Hurricane Debby wrought confusion on the Valdosta-Lowndes Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA), causing a controversial variance request to be bumped back weeks or maybe longer.

The board packet materials for that item VAR-2024-07 are somewhat lacking, since there is no WRPDO Site Map for it, and while the Zoning Location Map shows a green area to the left, nothing on that map nor in the text says the green area borders the Little River.

Collage @ ZBOA 2024-08-20

A request for a variance about Family Ties Land Division was tabled because the September ZBOA meeting was postponed for two weeks because of the hurricane. The Meeting Results Summary says “(Tabled 4-0)” but it does not say until when.

According to Terry Richards, Valdosta Daily Times, August 22, 2024, Appeals board denies variance for group home,

— The board voted to table any action on a request for a variance on family ties land division for a property at 7365 Webb Hall Road until a later meeting.

Part of the concern over the variance concerned the timing of advertisement of the meeting. Thursday’s meeting was originally scheduled to be held Aug. 6, but was postponed two weeks due to the threat of Hurricane Debby.

As state law requires a 30-day notice of meetings of this sort, board members were concerned they needed to push action on this matter further out.

There were also concerns as to whether a misprint of an address in a published legal ad would affect the situation.

According to the City of Valdosta’s ZBOA web page “The ZBOA meets the first Tuesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. in the City Hall Annex Building, Multi-Purpose Room located at 300 North Lee Street.” That would seem to mean the next ZBOA meeting will be September 3. But that is less than 30 days from now. So maybe October 1. If that is the date of the October meeting.

The Valdosta City ZBOA page also says, “View the 2024 Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting Schedule” But it provides no link to find that schedule. Lowndes County’s ZBOA page has even less information about ZBOA meetings.

ZBOA meetings do not appear in the city’s own online calendar. ZBOA meetings also do not appear in Lowndes County’s online calendar.

It is not clear when the date of the August ZBOA meeting changed from the 6th to the 20th. I can find no public notice about it on the Valdosta or Lowndes County web pages, nor in https://www.georgiapublicnotice.com/.

The meeting date was still August 6 in the agenda the City returned in the board packet on August 7, in response to my open records request ORR-2024-507.

Maybe more public notice in more visible ways would be useful both to the public and to ZBOA and the City of Valdosta and Lowndes County?

The two agendas

The August 6, 2024, agenda has been replaced on the city’s website with this August 20, 2024, agenda, which differs only in the addition of the red RESCHEDULED line.

The board packet, received in response to open records request ORR-2024-507, is on the LAKE website.

**RESCHEDULED to August 20, 2024**
PDF

Valdosta—Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals Valdosta

Planning and Zoning Office
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563

Lowndes County Zoning Office
327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 671-2430

Meeting Location: Multi-Purpose Room, City Hall Annex 300 N Lee Street

AGENDA
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
**RESCHEDULED to August 20, 2024**
2:30 p.m.

1. Call to Order
2. LOWNDES COUNTY CASES:
3. VAR-2024-07 Matthew Mitchell Request for a Variance to Section 4.04.04 as it pertains to Provisions for Family Ties Land Division in the E-A (Estate Agricultural) Zoning District. The subject property is located at 7365 Webb Hall Road (all or part of Tax Parcel 0011 020D).
4. VAR-2024-08 Good Samaritan Healthcare Service Request for a
   Variance to Section 4.03.16 as it pertains to requirements for Group Personal Care and Family Personal Care Homes in the R-10 (Suburban Density Residential) Zoning District. The subject property is located at 3515 Cherokee Trail (all or part of Tax Parcel 0145C 269).
5. VAR-2024-10 Parkstone/Lynnhaven Request for a Variance to Section 6.03.04 as it pertains to Sanitary Sewer System Requirements.in the R-1 (Low Density Residential) Zoning District. The subject property is located at 2101 and 2097 Lynnhaven Road (all or part of Tax Parcel 0087 195G & 195F).
6. Approval of previous meeting minutes
7. OTHER BUSINESS
8. Attendance Review
9. Adjournment

Meeting Results Summary

And here is the Meeting Results Summary as received in response to my open records request ORR 2024-546:

Adjournment (3:52 PM)
PDF

VAR-2024-07 Matthew Mitchell (Tabled 4-0)

Request for a Variance to Section 4.04.04 as it pertains to Provisions for Family Ties Land Division in the E-A (Estate Agricultural) Zoning District. The subject property is located at 7365 Webb Hall Road (all or part of Tax Parcel 0011 020D).
PDF

VAR-2024-08 Good Samaritan Healthcare Service (Denied 3-1)

Request for a Variance to Section 4.03.16 as it pertains to requirements for Group Personal Care and Family Personal Care Homes in the R-10 (Suburban Density Residential) Zoning District. The subject property is located at 3515 Cherokee Trail (all or part of Tax Parcel 0145C 269).
PDF

VAR-2024-10 Parkstone/Lynnhaven (Approved 4-0)

Request for a Variance to Section 6.03.04 as it pertains to Sanitary Sewer System Requirements.in the R-1 (Low Density Residential) Zoning District. The subject property is located at 2101 and 2097 Lynnhaven Road (all or part of Tax Parcel 0087 195G & 195F).
PDF

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