It turns out that the recently opened RaceTrac gas station and convenience store on Ga. Highway 85 South at Ramah Road is looking to be annexed into Fayetteville. The reason is due to problems with the septic system and the request to hook up the to city’s sewer system as an alternative.
The idea of potential annexation came up March 9 as a brief topic at the annual retreat of the Fayetteville City Council.
The issue does not involve a failure of the system but rather the emanation of odors from the septic system area. The issues with the system are currently being explored.
Annexation would allow the business to hook into the city’s sewer system, thus doing away with the septic tank and its problems.
Councilmen at the meeting noted that the city has received complaints about the odor from nearby residents. Those residents, said Councilman Walt White and others, thought that RaceTrac is within the city limits.
The county has also received reports of an odor coming from the septic system, though Jeff Kilgore with Fayette County Environmental Health said no odor reports have been made recently.
The business opened last year and is situated in unincorporated Fayette County and was constructed according to county regulations, city staff said.
City Manager Joe Morton said that, if eventually accepted for annexation, the RaceTrac site would amount to a non-conforming use of the property.
“If something happened like a fire they wouldn’t be able to rebuild it like it is,” Morton said.
Though no vote was taken on the issue, the general consensus among council members was that discussions with RaceTrac could proceed and that the company could apply for annexation.
Councilman Paul Oddo during the discussion suggested that adding a turn lane on Ramah Road might be a condition of annexation.
