Category Archives: GLPC

One Hahira Case: rezoning and annexation for an access road @ GLPC 2025-04-28

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Update 2025-04-28: The minutes of the previous GLPC meeting were received this morning in reponse to a LAKE open records request reminder, and are now on the LAKE website.

The Planning Commission has only one case in two agenda items: rezoning and annexation into the City of Hahira of a triangular lot on South Hagan Bridge Road, so that a secondary subdivision access road already built can be made legal.

[Collage: GLPC Packet 2025-04-28]
Collage: GLPC Packet 2025-04-28

Here is that agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), Monday evening at 5:30 PM.

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

Except the minutes of the previous meeting are missing, because Lowndes County did not responsd to the LAKE Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) request, which was sent more than the statutory three days ago.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, April 21, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session – CANCELLED
Monday, April 28, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Videos: Three rezonings, three tax items, Sheriff Office and Water Wells bids @ LCC Regular 2025-04-08

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The Tuesday evening Regular Session two weeks ago took 28 minutes, 5 of which were a Citizen Wishing to be Heard: 10. CWTBH – Brian Cosey – 4881 Newton Circle – dangerous dogs. He was actually speaking for three people.

[Collage @ LCC 8 April 2025]
Collage @ LCC 8 April 2025

The Lowndes County Commissioners did not repeat 4. Georgia 811 Safe Digging Month Proclamation. For that, you’ll need to see the LAKE videos of the preceding Work Session.

There was some Commissioner discussion of the first of the three rezonings, but all three breezed through unanimously, as did everything else.

Once again, the item with the longest discussion, this time 2.5 minutes, was 8.a. Alapaha Plantation Water Treatment Plant New Wells – Water Main Ext.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein wanted to know when.

Answer from Utilities Director Steve Stalvey: “We’re ready to roll” on approval.

He also wanted to know when it would be finished.

Answer: It’s a 180-day project. Within 3 or 4 months of completion we will know if we need to do a nanocompression or not.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked about the Consent Order.

Answer: I couldn’t make out the answer.

Paige Dukes in 9. Reports – County Manager said the county’s hurricane debris collection program is finished.

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

See also the LAKE videos of the preceding Work Session and the agenda and board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

See also the board packet and LAKE videos for the preceding GLPC meeting.

Here is the LAKE video playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLshUv86fYkiHashqrEifx8y43B9CUY_5-&si=duQqM6Qu3sQv7p75

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Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Videos: Three rezonings, three tax items, Sheriff Office and Water Wells bids @ LCC Work 2025-04-07

Update 2025-04-21: Videos: Three rezonings, three tax items, Sheriff Office and Water Wells bids @ LCC Regular 2025-04-08.

The Monday morning Work Session took 17 minutes.

Several minutes of that were for 4. Georgia 811 Safe Digging Month Proclamation. Turns out you can call 811 and they will come locate your water, sewer, and electrical lines, even if you put them in.

The county’s visual system was not working for the first two rezonings, but you can see many of the visuals in the board packet as provided by LAKE through open records request.

The longest item at almost 3 minutes was for 8.b. Alapaha Plantation Water Treatment Plant New Wells – Water Main Extension. As Gretchen noted, “To be paid out of SPLOST funds. No guarantee that this will work.
Wells are to be 600 feet deep and further away from the river.
There could still be river water infiltration.”

The Lowndes County Commission voted this evening at 5:30 PM; videos to come.

[Collage @ LCC 7 April 2025]
Collage @ LCC 7 April 2025

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

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: 3 Lowndes County, 2 Valdosta, 1 Hahira Cases @ GLPC 2025-03-31

It took the Planning Commission only 43 minutes to unanimously recommend all six of their items for February 2025.

Chair Steve Miller was absent. Vice Chair James Miller presided.

The Lowndes County rezonings are before the Lowndes County Commission today for voting tomorrow. Nobody spoke against any of the county items in the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting.

[Collage @ GLPC 31 March 2025]
Collage @ GLPC 31 March 2025

The largest acreage is 19.8 acres in a Lowndes County rezoning for a subdivision off Bemiss Road on Cindy Street Extension and Creasy Drive, south of Moody Air Force Base, partly in MAZ III (Moody Activity Zone), 3. Rez-2025-05 Creasy, Cindy St. Ext. and Creasy Dr,. R-A to R-10 ,~19.8 ac..

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 agenda and the board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, Continue reading →

Packet: Three rezonings, three tax items, Sheriff Office and Water Wells bids @ LCC 2025-04-07

Update 2025-04-08: Videos: Three rezonings, three tax items, Sheriff Office and Water Wells bids @ LCC Work 2025-04-07.

This week’s agenda for the Lowndes County Commission looks long (and the board packet is 90 pages), but I predict everything will get approved unanimously in little time.

[Collage: LCC Packet 2025-04-07]
Collage: LCC Packet 2025-04-07

The three rezonings had no opposition at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), which recommended all three unanimously.

The three tax items are thoroughly supported by evidence.

The county is not going to not pay for the repairs already done to the hurricane damage at the Sheriff’s office.

And the county has to drill two new water wells for Alapaha Plantation because of a Consent Order from GA-EPD.

Here is the agenda.

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

See also the board packet for the preceding GLPC meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2025, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Packet: 3 Lowndes County, 2 Valdosta, 1 Hahira Cases @ GLPC 2025-03-30

Update 2025-04-07: Videos: 3 Lowndes County, 2 Valdosta, 1 Hahira Cases @ GLPC 2025-03-31.

In a packed agenda for Monday evening, the largest acreage is 19.8 acres in a Lowndes County rezoning for a subdivision off Bemiss Road on Cindy Street Extension and Creasy Drive, south of Moody Air Force Base, partly in MAZ III (Moody Activity Zone), 3. REZ-2025-05 Creasy, Cindy St. Ext. and Creasy Dr., 0144 530, 0144 531 & 0144 532, ~19.8 ac..

[Collage @ GLPC Packet 2025-03-30]
Collage @ GLPC Packet 2025-03-30

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, March 24, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, March 31, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Videos: One Valdosta case, for VLDA @ GLPC 2025-02-24

There was only one case at the February 24, 2025, Planning Commission meeting: 3. CU-2025-03 VLDCA – 1804 Bimbo QSR Blvd Plastics: Manufacturing in M-1. The attending Commissioners unanimously recommended approval.

[Collage @ LCC 24 May 2025]
Collage @ LCC 24 May 2025

The agenda was so light that three Greater Lowndes Planning Commissioners did not show up, including the Chair. Vice-Chair James Miller presided.

Here 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, received in response to a LAKE open records request. The Valdosta Mayor and City Council already decided this case at its March 6, 2025, Regular Meeting. The City has not published its minutes of that meeting yet, so we do not know the outcome. But I’m betting they unanimously approved it. Continue reading →

One Valdosta case, for VLDA @ GLPC 2025-02-24

Update 2025-03-25: Videos: One Valdosta case, for VLDA @ GLPC 2025-05-24.

It seems pretty straightforward, the one case on the Monday evening agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC).

The site is at the top of Dukes Bay Canal, but there’s a detention pond next to it.

[One Valdosta case, for VLDA @ GLPC 2025-02-24, Bimbo QSR Blvd, Plastics Manufacturing]
One Valdosta case, for VLDA @ GLPC 2025-02-24, Bimbo QSR Blvd, Plastics Manufacturing

Evidently VALORGIS needs to update their maps, which are old enough to show no buildings on the site. Continue reading →

Videos: Four rezonings, mobile home decals, Lift Station Pump, Tax Refunds @ LCC Regular 2025-02-11

Another meeting so long it had to be interrupted by the second scheduled Public Hearing on opting out of the state homestead exemption law: Tuesday evening’s Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

[Bethany Drive & River Run Passed over GLPC recommendation, Lowndes County Commission, February 11, 2025]
Bethany Drive & River Run Passed over GLPC recommendation, Lowndes County Commission, February 11, 2025

The longest items Tuesday evening were the same that had had opposition in the Planning Commission.

5.a. REZ-2025-01 Hurtado Property, Bethany Dr., ~6.4ac, R-A to R-1 after much opposition and discussion passed 3:1 with a condition: no more than 5 residences.

5.d. REZ-2025-04 River Run Farm, 6490 River Run, ~27ac., C-C to R-21. passed 3:2 with Chairman Bill Slaughter breaking a tie.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker was not present the entire meeting.

Everything else passed unanimously.

For 5.c. REZ-2025-03 Thomas Linville, 4888 Break Thru Rd., ~16.3ac, R-1 to E-A the applicant clarified that he does not use chemicals for fire retardant, only water, most of his work is computer work, and there will be no big light on the property.

Two items passed 3:0 because a Commissioner had stepped out of the room.

Commissioner Smith was out for 6.a. Resolution Authorizing Lowndes Co. Tax Com. to Receive Checks etc..

Commissioner Orenstein was out for 6.h. Rules and Regulations for Claims for Refunds of Taxes

For 6.f. Acceptance of Hazard Mitigation Grant for Generators Commissioner Orenstein noted that when Ashley Tye fixes a problem, it does not cost the county anything. See also 7. County Manager Report about FEMA, GEMA, and water wells.

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

See also Continue reading →

Videos: Four rezonings, mobile home decals, Lift Station Pump, Tax Refunds @ LCC Work 2025-02-10

Update 2025-02-13: Videos: Four rezonings, mobile home decals, Lift Station Pump, Tax Refunds @ LCC Regular 2025-02-11.

A meeting so long it had to be interrupted by the scheduled Public Hearing on opting out of the state homestead exemption law: yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session.

They vote on the regular items this evening at 5:30 PM.

The longest items yesterday morning were the same that had had opposition in the Planning Commission:
5.a. REZ-2025-01 Hurtado Property, Bethany Dr., ~6.4ac, R-A to R-1 and
5.d. REZ-2025-04 River Run Farm, 6490 River Run, ~27ac., C-C to R-21.

[Collage @ LCC 10 February 2025]
Collage @ LCC 10 February 2025

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 agenda and the Lowndes County Commission board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2025/02/four-rezonings-mobile-home-decals-lift-station-pump-tax-refunds-lcc-2025-02-10.html

For the separate homestead exemption opt-out Public Hearing, see:
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2025/02/lowndes-county-considers-opting-out-of-house-bill-581-lcc-public-hearing-2025-02-10.html

For the rezonings, see also the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) board packet materials, its agenda, and the LAKE videos of the GLPC meeting. Continue reading →