By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County officials formally approved the anticipated Keystone Village, a community that will provide housing for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously voted in favor of the development at a formal meeting Nov. 2. The vote allows for rezoning 8 acres of residential land off Ga. 400 and Settingdown Road to a master planned district.
The community will include 60 units to accommodate a total of 90 residents and feature amenities including a community center, an amphitheater and a lake with a gazebo.
Beth Burns and Tammy Miller, adoptive mothers of children with special needs, conceived Keystone Village in 2019. Miller and Burns emphasized the need for a place where adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities can live independently in Forsyth County.
At a June 23, 2020, County Commission work session, consulting firm Brackin and Associates President and CEO Laura Brackin presented a study that assessed the housing needs of Forsyth County residents who have developmental disabilities.
At that meeting, Brackin said affordable housing options for developmentally disabled residents is limited in the area.
Citing the study, Keystone Village staff reported 3,631 residents had developmental disabilities in 2020. The study showed 96 percent of these residents live with family members, 20 percent higher than the national average.
While Forsyth County has some support options, such as the day program Creative Enterprises Forsyth, Keystone Village would provide permanent housing and a sense of community for adults with developmental disabilities.
At the Nov. 2 meeting, Creative Enterprises Manager Abby Otwell and program members Emmy and Patrick Miller spoke in favor of the rezoning.
Otwell said Creative Enterprises serves 108 families in the community, and most of the program’s members have caregivers who are between 50 and 60 years old.
“There is absolutely nowhere in our county for these individuals to go when they’re displaced from their home,” she said.
Emmy Miller, who attends Creative Enterprises, said she loves living in Forsyth County and wants to stay near her family and friends.
“One day, when my parents need more help, I want to be at Keystone Village to live as independently as possible and have a beautiful, deserving home,” Emmy Miller said.
Another speaker, Doug Mitchell of Braselton, said he is 73 years old, and one of his biggest concerns is what will happen to his son Rob, who has disabilities, after he dies.
“Keystone Village will be a saving home for many families like ours,” Mitchell said. “… A community like Keystone Village will give him and us the comfort of knowing that Rob’s welfare is in good hands.”
