Highway 20 Cumming Highway Overlay

Background

Due to the GDOT widening project of the HWY 20 corridor, this will increase interest in the area for potential development (Follow this link for more information regarding the road widening: (https://sr20improvements-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/). The Planning and Zoning Department intends to create a zoning overlay for the east side of Highway 20 (Cumming Highway) from Canton Marketplace to the Forsyth County line. Creating a zoning overlay allows for enhanced design features along this important corridor. A zoning overlay would not create or change existing zoning districts but would create a distinct design along the corridor in the county.

Public Engagement

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the online survey or attended one of the public meetings.

We received a total of 912 responses.  Overall, the top 4 take-aways from the survey were as follows:

1. A landscaped streetscape along the right-of-way of Highway 20 (Cumming Highway) is desired.

2. The community showed a preference for low signage in muted colors and with a masonry base.

3. A maximum building height of 2 stories with a mixture of materials and details is favored. 

4. This area wants to encourage retail, restaurants, and medical/health facilities as land uses in the future overlay area.

Next Steps

From here, the Planning and Zoning Department will start diligently working on draft language for an overlay based on these survey results.  Once a draft is available, it will be postd on this website.

Submit Your Pictures and Ideas

We encourage you to submit pictures of what you would like and dislike to see in the corridor. You can also provide any other comments or suggestions as well for the overlay by emailing us at [email protected] .  Please help us by indicating in the subject line, “Highway 20 – Like”, “Highway 20 – Dislike”, or “Highway 20 – Comments”.