SOUTH

Fayette County

County rezones property to avoid contempt charge

Saying that “our hands are tied,” the Fayette County Board of Commissioners on Thursday acquiesced to a court ruling and rezoned 212 acres off Ebenezer Church and Davis Roads for residential development.

The county faced a contempt of court charge if it did not comply with a 2018 decision by Judge Christopher Edwards of the Fayette County Superior Court, who sided with TSTT Investments in a two-year dispute regarding how many homes would be built on the site. The developer plans to put 91 homes on 1-acre lots, but the surrounding area is more rural with most lots larger than 5 acres.

Nearby residents vehemently protested the plan, and the county tried to compromise last year by changing the zoning to R-78, which would have required 2-acre lots and accommodated 41 houses instead. TSTT sued, saying it needs to build 91 homes in order to make the project economically feasible.

Following the 4-0-1 vote (with Eric Maxwell absent), Chairman Randy Ognio said, “We fought the battle as far as we can take it. We have to abide by the order.”

JILL HOWARD CHURCH FOR THE AJC

McDonough

City council approves annexation

The McDonough City Council voted at its Aug. 1 meeting to approve an annexation and rezoning for a retail tract next to I-75.

The actual address of the site is 1168 Hwy. 20/81, which is at the northeast corner of the Exit 218 interchange and at the entrance to the Walmart shopping center, next to Cracker Barrel and other existing retail and restaurant spaces. Those developments are already in the city along the property’s norther boundary and make the applicant site contiguous.

The rezoning is from C-2 in the county to C-2 in the city, which is classified at Central Commercial. The property is designated for commercial development under the county’s Future Land Use Map and was formerly the site of a Ruby Tuesday restaurant.

MONROE ROARK FOR THE AJC

UPCOMING