Fact Checking Todd Levent’s Polo Tree Clear Cutting Claims
Beleaguered Forsyth County Commissioner Todd Levent recently took to Facebook to defend the clear cutting along Majors Road and made a number of claims defending the zoning and deflecting blame over the clear cutting that has resulted in outrage from homeowners. Levent’s statement; however, was not entirely accurate and contained a number of false claims.
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Levent Claim: “The traffic engineers approve or disapprove entry points based on safety/site distance”…. “The connection locations are where they are and the water and Sewer department engineers make these decisions.”
Fact: While technically true, this is not complete. The zoning conditions specifically required the final subdivision plan be approved by Levent. On August 2, 2019, Levent received a letter from County Planner Lori Kyle asking Levent to approve the final engineering plan and instructing Levent to contact Kyle if he had any “questions, issues or concerns” with the plan. The bottom of the letters shows Levent’s signature of approval, which is shown at the bottom of this story. This project could not have moved forward without Levent’s specific approval.
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Levent Claim: “The density of Brookmeade is one on the lowest density Zonings in Forsyth County history at .7 point seven (sic) units per acre not the 5 units per acre they originally applied for.”
Fact: The original application was for 1.48 units per acre, not the 5 units per acre Levent claims.
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Levent Claim: This is 5 Estate Lots that are a minimum of one acre each “LIKE the city of MILTON”.
Fact: According to the site plan approved by Levent, only one of the lots is over one acre, and four of the five lots are under one acre.
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Levent Claim: “ The tree ordinance and landscape intensity of standards and policies have been drastically increased three times since I have been in office.”
Fact: In 2014 Levent voted for the now infamous ‘Cindy Mills scorched earth changes’ to the tree ordinance that even the County Planning Director admitted was more favorable to tree removal.
“As far as raising or lowering the standard, it depends if you are saving a tree or removing one,” said Planning Director Tim Brown. “If you’re removing a tree, this is generally more favorable.” This was a clear lowering of the standards, making it easier for developers to remove trees in Forsyth County.
In 2021 Levent voted for a tree ordinance change that also completely removed tree restrictions for the high density MPD zoning classification. Smart Growth Forsyth County stated at the time “The Tree Ordinance was approved by our commissioners on May 6, but not before they removed or reduced seven different major restrictions from the ordinance for Commercial, Industrial, and MPD. Maybe keep that in mind the next time you vote for your district’s commissioner.”
