Stonecrest will become a city of about 50,000 residents after voters approved its creation Tuesday.

The city will cover most of southeast DeKalb County, including areas near Lithonia and Stonecrest Mall.

Supporters of the cityhood effort said they want a local government that can help promote business growth in the region. They believe the city's future elected leaders will bring greater attention to the area than the county can, marketing it for businesses and cleaning up its streets.

The city will initially take control of a few services from the county, including code enforcement and zoning. A police force could be added later.

Stonecrest becomes the fourth city to incorporate in DeKalb in recent years. Dunwoody formed in 2008, Brookhaven in 2012 and Tucker this year.

The city will have a mayor and five city council members. Stonecrest will start doing business sometime next year.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Voters wishing to cast a ballot in the pair of special elections have until polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Featured

Jo'wan Bellamy taught in the GNETS program for 17 years and recently transferred to Atlanta’s new behavioral program at Crawford Long Middle School. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com