God played

the final mediator Wednesday in a zoning dispute between World Changers

Ministries and residents surrounding the church.

The Fulton

County Commission decided to grant Kreflo Dollar's request to rezone 36

acres on Burdett Road for a 362-space parking lot.

World Changers

officials and neighbors have conducted more than 20 meetings on the issue,

because many of the residents, according to Vic Bolton, are worried about

more traffic and development at the Old National church.

But state Sen.

Donzella James urged the commissioners to approve the zoning because the

church had breathed new life into Old National.

"Businesses

have started doing well again and the traffic on the road has returned,"

James said. "World Changers has been very good to Fulton County.

There is a very strong tax base on that road again," she said.

Not all residents

shared James' enthusiasm for the project.

It's unfairly

impacted our lives," said Corliss Claire. "All we've had from

them is wide open development," she said.

Residents wanted

World Changers to submit a 15-year development plan for the site, but

church officials said they could not do that because they built when the

Holy Spirit told them to.

Commissioner

Bill Edwards finally forced a compromise with the two groups after relaying

a recent exchange he had with the church's founder, Kreflo Dollar.

"Kreflo

told me that God told him he wouldn't build anything else at the site

if he got the parking lot," Edwards said.

Edwards instructed

the two sides to go to a back room at Assembly Hall and reach a compromise.

After lunch,

the two sides agreed on the parking lot, and the zoning was passed by

the commission.