Friday, June 15,
2001
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No welcome for proposed church By JOHN
THOMPSON
Welcome Grove Baptist Church did not receive a welcome mat from Fairburn officials Monday night. In fact, the City Council unanimously turned down a proposal by the church to build a new facility on Senoia Road at Valleybrook Drive. The church currently conducts its services at a building on Plantation Road and wanted to build a new sanctuary. But the council listened to the residents near the new location and decided the church should seek somewhere else to build. Dot Coughlin, who lives on Valleybrook Drive, said the council should consider its vote carefully and keep the area residential. "We already have spotty zoning in Fairburn," she said. Coughlin asked the council to look at the church's current facility. "It's not my idea of a church that fits into a residential environment," she said. In staff reports, Bill Johnston recommended approval of the church and said that, typically, churches serve as a good transitional element in residential areas. If the council approved the zoning, Johnston recommended placing the structure closer to Valleybrook Drive, having heavy buffers along the perimeter and having the facility constructed of brick. But the council rejected Johnston's recommendation 5-1, with only Councilman Frankie Arnold supporting the effort.
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