Rome commission denies annexation request for Burnett Ferry Road convenience store

The Rome City Commission voted to deny annexation request A26-06-03 for a convenience store at 203 Burnett Ferry Road after a public hearing and extended questioning about prior coin-operated amusement-machine use and enforcement.

Bryce Wood, planning staff, introduced the item and said the application came with a staff recommendation of approval and a planning commission recommendation (7–2). Fisher Law, who identified himself as the attorney for the property owners, asked the commission to annex the site and argued the move would raise the property's value and allow the owner to seek a city COAM license. "We're here tonight to request annexation into the city," Fisher Law said. He added the city would gain "about $4,500 a year based on the current assessment value."

Commissioners pressed the representative about whether the store had police-involved violations while the current owner has held the property; Fisher Law said the client purchased the property in 2020 and he could not confirm whether there had been prior police-involved incidents since that purchase. Major Bailey, answering a direct question about police records, said, "No, no," and otherwise cited only the prior COAM tenant as the known issue.

Commissioners also discussed whether annexation would allow coin-operated amusement machines and whether the commission could condition annexation on a prohibition on COAMs. The representative said such a restriction would "undermine our basis for seeking annexation" and that if annexed the owner would still need to comply with city licensing and distance requirements before a license could be issued.

After the public hearing was closed, a commissioner moved to deny the annexation. The roll-call responses recorded in the transcript show a majority vote in favor of denial and the clerk announced: "The re-zoning will not occur." The motion passed and the annexation request was denied.

What happens next: Because the annexation was denied, the property remains outside the city limits and the applicant cannot proceed under city zoning. Any future requests would require a new application. The commission scheduled second-read votes on unrelated ordinances for July 13.