Early Wednesday afternoon, the Fayette County Commissioner's office announced that a controversial rezoning request would not be discussed Thursday night.

Managing member for Fayette Center Point LLC Joel Ogletree sent a two sentence fax to the Fayette County Commission asking to withdraw the petition. Ogletree did not offer any reasons for the last-minute decision.

Ogletree was seeking to develop a house of worship at the site on Ga. Highway 54 and Flat Creek Trail, which many in the community believed would be a mosque. Residents of Fayette Villa Estates and The Landings were concerned about the proposal because of parking issues and also the request did not conform with the Hwy. 54 Overlay District.

It is not known when the matter will be brought before the County Commission or if Ogletree has decided not to develop the site.

The withdrawal came after The Citizen reported online and in its print edition that neighbors of the parcel were opposed to the potential location of an Islamic mosque on the site just east of Peachtree City on Ga. Highway 54.

The now-withdrawn proposal called for rezoning a 5-acre tract at the intersection of Hwy. 54 and Flat Creek Trail, less than a mile east of the Peachtree City limits, from Agricultural-Residential to Office-Institutional to develop what was described only as a place of worship.

But Kevin Cook, who lives in The Landings, questioned if the building would actually be a Christian church. He said the property is being developed by Aga Khan Development Network and rumors have been flying through the community that the site would be home to a mosque, a place of worship for Muslims.

“Everyone is concerned about this project. My real concern is about the Hwy. 54 Overlay District,” Cook said.

Cook said a church is not in keeping with the district and protection was supposed to be given to residents living in Fayette Villa Estates and The Landings.

“We want to maintain the character of the neighborhoods and the size of this project won’t allow that,” he added.

Fayette County Planning Director Pete Frisina said the land is owned by Joel Ogletree and the preliminary plans called for a 10,000 square-foot building with 200 parking spaces. Frisina said the county’s staff and Planning Commission have approved the project and have told the owners a house of worship would have to be placed on the site.

If the proposed building was indeed to have become an Islamic worship center, it would have been the second in Fayette County.

Muslims already meet for prayer and community activities at the Islamic Community Center of Atlanta, at the intersection of Hwy. 54 and Jeff Davis Boulevard in Fayetteville, the former site of the old A&T Supermarket.

The commission meeting starts at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fayette County Administrative Complex on Stonewall Avenue in Fayetteville.

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