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Residents oppose 190‑acre rezoning for large warehouse; applicant cites jobs and investment
Summary
KMT Partners sought to rezone about 190 acres in District 7 for light‑industrial development totaling roughly 1.6 million sq ft; the applicant said the project would bring $230 million in investment and up to 2,000 jobs, while multiple residents raised environmental, traffic and process concerns and pointed to a prior denial and a pending lawsuit.
At a March 24 public hearing, the City of South Fulton received a presentation and public comment on Z26‑008, a rezoning application by KMT Partners to convert roughly 190 acres along Spence Road (District 7) from agricultural/suburban residential to light industrial to accommodate three buildings totaling about 1.6 million square feet.
Henry Bailey, counsel for the applicant, said the plan has been reduced by roughly 15% from the originally submitted footprint to avoid streams and environmental features and that the development would deliver an estimated $230 million in capital investment and a proposed cold‑storage tenant. Bailey described planned off‑site traffic and safety improvements — including paving Old Senoia Road, adding turn lanes and installing signage to limit truck circulation — and said the nearest residence would sit hundreds of yards from the buildings behind vegetated buffers. "We have a cold storage food user ready to commence development, provided the zoning is approved," Bailey told the council.
Residents who spoke in opposition cited tree loss, potential stream and stormwater impacts, blasting and property impacts, and skepticism that the project's purported job numbers will materialize given modern automation. Multiple speakers noted a prior council denial on the rezoning and an ongoing appeal or lawsuit, questioned why the item had returned so quickly, and urged the council to defend its earlier vote. One commenter said pollution claims in a circulated petition were "unsubstantiated," and the applicant reiterated commitments to LEED construction and environmental mitigation.
Council closed the public hearing after hearing approximately six opposition speakers. No final vote on the rezoning occurred at the work session; council will consider the matter at a later legislative meeting per the city’s process.
What happens next: the council will take the statutory steps for zoning action (ordinance readings and any required findings). The record includes the applicant presentation and multiple public‑comment statements opposing the rezoning; council members did not vote on the rezoning during the March 24 work session.
