FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County has extended its pause on some residential developments, including townhomes, subdivisions and apartments. It comes as some of the county’s schools contend with overcrowding because of rapid growth.
There is no doubt that Forsyth County is growing rapidly.
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“The population today is just over 280,000 in Forsyth County. To give some perspective, that’s about a 60% increase from 2010,” explained Russell Brown with Forsyth County.
However, when it comes to schools, they’re actually seeing a dip in enrollment, except for certain areas.
“We have pockets of our country that our schools are significantly over capacity and other pockets where we see this lower enrollment taking root,” said Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mitch Young. “If you look predominantly in the northwest part of the county, Poole’s Mill Elementary, Matt Elementary, those are schools that are already sitting over capacity.”
Some of those schools are sitting at 110% to 120% capacity. They’re bringing in portable classrooms and they turned to the county in 2025.
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“This is an area that really would hurt us if you add high-density housing there because we are already busting at the seams,” said Young.
The district asked the county in April of 2025 to slow the growth. That is when the moratorium started. This week, the county is extending that moratorium on some high-density residential development. The county says it’s not just schools that need to catch up.
“But also, it’s the infrastructure of Forsyth: water and sewer systems need time to catch up; our road systems make sure our infrastructure is in check there for growth,” said Brown.
“By slowing things down a little bit, it gives us a chance to catch our breath and strategize,” said Young.
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