Pickens County votes to abandon portion of Pettit Road after contested public hearing

The Pickens County Board of Commissioners voted to abandon a specific portion of Pettit Road on a motion made during its November regular meeting, following a contested public hearing earlier in the evening.

Chairman (first speaking at SEG 001) opened the staff presentation describing the parcel corners and the statutory abandonment process under the Official Code of Georgia; staff concluded the segment "does not function as a critical public route" and recommended abandonment to reduce maintenance costs and align with current property use. Staff also detailed prior notice steps, site posting, and internal reviews by road, planning and emergency services staff.

Opposition to the request was led by attorney Tyler Morrow, who said the petition has "fundamental inconsistency" and told commissioners that abandoning the road would threaten access for several property owners and likely draw the county into litigation. "We respectfully request the county decline to abandon this portion of the road," Morrow told the board. Devin Parcello, a majority owner of Legends of the Land LLC, said his group had invested in the property and that "we just put in a $150,000 worth of improvements," adding that some owners have used the route for years and could be left without practical access.

Other residents defended retaining the road as a historic public right of way and a pedestrian route. Scott Gilmore told the board he believes the county had never maintained the lane but cautioned that "if the road's gonna be open, it needs to be open all the way through." Several speakers asked the board to preserve public access for recreation and emergency egress.

After listening to staff and public comment the board took up the item as an agenda motion later in the meeting. Commissioners moved and seconded a motion to proceed with abandoning the described section of Pettit Road; the motion carried with no recorded opposition. The motion and vote implement the staff recommendation to remove the segment from the county road system, subject to the recordation and processes described by staff.

The action authorizes county staff to proceed with the formal documentation required to remove the segment from the public road system. The record does not show specific follow-up dates for property transfers or maintenance transitions beyond the abandonment certification and required minutes and plat recording discussed during the hearing.