Category Archives: Lowndes County Commission

Videos: Request to table, another rezoning withdrawn @ LCC 2020-06-16

Update 2022-06-28: LAKE videos, Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16.

The applicant’s request to table 7.a. REZ-2022-09 Flannigan, James Rd. until August was met with scepticism by Commissioner Scottie Orenstein, who said it sounded like panic after the Planning Commission had unanimously recommended denial. But he said it would be OK since the stated purpose of tabling was for the applicant to talk to the opponents, who are numerous.

[Rezonings, Courts, Paving, Water]
Rezonings, Courts, Paving, Water

There is also a petition and letters against 7.b. REZ-2022-10 The Campus Transitional Care Facility, 2193 Howell Rd., and the neighboring property owner opposes, as two Commissioners clarified.

County Planner JD Dillard said there were petitions pro and con the Dairy Queen rezoning, 7.c. REZ-2022-11 Makesh, LLC, 900 Lakes Blvd. We have not seen them, but we have sent in an open records request for them. Update 2022-06-28: for those two peitions, see, Two controversial rezonings, Medical Council, Courts, Prisoners, Utilties @ LCC Regular 2022-06-16.

The fourth rezoning, 7.d. REZ-2022-12 Pittman, Phelps, Leonard, Moss Oak Trail, was withdrawn by the applicant.

The Commissioners vote this evening at 5:30 PM in the Regular Session. Before that, Continue reading →

Packet: Petitions and letters against rezonings @ LCC 2022-06-16

Update 2022-06-16: Videos: Request to table, another rezoning withdrawn @ LCC 2022-06-16.

Many letters and petition signatures against two rezonings REZ-2022-09 Flannigan, James Rd. and REZ-2022-10 The Campus Transitional Care Facility, 2193 Howell Rd.

I hear there’s actually a petition for the Dairy Queen of REZ-2022-11 Makesh, LLC, 900 Lakes Blvd. However, that petition is not in the packet as sent by Lowndes County in response to a LAKE open records request.

The Commissioners vote this evening at 5:30 PM in the Regular Session. Before that, at 5:00 PM, is a Budget Public Hearing.

[Rezonings, Courts, and Water]
Rezonings, Courts, and Water

The packet is on the LAKE website. See also the agenda. And for the rezonings, the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

-jsq

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!

4 rezonings, 2 xourts, 1 appointment, and a big ARPA-funded water project @ LCC 2022-06-16

Update 2022-06-16: Packet: Petitions and letters against rezonings @ LCC 2022-06-16.

For some reason, the Lowndes County Commission is holding both its Work and Regular Sessions on this Thursday, June 16, 2022. I hear they are in DC lobbying the federal government on Monday and Tuesday.

They are also holding a 5 PM Budget Public Hearing before the 5:30 PM Regular Session.

[Rezonings]
Rezonings

Here is the agenda. For the rezonings, see also the preceding Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: 4 long Lowndes County cases + 2 long Valdosta cases @ GLPC 2022-05-23

Update 2022-06-14: Agenda, 4 rezonings, 2 xourts, 1 appointment, and a big ARPA-funded water project @ LCC 2022-06-16

An overflow crowd, some in the lobby, came for the four Lowndes County cases at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, May 23, 2022. Two of the Valdosta cases were also contentious. The whole meeting took more than three hours, so long there was griping about people getting hungry. The door alarm went off at 8 o’clock, but they plowed ahead with three remaining cases. When they adjourned at 8:52 PM, nobody was left in the audience but Gretchen Quarterman with the LAKE video camera.

[Flannigan, Campus, Makesh, Pittman]
Flannigan, Campus, Makesh, Pittman

One county and one city case were on James Road. The county case got a unanimous recommendation to deny, moved by famously pro-development Franklin Bailey. The Commissioners really did not seem to like “speculative commercial use on the subject property.” Continue reading →

Videos: Budget Work Session, Lowndes County Commission 2022-05-23

No citizens showed up other than Gretchen Quarterman, behind the LAKE video camera. Commissioners did not vote, because this is presumably the first of several Budget Hearings. Or is it? It was billed as a Work Session. Anyway, it took seventeen minutes.

[Executives and Revenue]
Executives and Revenue

County Manager Paige Dukes said Continue reading →

5 Valdosta rezonings, 1 Hahira ordinance amendment, 4 Lowndes County rezonings with without packets @ GLPC 2022-05-23

Update 2022-06-03: 4 long Lowndes County cases + 2 long Valdosta cases @ GLPC 2022-05-23, including the board packet materials for the county cases and the minutes for the previous meeting.

Everything from a pair of personal care homes to a fraternity to a church to the Salvation Army wants rezoning or variances at this evening’s Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) meeting.

The board packet materials for the Hahira and Valdosta items are on the LAKE website, thanks to City Planner Matt Martin.

[Maps]
Maps

LAKE has no materials for the Lowndes County items, and no copy of the draft minutes from the previous meeting, because Lowndes County has not yet sent them in response to a LAKE open records request.

Here is the agenda:

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

Monday, May 16, 2022 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, May 23, 2022 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Budget Work Session, Lowndes County Commission 2022-05-23

Update 2022-05-23: Videos: Budget Work Session, Lowndes County Commission 2022-05-23.

Appeared on lowndescounty.com/calendar a few days ago:

[Budget Work Session Notice]
Budget Work Session Notice

No agenda. No draft budget on the Finance Department web pages (the most recent is the one about to expire).

The budget meeting is after the 8:30 AM Work Session. Continue reading →

Hahira withdrawn, 4 Valdosta, 3 Lowndes @ GLPC 2022-03-28

The Hahira rezoning was withdrawn by the applicant, but all the other rezonings were heard by the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission last month, including the contentious REZ-2022-07 Hayden Park, Camelot Crossing and Val Del Road, which has already come before the Lowndes County Commission once and is back again today.

[Example rezonings]
Example rezonings

Here is the agenda. The board packet is on the LAKE website, The Valdosta rezoning items were sent by City Planner Matt Martin. The Lowndes County rezoning items were received in response to a LAKE open records request. The county did not send the agenda nor the minutes of the previous meeting, both of which LAKE got off the county website. The county also did not send the Valdosta items, in apparent violation of the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA).

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, March 21, 2022 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, March 28, 2022 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

Hahira, Valdosta, Lowndes County rezonings @ GLPC 2022-02-28

At the February 28, 2022, Regular Session of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, the Valdosta annexation and rezoning requests, 10. VA-2022-02 11. VA-2022-02 Murray Staten Farms, LLC, were both withdrawn by applicant.

All the other requests were unanimously recommended for approval, some with conditions. The various elected bodies will decide.

[Radney]
Radney

In the longest time at nineteen minutes, Four citizens spoke against 5. REZ-2022-04 Radney, 5761 Long Pond Road. Donna Weldon, the President of the Long Pond Property Owners Association, agreed that with the revised conditions accepted by the applicant, the rezoning would be acceptable. Glenn Gregory, the last speaker, emphasized that still more duplexes could be built in that heavy traffic hazardous area. GLPC modified the conditions to retain the conditions prohibiting mobile homes and duplexes, and to add a minimum heated size. Unanimous recommendation for approval with conditions.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda. LAKE will publish the board packet as soon as we get the Hahira and Valdosta items from Matt Martin. It is now well over the statutory three days since LAKE sent the GORA request.

Two Hahira variances, two Lowndes County rezonings, four Valdosta rezonings and an annexation @ GLPC 2022-02-28

Update 2022-03-07: LAKE videos.

Two small lot variances in Hahira, two small lot rezonings in Lowndes County, three small rezonings in Valdosta, and one big annexation and rezoning by Valdosta, 35 acres for Murray Staten Farms, LLC, 3550 Lake Laurie Drive, all on the agenda this evening for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC). GLPC recommends, and the elected bodies decide. For an annexation, the Lowndes County Commission will have to state whether it objects before the Valdosta Mayor and Council decide.

[Agenda, Lake Laurie Drive annexation]
Agenda, Lake Laurie Drive annexation

There’s no parcel listed for 3550 Lake Laurie Drive by the Lowndes County Tax Assessors. Why the agenda can’t just tell us which parcels is mysterious.

However, this parcel is where google maps finds that address: Continue reading →