Applicant seeks rezoning for gas station, convenience store and ‘Welcome Kitchen’ on Flat Shoals Road in South Fulton

Welcome Foods requested rezoning of 4225 and 4165 Flat Shoals Road to C2 and a special‑use permit to develop a 5,000‑square‑foot convenience store with fuel pumps, an in‑store Welcome Foods Kitchen and a separate 1,800‑square‑foot drive‑thru restaurant on 2.13 acres in Council District 5. Applicant representative Amin Cheggani said the company has operated in the Metro Atlanta area for more than 25 years and that the proposal would be the ninth new Welcome Foods location in the region.

The applicant described the Welcome Foods Kitchen as a full‑service, grab‑and‑go kitchen “that provides a complete range from breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the neighboring communities,” and said prospective tenants for the retail pods include national quick‑service brands. Cheggani said the site design includes a 70‑foot buffer, 10‑foot setbacks and a detention pond intended to separate the development from nearby residences, and pointed to an existing Georgia Power easement on the property as further separation from housing nearby.

A member of the public asked whether the proposal complies with recent rules on gas‑station siting and minimum distances from residences and other stations. A staff member responded that the city has not completed an in‑depth evaluation and that applicants are required to pursue a special‑use permit as part of the new process; staff will complete the detailed review in the coming weeks. When asked about hours of operation, the applicant said hours would follow whatever the city prefers and noted that the 1,800‑square‑foot quick‑service building would likely follow typical closing times for similar franchises (applicant estimated around 9–10 p.m.), while the in‑store kitchen might close earlier (applicant suggested around 8 p.m.).

Resident Alvin Reynolds, who said he lives roughly a mile from the site, asked whether the proposed kitchen would be a sit‑down restaurant; the applicant said the kitchen is grab‑and‑go with no indoor seating and that the drive‑thru building would be a quick‑service concept.

Staff indicated that the city will verify setback and proximity requirements, sign‑posting deadlines and other code considerations during the pending special‑use review. No formal vote or decision was taken at the information meeting; the application will proceed through the city’s rezoning and special‑use review process with a Planning Commission hearing scheduled for July 15, 2026, and a Mayor and Council public hearing scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026.