Commissioners approve first reading to vacate section of Indiana Street at Kings Lake after resident petition

Fulton County Commissioners on Oct. 6 approved the first reading of an ordinance to vacate portions of Indiana Street in the Kings Lake Resort plat after property owners Ryan and Darlene petitioned to have the road formally vacated.

The ordinance, filed as No. 100625 in the meeting record, describes the roadway to be vacated as a 60-foot-wide east–west strip running between several numbered lots in the Kings Lake Resort plats. The county read the ordinance by title during the meeting and a commissioner moved and seconded approval of the first reading.

The petitioners told the commissioners they have used and maintained the unnamed road as their driveway for about 30 years and want the county to vacate the right-of-way so they can use that land as private property. “We’ve maintained it. We’ve used it for almost 30 years now,” resident Ryan said during public comment.

Other residents and county staff raised immediate concerns about how vacating the strip could affect access to rear lots and alleys. County staff and a highway department representative displayed the plat for commissioners and pointed out alternate alley access that serves the lots; neighbors worried that blocking the right-of-way now could prevent access if property ownership changes in the future.

Commissioners said staff will visit and inspect the site before bringing later readings back to the board. A highway department staffer recommended tabling final action until a site visit; commissioners instead carried the petition through its required first reading to start the process and said they would follow up in the coming weeks.

The ordinance language recorded in the meeting file says the vacation is declared “subject to the rights of public utilities currently existing within those roadways.” The ordinance text in the record provides lot-by-lot descriptions of the segments proposed for vacation.

Next steps: the county indicated staff may contact the petitioners to arrange an on-site inspection within about two weeks and will return for subsequent readings if the board decides to proceed.