Community Character

The Community Character section is comprised of five staff members who are involved in a variety of cultural and environmental resource concerns within Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, in accordance with the Legacy Development Guide. The team provides staff support to two advisory commissions: the Historic Resources Commission and the Community Appearance Commission. The team also supports other internal and external planning agency responsibilities including:

  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Farmland Preservation
  • Historic Preservation
  • Parks, Open Space, and Greenways

Primary Responsibilities

Historic Resource Planning

Historic Resource staff works with citizens, property owners, businesses, public agencies, and other community organizations to help identify, preserve, and promote the community’s unique heritage. Serving as professional liaisons to the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission (HRC), staff is responsible for administration of the Historic (H) and Historic Overlay (HO) Districts as well as Forsyth County’s Local Historic Landmark (LHL) program. Additional ongoing services include:

  • Administration of the local Historic Marker Program
  • Performance of certified local government duties and reporting
  • Development plan and building permit review
  • Review of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places
  • Project review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act

Historic Resources staff also responds to public inquiries about various historic preservation issues, such as:

  • Appropriate rehabilitation/preservation techniques
  • Available financial incentives
  • Questions about specific historic properties
  • Sources of historical information

Parks, Recreation, Open Space, Greenway Planning & Environmental Sustainability

The Community Character staff works with other agencies both within and outside City-County government to plan the locations and coordinate the implementation of:

  • Community open space
  • Greenways
  • Parks
  • Recreational facilities

The team also evaluates new development proposals and zoning requests for compliance with existing guidelines and plan recommendations.