DeKalb officials say appeals court upheld land exchange; county moving to negotiate buyback

DeKalb County officials told residents on Saturday that an appeals court recently upheld a 2019 land exchange tied to Entrenchment Creek Park and that county leaders have begun legal and negotiation steps to try to reacquire the swapped acreage.

Lorraine Cochran Johnson, the county CEO, said the appeals court decision was the last legal barrier and that in February she instructed the county’s law department to begin discussions to obtain the 40 acres that were transferred in the swap. "I authorized our law department to begin necessary discussions to, obtain the land, and those discussions remain ongoing," she said.

Residents at the virtual town hall pressed officials on whether the county had recovered remediation work or funds from the private owner, and about the timeline and options to reacquire the land. COO Williams said the original agreement called for work valued at roughly $1,400,000 plus a $100,000 contribution but that the county has not received that payment; he described amounts as approximate and said the county had set aside other funds for park delivery.

Community members also raised concerns about potential industrial development — including possible data center uses — on nearby parcels and asked what buffers or protections the county would require. The CEO said the Board of Commissioners is developing "guardrails" governing potential data center development and that any application would be reviewed on its merits; she said it would be the developer’s responsibility to create buffers and that the county would not pay for developer buffers.

Mediation and next steps: A participant noted a mediation deadline of May 30, 2026; officials said the county began active engagement on reacquisition in February and is willing to participate in mediation but had not reached terms. Attorney Phillips asked that the meeting remain focused on the park plans being delivered to the public rather than re‑litigating the swap during the town hall.

What remains unresolved: Officials did not provide a timetable for closing any buyback and said reacquisition requires meeting appraisal and fiduciary conditions; the county said it remains open to acquiring the land if terms can be reached.