RaceTrac withdraws its bid, at least for now, to build a 24/7 gas station at an Atlanta-area site where a Civil War house stood, cavalry clashed

The Robert and Eliza McAfee House before its move to Cherokee County (Cobb Landmarks)

RaceTrac on Tuesday withdrew its controversial bid to build a gas station and convenience store on a Civil War site near Atlanta, but the move doesn’t mean the company cannot bring the matter up again.

About 25 opponents of the rezoning in a busy Cobb County neighborhood attended the Board of Commissioners hearing. Without comment on the merits of the case, the board approved 5-0 a motion to allow the matter to be withdrawn without prejudice, which means the company could reapply at a later time.

The move appears to be another setback for RaceTrac, given the Cobb County Planning Commission voted last month to recommend rezoning the former Robert and Eliza McAfee property but added conditions that would not allow gasoline sales.

The Cobb County Board of Commissioners has the final say. Should RaceTrac regroup and decide to pursue the rezoning, the earliest the board could hear the matter is February 2026.

Commercial development in area; day care above house site, elementary school to its right

The Civil War Picket reached out to an attorney for RaceTrac and the property owner for comment on Tuesday’s action but has not yet heard back.

The home -- which briefly served as the headquarters for a Union general and was in the middle of cavalry movements and clashes in summer 1864 – this spring was moved to adjoining Cherokee County after a long effort to save it from destruction. It stood at the corner of Bells Ferry Road and Ernest Barrett Parkway.

The planning commission vote – following spirited discussion -- backed a change to the requested Neighborhood Retail Commercial (NRC) zoning. But it would prohibit fuel sales, drive-throughs and alcohol, tobacco and vape sales at the site.

The McAfee House dated to the 1840s, and the sprawling farm was a fixture in the Noonday Creek area. The property owner wants to sell the remaining two acres to RaceTrac.

The sturdy home was cut into six pieces before its move this spring (Civil War Picket photo)

RaceTrac argued a 24/7 store at the busy corner was appropriate and compatible with commercial development nearby. Opponents raised a list of concerns, from traffic congestion and storm water runoff to the possible impact of alcohol sales and gas vapors on a nearby elementary school and day care center.

The planning commission’s stipulations came despite an endorsement of the project by county planning staff and a traffic study that found the large gas station acceptable if measures were taken to mitigate congestion.

John Pederson, the county’s zoning division manager, previously said if the county commission followed the planning commission’s lead, small retail, offices or a restaurant would be permitted. He had no new comment Tuesday.

Although observers were pleased the McAfee House was not destroyed, many decried Cobb County's loss of history with its move to an adjoining county.

The nonprofit Cobb Landmarks, the Bells Ferry Civic Association and the county’s historic preservation staff all recommend an archaeological survey of the site if the rezoning is ultimately approved.

Cobb Landmarks had worked to find someone to move the home, including when a car wash was proposed. The property owner wants to sell the two acres for commercial development. The house lacked historic protection.

The McAfee House served a few weeks in June and early July 1864 as the headquarters for Brig. Gen. Kenner Garrard and his three brigades during the Atlanta Campaign. (At left, a map showing troop positions in June-July 1864; note McAfee House / Library of Congress)

After the seizure of Big Shanty (Kennesaw) by Federal forces on June 9, Garrard’s cavalry division was posted on the left flank during operations on the Kennesaw Mountain front. 

The Federal troopers clashed almost daily near Noonday Creek with Confederates led by Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler.

The McAfee farm was believed to have been occupied by Confederates, too, during the action around Kennesaw Mountain. The house is said to have been used as a field hospital.

Cobb Landmarks earlier this year sold the house for $1 to entrepreneurs Lee and Brittani Lusk, with the main requirement it be moved and restored. The couple moved the sturdy residence to near their home in Ball Ground and have been working on it. It’s future use has not been confirmed.