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Douglasville council denies special land‑use permit for proposed personal care home after applicant’s plea
Summary
The council voted to deny SLUP 26‑155 for a proposed personal care home at 6339 Cornelia Drive after hearing from applicant Dali Awah, who read an endorsement describing a resident with a stroke. Council clarified denial of the SLUP would not evict existing private tenants; the motion passed with one recorded nay.
Douglasville — The Douglasville City Council on May 18 denied a special land‑use permit application (item 26‑155) for a proposed personal care home at 6339 Cornelia Drive following applicant testimony and council discussion about the land‑use implications.
Applicant Dali Awah, who identified herself and gave an address for the record, described operating a personal care business for almost two years and said she has been accepting CCPS waiver program payments for some residents. Awah read an emailed letter from Dr. Barbara Campbell in which the writer asked the council not to separate a current resident — identified as Cathy Robert, described as a woman in her 70s and a stroke survivor — from the home. "Please don't do anything to separate her from this home and make her homeless," Awah read aloud from the correspondence.
Planning staff had presented a packet summarizing senior living and personal care facilities in Douglasville and told the council there are nine existing city facilities (782 units) and multiple projects under construction. Staff also said that special land use permit (SLUP) durations are not preset and must conform to code requirements; code compliance had visited the site to confirm bedroom counts.
A councilmember responded to the applicant by clarifying that a denial of the SLUP would not equate to eviction of a private tenant: "The city regardless of how we vote, we're not evicting anyone from your personal property," the councilmember said, distinguishing private tenancy from approval of a licensed personal care operation.
Mayor Rochelle Robinson moved to deny item 26‑155; the motion was seconded by Councilmember Caldwell. The motion carried with a majority and one recorded nay. The minutes record the denial but do not include a roll‑call count of yes votes.
The Planning Department will notify the applicant of the council’s action and record the denial in the official minutes. The applicant was advised of the distinction between a council decision on a land‑use permit and private landlord‑tenant arrangements, and the meeting record shows the council considered both procedural and human‑interest aspects before voting.
No further appeals or follow‑up deadlines were stated on the record at the meeting’s close.
