Fulton County approves 50-year ground lease with City of College Park for Camp Truett botanical garden; adds community liaison

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners on March 5 approved a 50-year ground lease with the City of College Park for development of a botanical garden at Camp Truett, adding a community-liaison mechanism after commissioners and residents raised concerns about local outreach and preservation of existing on-site programs.

Chairman Rob Pitts introduced the item. Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the resolution after county staff, the county attorney and College Park representatives described the project structure, funding and protections for existing programs. Commissioner Khadija Abdul Rahman moved to adopt the resolution; the motion carried with a unanimous vote.

Key terms and safeguards. County staff and the county attorney told commissioners that the ground lease would cover approximately 32 acres of the Camp Truett property; existing county-supported activities — including a community garden, Cooperative Extension programming, a 4‑H presence and a neighborhood senior center — are carved out of the lease and remain under county control. The lease as described in the meeting includes a non-interference clause (section 1.6) to preserve ongoing programs. The City of College Park’s council approved funding for the project, and staff said College Park identified $5.4 million from the city’s Tourism Product Development Fund to support the botanical garden.

The attorney noted a reversionary clause in the agreement: if construction does not begin by a date-certain (county staff described the trigger as a material breach if construction does not commence within approximately 25 months of the effective date), the county may terminate the lease and the property would revert to county control. Commissioners clarified that the portion of the property currently used for active county programs would remain (the attorney said those uses are on roughly eight acres and are specifically carved out of the leased 32 acres).

Community engagement amendment. Several speakers and a member of the public said they first learned of the proposal through social media and asked for greater community involvement. Commissioner Moe Ivory asked whether reporting requirements or milestones would be provided to the board; staff said intermediate milestones and plan submittals would be reported to the county. Commissioner Ivory proposed appointing a community liaison; he offered a friendly amendment to the motion to require a community liaison as part of the project. The sponsor accepted the amendment, and commissioners said they would ask College Park to work with the community on appointing or organizing the liaison function.

Why it matters. Supporters described the botanical garden as a long-delayed opportunity to put underused acreage to constructive public use and to expand programming in South Fulton. Opponents and concerned residents raised questions about transparency, maintenance capacity for the 39-acre site and whether funding sources cited in social media posts (which a commissioner said were incorrect) were accurate. County staff and the county attorney addressed those concerns during the discussion.

Procedural and funding notes. The lease is a government-to-government agreement with a nominal annual rent (county staff confirmed $1 per year, and said a clerical item on the agenda showing a higher rent was corrected earlier in the meeting). Commissioners were told the project would require no direct county appropriation as presented; College Park council had voted unanimously in support of the funding allocation.

Votes and next steps. The motion to approve the ground lease was made by Commissioner Khadija Abdul Rahman; the board adopted the resolution unanimously. Staff will continue to coordinate with College Park, monitor milestones and return to the board if project terms change.