Forsyth County To Provide Easier Access To Agritourism

FORSYTH COUNTY, GA — The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved on July 8 an amendment to the county’s Unified Development Code to allow for qualifying agricultural properties to obtain a Conditional Use Permit for the purpose of agritourism.

“If someone receives this designation, it would be open to anything agriculture," Forsyth County Manager Kevin Tanner said in a news release. "If they want to have a restaurant to serve food grown on their farm, they could do that. If they wanted to have a petting zoo, sell Christmas trees, they could do that. Nothing is off limits as long as it is in the definition of agritourism. This also keeps people from having to come back to the board if their use changes.”

The Conditional Use Permit allows for any property 20 acres or greater, zoned A1, with agricultural activity, to provide agritourism services on that property without having to apply for any additional permits.

“The best way to preserve farmland is to preserve the farmer,” Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black, who attended the meeting to support the amendment, said in a news release. “With this decision, Forsyth County is giving people a good economic opportunity. I think this exhibits leadership, and I hope this measure is followed by other counties in the state, including my own.”

Agritourism is defined in the Forsyth County Unified Development Code as the following:

• A producer of an agricultural commodity that allows the public to visit the working agricultural operation for the purposes of experiencing, including but not limited to, education,
  entertainment, relaxation, hospitality, shopping, and dining.

“For the past 20 years, I have seen more and more farms sold and turned into subdivisions,” Chairwoman and District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills said in the news release. “This action will give farmers an additional opportunity to generate other means of revenue. It seems like a great win for our county if we can save more of our farms for the future.”

Qualifying residents interested in applying for the Conditional Use Permit to provide agritourism services are encouraged to contact Planning & Community Development Director Tom Brown at TWBrown@forsythco.com for more information.