Residents urge action on single‑family rental conversions and urge library upgrades during public comment

Multiple residents used the public comment period at the March 12 Mableton City Council meeting to raise concerns about single‑family homes being bought by out‑of‑area and foreign owners and converted into rental properties, and to urge improvements at the South Cobb Regional Library.

Nick DeMondi, who identified himself as a resident, said he is preparing a formal presentation for the council and warned of “an influx of rental takeovers in established neighborhoods.” He told the council to “look on the GIS website for Cobb County” and said “more and more established neighborhoods, single family homes are being bought up by rental flippers that are from out of state and from out of the country.” DeMondi said he found one company “based out of Brazil” that, through a local shell corporation, had purchased four houses in his neighborhood. “The rents are gonna be expensive,” he said, and he argued the trend reduces long‑term community stability.

Resident Denny Wilson said several houses on his street are owned by people “in The Bahamas” and described changing neighborhood character as a result of absentee ownership and new multi‑family construction nearby. Wilson praised the city for taking over zoning functions, saying the change is timely for neighborhoods he said have been altered by dense infill development.

Michael Murphy, another resident, thanked the council for attention to the South Cobb Regional Library; he urged the council to consider additional service hours and furniture upgrades and suggested fundraising approaches such as naming rights to support improvements.

Ellie Riddle, identifying herself as a regional leader for the nonprofit Gays Against Groomers, spoke during public comment about detransition awareness and medical risks she associates with gender‑affirming surgical procedures and hormone treatments; she referenced SB140, which she said restricts medical transitions for minors in Georgia. Her remarks were a personal and organizational perspective and did not result in council action.

Speakers noted community concerns but did not present formal proposals that the council adopted at the meeting. Council members listened during public comment; some later referenced broader priorities such as improving access to services and continuing community outreach. No new zoning regulations or code changes were adopted at the meeting specifically in response to the public comments; however, the council and staff said earlier in the meeting that the city had assumed local zoning authority, which council members described as an important tool for future work.

The city did not announce any immediate regulatory changes tied to the public comments at the March 12 meeting; residents said they plan to follow up with staff and council on neighborhood stabilization options.