A court has ordered a permanent ban on commercial parties and similar events at a controversial Buckhead mansion, according to Atlanta City Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit’s office.
The 4499 Garmon Road mansion has been the scene of controversial events that have drawn many city citations. The Dec. 9 ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer makes permanent an earlier 30-day restraining order imposed at the request of the city of Atlanta, which is working on legislation to crack down on “party houses.”
Matzigkeit and his aide Jim Elgar attended the hearing. Elgar said some local residents attended as well. Olutosin O. “Tosin” Oduwole, identified by city authorities as the mansion’s operator, did not appear at the court hearing and did not have a legal representative there, either, according to Elgar. Oduwole earlier this year demanded that the Reporter cease writing anything about him.
“I think that this could be a template for how to deal with other, similar situations in the city and, frankly, in the county. Sandy Springs has similar issues,” said Matzigkeit in a phone interview. Earlier this year, a large party with rifle-carrying guards at a Sandy Springs mansion drew complaints and city attention.
The city of Atlanta press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Garmon Road injunction.
Oduwole is scheduled to be tried in Atlanta Municipal Court Dec. 13 on various city citations related to the mansion’s events, according to court records and city officials.
Formerly owned by star musician Kenny Rogers, the Garmon Road mansion drew the city’s attention last year for a string of massive parties, which ended late in the year with a $1,000 zoning violation fine imposed upon a woman who claimed to be the property’s new owner. However, Oduwole began advertising the mansion for event rentals again this year and parties resumed this summer, leading to a new series of citations.
Update: This story has been updated with comment from City Councilmember J.P. Matzigkeit.