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County tightens rules for rental developments Officials set conditions for residential builders By ALEXANDER POPP alex@appenmedia.com FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners have approved an amendment to the county’s Unified Development Code, strengthening requirements placed on developers of “build-to-rent” communities proposed in the county. At their meeting on Thursday, Oct. 6, commissioners approved a measure that will require new rental communities to acquire a conditional use permit before starting construction in Forsyth County. Molly Esswein, of law firm Jarrard and Davis, explained that the permit requirement would apply to all “planned residential developments” where a certain percentage of dwellings are offered for rental only. Conditional use permits for the rental communities would only be available in residential districts, with the exception of senior rental housing products, which are allowed in some other limited areas, Esswein said. After hearing public concerns over the rights of landowners to rent their property, Esswein said they differentiated between “major” and “minor” subdivisions in the code, to ensure the intent of the requirement could be
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Forsyth County officials strengthened requirements for developers of “build-to-rent” communities at their Oct. 6 meeting in the Forsyth County Administration Building. carried out, while also allowing citizens their freedom. In “minor subdivisions” a conditional use permit would be required if the community contained over 50 percent rental units, but for “major subdivisions” the permit would be required with 10 percent rental units. “Say it’s a minor subdivision, you have two homes only, one is intended for rent, one is intended for owner occupancy, more than 50 percent would
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be what would trigger [a Conditional Use Permit],” Esswein said. With seven units or more the code would also require developments to have a staffed, on-site management company, in a stand-alone building in the community. Officials reject opposition view The meeting had no speakers in-favor of the proposal, but commissioners did hear from two who opposed to the
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change. Joseph Santoro, director of Policy and Government Affairs at the Council for Quality Growth told the board that Forsyth County is still one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia and it’s housing demand is likely going to continue. “Given Metro Atlanta’s severely undersupplied housing market, it is important for Forsyth County not to limit the type of housing options there are, that are market driven,” Santoro said. Santoro and Garrett Wiley of the Greater Atlanta Home builders Association brought commissioners a series of recommendations they think would improve the proposal, such as increasing the percentage of rental homes that would trigger the permit requirement, diversifying the type of home allowed, and loosening the requirement for an on-site management office.
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