OPINION
Talk Back: Residents write on city issues ► STARTS ON PAGE 3
December 25, 2025 | AppenMedia.com | An Appen Media Group Publication | Ser ving the community since 1976
Padrick appointed chief of DeKalb County Police By DAN WHISENHUNT dan@appenmedia.com DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson has found her next police chief and she didn’t have to look far. On Dec. 10, she announced that Interim Chief Greg Padrick is no longer interim. “Chief Padrick brings an extraordinary depth of experience, proven leadership, and an unwavering commitment to public safety,” CochranJohnson said. “For 28
years he has served this county with integrity, and I am confident that under his leadership, the DeKalb County Police Department will continue to advance police excellence, innovation, transparency, and community-centered policing.” Padrick took the job after Cochran-Johnson dismissed the previous police chief, Mirtha Ramos, and he has been tasked with implementing her public safety agenda.
See PADRICK, Page 10
CARTER ENGINEERING/PROVIDED
A rendering shows Zaxby’s plan for its flagship location at 125 Perimeter Center West, featuring a double drivethru, a heated patio area, sidewalk connections and limited parking spaces. The Dunwoody City Council denied a drive-thru permit Dec. 15, sending Zaxby’s and Ashford Lane property owners back to the drawing board.
Dunwoody denies Zaxby’s bid for drive-thru By HAYDEN SUMLIN hayden@appenmedia.com
DEAN HESSE/APPEN MEDIA
Interim DeKalb County Police Chief Gregory Padrick loads a box of food into a vehicle during the county’s Thanksgiving drive-thru food distribution at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Tucker Nov. 15.
DUNWOODY, Ga. — The Dunwoody City Council denied its second drive-thru permit of the month Dec. 15 with a 4-3 vote, sending a message to developers about the city’s long-term plans. Local governments in Georgia control land-use decisions and zoning, and the City of Dunwoody is making its preferences for walkability clear in the core of Central Perimeter. While the Planning Commission and city staff recommended denial of a drive-thru permit for a Raising Cane’s at 4570 Ashford Dunwoody Road, they supported Zaxby’s application for one at 125 Perimeter Center West.
The council denied the Raising Cane’s application Dec. 1. Both sites feature shuttered drive-thru banks, which are virtually defunct in the postpandemic market. Ultimately, the City Council broke with staff and the citizen-led board to deny the Zaxby’s drive-thru application. CTO Realty Growth, the property owners of the roughly 17-acre Ashford Lane outdoor mall in Central Perimeter, and Zaxby’s Properties launched the permitting process before the Dunwoody Planning Commission in May. Seven months later, and they are back to the drawing board.
See ZAXBY’S, Page 10
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