Developer seeks approval for large housing proposal in Clemmons area

Forsyth County commissioners are reviewing a plan for a major housing development in the Clemmons area. The Riverwalk development would be a nearly 320-acre site near Clemmons and the Yadkin River. More than 530 single family homes and townhomes would be built.   

Local officials say the developer, RS Parker, plans to make it a community for people aged 55 and older.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Deputy Director of Planning and Development Services Kirk Ericson says this type of smaller housing is limited in the area.

“I think from a planning perspective, any additional housing you can add in the community is going to take some pressure off of existing prices simply because we have such a supply side problem right now," says Ericson. "Anything we can do to relieve that is going to put downward pressure in those existing homes.”

At a recent planning board meeting, some residents raised concerns about traffic congestion and the projects' proximity to Tanglewood Park and the Yadkin River.

Ericson says the developer is proposing a buffer from the park's golf course to protect the view, and the portion of the project in the Yadkin's floodplain will remain open space. He adds that road improvements to accommodate the extra traffic would be part of the plan.

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners will revisit the proposal at a meeting on Thursday. A public hearing is scheduled for June 23.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brownon Twitter @kerib_news