Emory annexation into Atlanta cleared by settlement with DeKalb County

A deal struck between DeKalb County and the city of Atlanta on Tuesday allows Emory University’s annexation to move forward.

The DeKalb Commission voted 5-0 to approve a settlement that resolves the county's objections to the 744-acre annexation, the city's largest expansion since it added Buckhead in 1952.

The agreement grants several concessions to the county:

The city will pay $10 million for county firefighting services over the next decade, adopt the county’s zoning restrictions on development and require a public meeting on MARTA’s plans for light rail onto the campus. The agreement also ends an arbitration process to resolve DeKalb’s disputes over the annexation.

Once the Atlanta City Council approves the settlement, it can vote on the annexation of Emory, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

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About the Authors

Mark Niesse

Mark Niesse covers Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.