Category Archives: GLPC

Videos: Ban passes 3:2 on Planning Commission reviewing ULDC changes @ LCC Regular 2024-07-09

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Only Commissioners Mark Wisenbaker and Clay Griner voted against prohibiting the Planning Commission from reviewing proposed amendments to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). Commissioner Scottie Orenstein made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Joyce Evants. Commissioner Demarcus Marshall also voted in favor. But if you’re a “stakeholder”, which county staff define as Chamber or Homebuilders, you’ll get special email notification and maybe sit-down meetings before ULDC changes appear before the County Commission.

[Collage @ LCC 9 July 2024]
Collage @ LCC 9 July 2024

If you’re a private citizen, you can speak in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, as Matthew and Debra Williams did, asking once again for the county to do something about a drainage easement draining onto their property.

Or Tara Parker, suggesting a spay and neuter program would be more effective than the new animal control building the Commissioners budgeted $10 million for. As usual, nobody answered them during the public meeting.

Everything else on the agenda passed unanimously.

Before they voted, on the ULDC changes, Gretchen Quarterman spoke in opposition, noting that they previously had ULDC text amendments in 2015 and last year, and the Planning Commission did not delay any of those. Also, if private citizens want a rezoning, they have to go through the Planning Commission first, yet this amendment means the county government does not.

Before that, Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC text amendments, small rezoning, and liquor license @ LCC Work 2024-07-08

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Update 2024-07-12: Videos: Ban passes 3:2 on Planning Commission reviewing ULDC changes @ LCC Regular 2024-07-09.

The County Planner had some slides at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session to explain the ULDC text amendments TXT-2024-02. He did not explain why they were different from the version presented to the Planning Commission, nor why the Planning Commission should not review further ULDC changes.

[Collage @ LCC 8 July 2024]
Collage @ LCC 8 July 2024

He said that instead, “Planning Commission, Homebuilders Association, stakeholders, Chamber, things like that, will be contacted as a courtesy, through just a standard email, and any potential sit-down meetings.” He did not mention taxpayer or voters or county residents.

As Gretchen noted, “Why should citizens be denied an opportunity to comment when builders and developers get special invitations to comment?”

The County Planner’s only excuse for this change was, Continue reading →

Packet: ULDC text amendments, small rezoning, and liquor license @ LCC 2024-07-08

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Update 2024-07-08: Videos: ULDC text amendments, small rezoning, and liquor license @ LCC Work 2024-07-08.

The ULDC text amendments TXT-2024-02 on the agenda for the Lowndes County Commission are not the same as those proposed to the Planning Commission.

They do still say the Planning Commission would never see any further ULDC text amendments.

How can the staff claim the Planning Commission approved TXT-2024-02 when that board got a different version?

How can the County Commission approve TXT-2024-02 under these conditions?

Why would the County Commission not want the Planning Commission to review ULDC text amendments?

[Packet: ULDC text amendments, small rezoning, and liquor license @ LCC 2024-07-08]
Packet: ULDC text amendments, small rezoning, and liquor license @ LCC 2024-07-08

The cover sheet for the Monday morning Work Session and the Tuesday evening voting Regular Session says, “Based on updates and direction from the County Attorney and County Leadership, Planning Staff and the GLPC recommend approval of Amendments 1,2, 3, 6, and 7.” Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC text amendments, small county rezoning, Airport Authority annexation and rezoning, small Valdosta rezoning @ GLPC 2024-06-24

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The Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of everything on their agenda for June 24, 2024.

Including an item that Commissioner Vicki T. Rountree clarified that if they approved it, that would be the last time the Planning Commission would see such items.

The rationale by the County Planner was so staff could make “minor amendments” and “move forward with them more quickly.” He did mention there would be meetings with “stakeholder groups”. We know that means builders and developers, not the tax-paying and voting public.

[Collage @ GLPC 24 June 2024]
Collage @ GLPC 24 June 2024

Nonetheless Commissioner Chip Wildes made the motion to recommend that amendment, seconded by Commissioner Steve Miller. And all the Commissioners voted for the motion.

Different text under the same agenda item title is on the agenda for the July 8 and 9, 2024, Lowndes County Commission meetings.

What does the Planning Commission recommendation mean, since the content changed before it got to the County Commission?

This is the far-reaching amendment to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC), or at least the version presented to the Planning Commission: Continue reading →

Packet: ULDC text amendments, small county rezoning, Airport Authority annexation and rezoning, small Valdosta rezoning @ GLPC 2024-06-24

Update 2024-07-07: Videos: Budget, Court Grants, Stream Credits, Debris, Insurance, Vac-Trailer @ LCC Work 2024-06-24.

The rezonings are small, and even the ULDC Amendments seem uncontroversial, since they’re just clarifications, on the agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission Monday evening.

[Collage @ GLPC Packet 2024-06-24]
Collage @ GLPC Packet 2024-06-24

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request is on the LAKE website.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, June 17, 2024 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, June 24, 2024 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Packet: Remerton variances for Bryce Nerland, Woodard Street @ GLPC 2024-05-20

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission heard two requests for variances on two adjoining lots, “The main motivation behind the request is to allow a reduction in setbacks to allow new construction for 6 single family homes on 2 vacant lots.”

Nobody spoke against. The Planning Commissioners unanimously voted to recommend approval of each request. The Remerton City Council probably has approved the requests by now.

[Setback variances for two lots on Woodard Street, Remerton @ GLPC 2024-05-20]
Setback variances for two lots on Woodard Street, Remerton @ GLPC 2024-05-20

Jessica Freeman sent the Remerton packet materials a week after the Planning Commission meeting. They are on the LAKE website.

Now that I know an email address that seems to work for her, probably future Remerton packets will arrive more speedily after she gets the LAKE open records request. Continue reading →

Videos: Two Remerton setback cases, 1 Lowndes County multiple residence rezoning, 1 Valdosta CUP @ GLPC 2024-05-20

Update 2024-06-10: Packet: Rezoning on Glenn Road, Abandon part of Valencia Street, pave Kinderlou Clyattville Road @ LCC 2024-06-10.

Update 2024-06-10: Packet: Remerton variances for Bryce Nerland, Woodard Street @ GLPC 2024-05-20.

Update 2024-06-04: Agenda: Budget, Personal Care Home, streets and transit, 2 sewer repairs @ VCC 2024-06-06

Apparently the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) also thought these cases were unremarkable, since the Planning Commissioners breezed through them, unanimously recommending approval for all of them.

Steve Miller chaired the meeting. Ed Hightower was not present.

We never did get the board packet materials for the Remerton cases, despite being promised them at the Planning Commission meeting.

[Collage @ GLPC 20 May 2024]
Collage @ GLPC 20 May 2024

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the agenda and board packet. Continue reading →

Two Remerton setback cases, 1 Lowndes County multiple residence rezoning, 1 Valdosta CUP @ GLPC 2024-05-20

Update 2024-06-10: Packet: Remerton variances for Bryce Nerland, Woodard Street @ GLPC 2024-05-20.

Update 2024-05-27: Videos: Two Remerton setback cases, 1 Lowndes County multiple residence rezoning, 1 Valdosta CUP @ GLPC 2024-05-20.

These cases for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) Monday evening seem unremarkable to me.

We do not yet have the packet materials for the Remerton cases, so I inserted a map from the Lowndes County Tax Assessors. We will post the Remerton materials when we get them.

[1 Remerton, 1 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes @ GLPC 2024-05-20, Woodard St., Glenn Road, W Magnolia St.]
1 Remerton, 1 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes @ GLPC 2024-05-20, Woodard St., Glenn Road, W Magnolia St.

Here is the agenda.

The packet materials we have received from Valdosta and Lowndes County, in response to a LAKE open records request, are on the LAKE website.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, May 13, 2024 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, May 20, 2024 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Videos: 6 Lowndes County cases, 1 Lake Park, 1 Valdosta @ GLPC 2024-04-29

Update 2024-04-10: Packet: Hospital Authority appointment, 6 rezonings, paving and resurfacing, subdivision infrastructure, probationers @ LCC 2024-05-13.

For an hour and 42 minutes the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission discussed and recommended for or against eight rezoning cases.

Two Lowndes County Commissioners attended: Scottie Orenstein and Joyce Evans. The Lowndes County Commission will hear these cases this week, or so we assume, since they have no agenda posted yet.

At the Planning Commission, nobody spoke against most of the cases on the agenda, and the Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of those, sometimes with conditions.

Only two cases were very slightly controversial.

[Collage @ LCC 29 April 2024]
Collage @ LCC 29 April 2024

Clint Joyner said, “I’m telling you, Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC text amendments, Hahira Personal Service Shops, Valdosta PSS and rezonings @ GLPC 2024-03-25

The ULDC text amendments were on the agenda, at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, 5:30 PM, Monday, March 25, 2024. However, Lowndes County never published them for the public to see, so far as LAKE knows. But LAKE obtained a previous version of them by open records request and published that version of the amendments. Nobody spoke for or against the amendments at the Planning Commission, which then voted unanimously to recommend approval.

[Collage @ GLPC 25 March 2024]
Collage @ GLPC 25 March 2024

The Planning Commission also unanimously recommended approval of almost all the other cases. Except 7. VA-2024-06 Park-Hawthorne LLC (North Forrest Street Extension) – R-6(c) to R-M, which had two votes against.

They adjourned at 6:30, making it a 50-minute meeting, which was brief for the Planning Commission.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →