Neighbors urge council to uphold 2023 limits as developer seeks approval to add six homes on Wallace Road

The City of South Fulton heard nearly three hours of testimony April 28 on a proposal to revise a previously approved subdivision on Wallace Road after the applicant acquired an adjacent parcel and asked to add six additional homes.

Darren Boyin, a civil site designer with Ascension Engineers, told the council the developer seeks to combine two parcels and revise the neighborhood layout to create an 18-unit single-family subdivision on 13.82 acres. "We are here as a development team to request to combine two parcels ... and revise the neighborhood layout to incorporate all land area into the subdivision," Boyin said during the public hearing.

Developer Dorothy Crowley said the project, marketed as Liberty Oasis, remains within the R3 zoning category and is consistent with the Sandtown overlay and the city's land-use standards. She told council the revised plan provides access to a previously landlocked two-acre parcel and retains several design features required by staff and the planning commission. "Liberty Oasis is designed as a low-density, high-quality residential community that complements the surrounding areas," Crowley said.

But many nearby residents urged the council to deny the request or to at least preserve the prior, more restrictive decision. Phyllis Edwards Turner, a legacy resident of the Madison Trace community, said the community was told in 2023 the development would be limited to 12 homes and described the new proposal as overturning that expectation. "Granting Miss Crowley's request would set a dangerous precedent ... It opens the door for future developers to disregard established decisions and undermine community trust," Turner said.

Turner and several other speakers also raised process concerns, alleging a lack of transparency about property ownership and asking whether Councilwoman Dr. Katherine Ralph had a personal interest in the project and whether she would recuse herself if necessary. Councilwoman Ralph responded at the meeting that she has "absolutely no personal interest in this property" and said she would follow the law and recuse if required.

Council members pressed staff for specifics. Staff confirmed the total site is 13.82 acres and that the planning commission recommended approval with conditions. At the commission's April 22 meeting, the commission approved the request and added two conditions: a minimum home size of 3,000 square feet and masonry (brick, stone, stucco or similar) exterior materials. City staff later read a set of nine enumerated conditions carried forward from the original approval, including limiting the site to no more than 18 single-family dwellings, requiring a homeowners association, a deceleration lane on Wallace Road, curb and gutter with a 5-foot sidewalk along the frontage, a 25-foot undisturbed buffer with a 10-foot improvement setback, and street construction to city standards.

Residents also raised traffic concerns and questioned whether the newly acquired parcel truly could be accessed from any other point than the proposed internal road. The city attorney's office explained that while traffic impacts are an important factor the council may consider, traffic is not by itself a dispositive legal ground to deny a rezoning. "Traffic is something you can take into consideration, but it's not a reason why you can approve or deny an application," a city attorney representative said.

Supporters of the revision argued the six additional homes would increase property values and tax revenue and that the developer has progressed through permitting and site work since the original 2023 approval. Speaking in favor, Adena Loftton told the council, "This is a beautiful development ... it's going to bring up the values of all of our homes."

The council did not act on the rezoning that night. City staff and the clerk confirmed that the item was recorded as a first read and the vote was scheduled for May 12, 2026. The council will then consider whether to adopt the revision and any binding conditions.

What's next: the Wallace Road rezoning (case listed as KC26-007/KZ26-007 on the agenda) was recorded as a first reading on April 28 and is scheduled for council vote on May 12, 2026. If adopted, the conditions read into the record would be part of the zoning approval; if substantial amendments are proposed later, they may require additional review.