Forsyth Co. Imposes 30-Day Pause On New Grocery Store Applications: Report

CUMMING, GA — Forsyth County has approved a 30-day pause on new grocery store applications while local officials weigh stricter guidelines for grocery stores in strip malls, according to a recent report by Appen Media.

Sketch plats, business license applications and rezoning requests will not be accepted under the moratorium, according to the news outlet.

Local commissioners are concerned about overcrowding in strip mall parking lots due to the grocery stores, according to the report.

They are pondering whether or not to impose a conditional use permit requirement to make way for future county-led reviews of grocery store proposals, the report stated.

“If an establishment or particular use becomes very popular, you could have a lot of crowding in those parking lots, as well as overflow into the streets,” District 2 Commissioner Alfred John told Appen Media. “Commissioner [Laura] Semanson and I have discussed this, and we have seen a few of those challenges in our districts.”

This is reportedly the third recent moratorium in Forsyth County as development codes are being revamped.

This article was compiled with use of artificial intelligence, and was reviewed and edited by Patch.