Fayette County commissioners vote to oppose South Fulton annexation of two parcels

On July 10, 2025, the Fayette County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to adopt Resolution 2025-07 opposing the annexation of parcels 0902 017 and 0902 018 by the City of South Fulton.

Planning and Zoning Director Deborah Bell told the board staff received notice of the annexation application June 25, 2025 and reported the full site totaled 50.36 acres, with 32.65 acres in unincorporated Fayette County. The application proposed 162 homes in total, 114 of which would be in Fayette County, creating an approximate density of 3.5 units per acre, Bell said. That figure, she reported, represents roughly a 936% increase over the parcels’ current zoning and a 612% increase compared with Fayette County’s Future Land Use Map.

Bell said staff’s assessment under O.C.G.A. 36-36-23(c) concluded the annexation would not be reasonable for the county’s long-range economic and community well-being. Staff raised specific concerns about response times and costs for the Sheriff’s Office and Fire/EMS because portions of the development would require emergency responders to travel out of Fayette County and through Fulton County to reach some homes; increased school-transportation logistics and mileage for the Fayette County School System; additional administrative and permitting costs for Fayette County Water System; and local traffic effects on State Route 92, Veterans Parkway and Westbridge Road (staff supplied a preliminary, informal estimate of a 2–3% traffic increase on those corridors).

Bell also identified watershed concerns: the site drains to Tar Creek, a tributary of Whitewater Creek, which staff noted is already classified as impaired for bacterial contamination where it enters Fayette County. Staff said higher-density development could increase runoff and place additional monitoring and treatment burdens on county water management.

Vice Chairman Edward Gibbons moved to adopt the resolution, Commissioner Charles W. Oddo seconded, and County Attorney Dennis Davenport observed that the annexation raises local option sales-tax considerations in addition to the factors Bell described. Chairman Lee Hearn said the proposed density "was not what they wanted Fayette County to look like." The motion carried 3-0; Commissioners Eric Maxwell and Charles Rousseau were absent.

The resolution instructs county staff to file opposition under O.C.G.A. 36-36-23. No rezoning or development approvals for the parcels were adopted by the Board; Bell noted the property owner could pursue development under existing county zoning or seek other zoning actions independent of the annexation request.

The Board’s approval of Resolution 2025-07 is final as to Fayette County’s formal opposition; the record shows the motion was made and adopted at the July 10 meeting.