DeKalb County commissioners on Oct. 28 delayed action on a recommendation to award a long-term development agreement at Peachtree DeKalb Airport (PDK) after multiple residents and experts urged more study of safety, noise and environmental impacts.

Residents who live under PDK flight paths told the board the proposed Sky Harbor hangar/basing agreement could significantly increase nighttime noise and add larger business jets to the airport’s traffic mix. Physician and former CDC epidemiologist John Brooks told the board that, based on Federal Aviation Administration data, PDK ranks worst in the nation for runway incursions and asked the county to confirm whether the airport has current FAA-recommended surface monitoring systems before approving any expansion.

Why it matters: The Sky Harbor proposal would allow more and larger jets to base at PDK for decades, potentially changing flight patterns and local noise exposure. Public safety critics also say unresolved operational data and an ongoing county-funded environmental study should inform any contract decision.

Speakers at the public-comment portion described both noise impacts and safety concerns. Steve Racine, who lives in the Oak Grove neighborhood near Oak Grove Elementary and Lakeside High School, described Gulfstream and similar business jets overflying homes at roughly 1,000–1,500 feet and called the proposed contract’s 50‑year sole-source term “unusual.” He said the proposal could add “as many as 100 additional aircraft of a similar size,” and called for competition and a shorter term.

John Brooks, a physician and epidemiologist who worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 26 years, told commissioners FAA runway-incursion data show PDK recorded 103 incursions over the past four years — “the highest number for any airport in the nation” and about seven times the national average — and recommended a full FAA surface-safety assessment before any basing expansion.

Larry Foster, a longtime local civic activist, reminded the board that a county-funded environmental study of PDK — previously budgeted at roughly $1,450,000 — is still underway and is expected to conclude in mid‑2026. Foster argued that approving the Sky Harbor deal now would short-circuit the purpose of that study, which he said was designed to produce factual evidence for the board’s decision.

Board action and next steps: When the Sky Harbor item (agenda item 1331) came before the board, a motion to defer the recommendation to the Nov. 10 Board of Commissioners meeting with a prior stop at the Operations Committee passed. The chair announced that six votes supported deferral. The motion’s mover and seconder were not recorded in the publicly available transcript; the board directed the item to the Operations Committee for further review prior to the Nov. 10 meeting.

What remains unresolved: Commenters and speakers asked the board to confirm (a) whether the airport has modern FAA-recommended runway-incursion detection systems and surface‑movement monitoring; (b) details from the county-funded PDK environmental study (status and expected public release); and (c) whether a sole‑source, multi‑decade award is appropriate without open competition.

The Nov. 10 meeting will include an Operations Committee review before the board takes final action on the Sky Harbor recommendation.