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Wallace Road subdivision erupts in clashes over density; planning commission defers Liberty Oasis Estates
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Summary
After hours of public testimony, the Planning Commission deferred a proposal to expand a Wallace Road subdivision from an earlier 12-home approval to an 18‑home plan, directing the developer to return April 22 with revisions. Neighbors cited traffic, a prior council cap and neighborhood character; the developer said the proposal met ordinance standards.
The South Fulton Planning Commission voted on April 8 to defer a contested rezoning request for the Liberty Oasis Estates subdivision on Wallace Road, after hours of sometimes heated public testimony from neighbors and developers.
Dorothy Crowley, the developer, and her engineering team described the project as a low‑density, semi‑custom estate community that would add 18 single‑family homes and argued the redesign was necessary to access a landlocked two‑acre parcel the developer has since acquired. Crowley said the project is “a community that we’re proud to live in and proud to call our own,” and told commissioners the plan meets zoning procedures, includes pavilion and walking‑trail amenities, and will start at roughly a $900,000 price point.
Opponents, many of them long‑time Wallace Road residents, urged the commission to uphold an earlier City Council outcome that limited development on the original parcel to 12 homes. Phyllis Turner, a nearby resident who said she attended the earlier council hearings, told the commission that the council’s prior action and “community engagement” led to a vote for 12 homes and that increasing that number now would set an unwelcome precedent. Other residents emphasized traffic and safety risks, noting constrained egress on Wallace Road and nearby schools and warning that additional lots would change the neighborhood’s character.
Supporters who live adjacent to the site said the project would bring tax base and investment. Anthony Fulton, who said he lives next door, called the proposal “a win‑win situation for everybody” and urged the commission to allow the developer to proceed with conditions to protect neighbors.
Commissioners pressed the applicant on several points: timing (land‑disturbance permits were issued in late 2024), which parcels are currently under contract, whether lots on the new acreage were presold to family members, and whether larger lots or additional amenities could be used as a compromise. Staff reminded the board that conditions must match the site plan and that any change to a dwelling count would require an updated site plan to be resubmitted.
Faced with divided public sentiment and requests for more specificity, Commissioner Williams moved to defer the matter to the commission’s April 22 meeting so the applicant could revise or clarify plans; the motion passed by roll call. The deferral leaves open options the commission identified in discussion, including returning with a new site plan that reduces dwelling counts, increases lot sizes, or adds amenities and clearer access solutions for the landlocked parcel.
Next steps: the applicant will appear before the Planning Commission on April 22; this body’s recommendation will then go to City Council.
