(Forsyth County, GA) The City of Cumming will gradually be getting a new look as more development is added or expanded in the coming years.
Cumming City Council members approved an ordinance for City Design Guidelines in December of 2022.
Director of Planning & Zoning Scott Morgan said that while the City has had building requirements before, this is the first ordinance tackling design guidelines.
“What we’re trying to do is just get folks to pay attention to the aesthetics of development and just create good visual areas where people can feel safe and feel good about walking in those areas,” Morgan said. “… it's trying to create an aura of comfort where people feel good about the settings of the city.”
City of Cumming Design Standard
The Cumming Design Guidelines address several basic ideas such as proper lighting, storefronts, landscaping, building colors, signage and avoiding monotonous walls.
One goal is to make Cumming a more pedestrian-friendly city. The new guidelines encourage wider sidewalks, well-defined pedestrian paths, more pedestrian access and pedestrian plazas.
“What we try to encourage is areas that are walkable,” Morgan said. “And so what we'll try to do in the Central Business District [downtown Cumming] is provide plenty of areas where people can walk, people can sit out, maybe enjoy a meal or something like that.”
These new guidelines will apply to non-residential buildings of 1,000 square feet or more, townhomes, condominiums and apartments with six or more units. Single-family homes are exempt from these standards.
Existing non-residential buildings expanding by 1,000 square feet or more will also have to comply with the standards.
Design Review Permit Application
Developers looking to build in the City will need to apply for a Design Review Permit Application when they apply for a Building Permit. Once the permit is completed with their building plans, they will submit it to the City for review.
The plans will be reviewed by Morgan, who will then send them to the Design Review Board. They will have between seven and 21 days to send the plans back to Morgan with their comments and suggestions.
“This is where we try not to hold people up,” Morgan said. “… we can do it fairly quickly, our people are really good. It might take a week to two weeks.”
The City Council elected council members Christopher Light and Chad Crane and Planning Board Member Ralph Webb to the Design Review Board on January 3. They all have experience in development.
The Cumming Design Guidelines were approved during the City Council Work Session meeting on December 20.
The Cumming Design Guide can be found here. A Design Review Permit Application can be found here. More information on the Cumming Design Guidelines can be found on the City’s Planning & Zoning Department website at cityofcumming.net/planning-and-zoning.
If you have a news tip in Forsyth County, contact Justine Lookenott at justine.lookenott@newsbreak.com.
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