Winston-Salem City Council approves its bold plan for the future

By 2045, Winston-Salem and Forsyth County will have attainable housing, strong economic opportunities, accessible public spaces and a sustainable environment. That’s the vision laid out in Forward 2045, the comprehensive plan approved by the Winston-Salem City Council on Monday. 

It’s meant to guide future decision-making for city officials, but doesn’t include any strict mandates. City planners have been working on it for about three years. They were tasked with coming up with solutions to long-standing problems, like how to contend with Forsyth County’s rising population. 

“We are number four out of 100 counties in population, we are number 60 in size," said Amy Crumb, Winston-Salem's assistant planning director. "So we have a high population, small size, and based off current zoning patterns and development patterns, we’re about 75% built out."

The plan’s recommendations include allowing duplexes to be built in single-family home neighborhoods and preserving rural and natural regions. On the economic development side, planners suggested increasing access to workforce training programs and improving public transportation. 

Opponents who spoke at Monday’s meeting, including resident George Bryan, said the plan lacked specificity, and that more community input was needed. 

“This plan only offers lip service to the visions and does not provide the leadership that is needed to match the current challenges of Winston Salem," he said. 

Councilmember Barbara Hanes Burke moved to table the measure due to this criticism, but was outvoted. City staffers said that more specific goals would be outlined during the strategic planning process next year.

Council ultimately approved the plan 6-2.