Pat Fox

Local news reporter

I have worked at the AJC since 1988, coming to Georgia from Kansas, where I served as Sunday editor for the Hutchinson News.. My first 20 years here were spent on the design and copy desk. Then, in 2008, I switched to reporting after more than 27 years away from the job. I cover the North Fulton cities of Sandy Springs, Roswell, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Milton and Mountain Park. I also cover all of Forsyth County and the DeKalb city of Dunwoody.

Latest from Pat Fox

Alpharetta downtown project grows by $1.5 million

Alpharetta’s downtown redevelopment budget grew by almost 5 percent to more than $32.2 million this week, the result of late adjustments and unforeseen costs. The City Council approved the increase because the project’s contingency fund — $1.7 million — has already been depleted. Alpharetta voters approved a $29 million bond ...

Council overrides mayor’s veto

The Johns Creek City Council voted Monday to override Mayor Mike Bodker’s veto of a measure that freed city attorneys to cooperate in an investigation of possible information leaks by the mayor. The 5-1 vote clears the way for city attorneys to discuss private matters from closed City Council sessions. ...

Dunwoody fashions own zoning code

After five years of operating under a patchwork of zoning laws gleaned chiefly from DeKalb County, Dunwoody is set to adopt its own code tailored to fit the city’s vision. The new zoning code hammers home that, despite the glimmer of Perimeter Mall and the cascade of glass-sided office buildings, ...

Fulton ambulance provider in Chapter 11

The ambulance company serving all of Fulton County outside Atlanta says operations will not be affected by its bankruptcy filing Sunday. Rural Metro Ambulance said Monday that service to the area will continue unchanged while the company works out a financial restructuring to pay off creditors. Arizona-based Rural/Metro Corp., which ...

District announces location of new Roswell school

Fulton County Schools announced Friday it has reached sale agreements with all residential property owners for a new West Roswell elementary school along Ga. 9, just south of Holcomb Bridge Road. District officials said they have not been able to strike deals with all commercial property owners at the proposed ...

District discloses Roswell school site

Fulton County Schools has announced it will build a new elementary school along Ga. 9 in west Roswell. District officials say they’ve reached purchase agreements with all residential property owners affected. Negotiations continue with several commercial land owners, they said.

A bulldozer grades land in downtown Alpharetta on Tuesday, July 30, 2013. A new city hall, park, library and retail shops will occupy the land once it is completed.

Plan would put business limits on historic downtown Alpharetta

Business leaders and planners are squaring off over a proposal that would restrict the types of establishments visitors will stroll past in Alpharetta’s revived historic downtown district. A plan floated before the City Council calls for restrictions that would keep most businesses except restaurants and small retail from occupying ground-level ...

Roswell, Ga: Roswell resident Don Perryman speaks to the Roswell City Council meeting Monday night in Roswell, Ga., July 29, 2013. Perryman and other residents say their neighborhoods will suffer the fallout if the city continues with plans to ease congestion at Holcomb Bridge Road and Ga. 400. JASON GETZ / JGETZ@AJC.COM

Roswell residents fear crush of traffic from street projects

Hundreds of Roswell residents say plans to relieve congestion along two of the city’s busiest streets could damage their community and make it nearly impossible to leave their neighborhoods.Residents on north Warsaw Road say they are in the cross-hairs of two proposed projects that will funnel traffic off two major ...

Mayor vetoes attorney-client waiver

Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker has vetoed a measure that would have allowed the city attorney to divulge privileged information to an outside attorney investigating alleged wrongdoing. The veto, Bodker’s first since taking office seven years ago, comes a week after the City Council voted to permit the city attorney ...

County schedules Daves Creek Drive work

Daves Creek Drive in Forsyth County will be temporarily closed to through traffic at Old Atlanta Road beginning Aug. 5. The closure is to allow crews to realign Daves Creek with Old Atlanta to improve sight distance at the intersection. The project will also include construction of left and right ...