South Fulton reports hundreds of acres bought; city says permanent city hall and municipal court site secured

Mayor Kobe and City Manager Sharon Soubadan told attendees at the City of South Fulton’s eighth-anniversary celebration that the city has acquired several large parcels of land and is planning a permanent city hall and municipal court complex.

“We have acquired 231 acres of land and some buildings for our future growth, including an administration building to house our back end operations, and land for police headquarters, fire rescue headquarters and training, and a future city hall,” City Manager Sharon Soubadan said. She also reported that “another 93 acres was transferred from Fulton County for 424 acres in total at a cost of $15,500,000, all achieved without incurring any debt.”

Mayor Kobe described a broader set of recent purchases, saying the administration has closed on roughly 420 acres overall and that “these nearly 6 acres will be home to our new municipal court complex that we will own.” He said the city now “will be the lenders and not the borrowers” for a permanent city hall and that staff will seek public feedback next year on the building’s design and location.

Why it matters: owning land shifts the city from leasing to ownership for key civic functions and gives officials control over sites for police, fire, courts and administrative offices. City leaders framed the purchases as foundational to long-term operations and neighborhood access.

Details and next steps: Soubadan said the acquisitions include an administration building, a Frederick Administration Building mentioned by council members, 51 acres for a fire safety training facility off Highway 92 and 9 acres for police headquarters on Old National Highway. Mayor Kobe said the municipal court site is near the center of the city and that a public conversation about city hall design and siting will begin next year. He did not give a precise timetable for construction or public meetings beyond that commitment.

What officials directed: Mayor Kobe said the city will start outreach next year to gather resident feedback about the permanent city hall site and design. No ordinance, vote or formal council action to construct a new city hall was announced at the event; the announcements reported completed land purchases and plans for public engagement.

Ending: City officials described the land purchases as a step toward institutional permanence for the young municipality and said additional acreage acquisitions were under negotiation.