Forsyth County Approves Traton 90-Lot Subdivision Near Cumming, Conserving Over Half

Forsyth County commissioners voted at their Feb. 5 meeting to rezone a 137‑acre tract at 1381 Kelly Mill Road from agricultural to residential use, approving developer Traton’s revised plan for a 90‑lot subdivision with a stated density of 0.65 units per acre. The property, about 2 miles west of Cumming, includes a pond, wetlands and forested areas, and the commission attached an explicit conservation condition to the approval.

The commission’s written condition requires that “all common areas and open space located outside lots, shall be permanently protected by a conservation easement,” and county notices describe more than half of the acreage will be protected under that restriction. Traton’s original proposal called for 121 lots at roughly 0.88 units per acre and met opposition during a Planning Commission meeting on Oct. 28; the approved 90‑lot plan reflects a reduced density and the conservation commitment.

Commissioner Todd Levent characterized the protections and the lower density as exceptional during commission deliberations. “It’s unheard of,” Levent said. “To me, this is the only one I have ever seen.” Levent also told commissioners the density and protections “are in part the result of ongoing discussions he’s had with the developer and nearby residents,” a reference to public concern over what residents described as “rampant growth within the county and diminishing quantities of undisturbed land.”

The Feb. 5 rezoning moves the Traton project into a permitting and engineering phase subject to Forsyth County subdivision rules. County code requires lots to be one acre or greater unless a variance is obtained, mandates a plat be presented to the Planning Commission, requires an ingress and egress easement a minimum of sixty feet wide to connect to a public road, and states that no final plat or certificate of occupancy shall be granted until required improvements have been installed. Engineering drawings for streets and utilities must be submitted for county review before construction begins, and flag lots are prohibited under section 18‑4.13.

The approval arrives as county officials are also considering updates to tree preservation rules and broader zoning changes during discussions of a residential development moratorium, a policy backdrop county staff and local consultants have raised in recent forums. That conversation is not recorded as directly tied to the Traton application, but it frames the broader debate over growth, tree protections and developer compliance in Forsyth County.

Key questions remain public and require follow up: the record does not specify the exact acreage that will be placed under the conservation easement, who will hold and enforce the easement, the vote tally from the Feb. 5 meeting, whether any variances were granted for lot size or access, the final plat and engineered plans for roads and stormwater, and any state or federal wetland permits tied to the pond and wetlands. Obtaining the county commission minutes, the conservation easement text, and the approved site plan will clarify how the 90‑lot approval will translate into construction and long‑term land protection at 1381 Kelly Mill Road.