] properties [were] in jeopardy of losing value.”

Chairwoman Cindy Jones Mills was present at the planning meeting and requested that the short-term rental issue be placed on the following work session on March 9.

Commissioners then discussed the possibility for permitting or requiring a license for short-term rental operators in the county. That way, if there were to be “bad actors” staying at the short-term rental in the future, the county would be able to revoke the permit.

County Attorney Ken Jarrard was tasked with finding old short-term rental permitting rules and presenting them to the board at the work session on March 23. Previously, the county had gotten close to solidifying rules and regulations for short-term rentals in the county, but commissioners were not able to get the opposing sides of the issue to agree.

On Thursday, May 20, modifications to the short-term rental ordinance and possible permitting system will be on the BOC agenda as a public hearing, and members of the public that would like to speak on this issue are allowed to come either in person or ask questions on Zoom. The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. at 110 East Main Street, Suite 220 in Cumming.

For more information, visit forsythco.com.