Category Archives: Transportation

Sign variances @ ZBOA 2017-12-05

“[V]ariances are designed to provide an opportunity for relief in circumstances beyond design’s control where it would be difficult if not impossible to meet the regulations,” said city staff, about APP-2017-07 — Messiah Lutheran Church, on the the agenda for this afternoon at the decision-making Valdosta-Lowndes Zoning Board of Appeals. Ditto APP-2017-06 — Axis Infrastructure, but they like the signs proposed in APP-2017-05 — Staten Station.

APP-2017-05 Tax Parcels Aerial

You can see all the details of the three Valdosta cases on on the LAKE website. I don’t have the packet items for the four Lowndes County cases.

Valdosta – Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

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

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

AGENDA
December 5, 2017
2:30 p.m.

Continue reading →

Videos: Office rezoning, Georgia Power, Alcohol, and road abandomnent @ LCC 2017-11-14

They added and agenda item for 7.p. Solicitor-General’s VOCA Grant Renewal; yes, really, the agenda was so long that’s sub-item letter P and the meeting was 51 and a half minutes long.

Longest at seven minutes was 6a. REZ-2017-11 Arrow Engineering, in which the County Commissioners ignored the Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny, and the County Planner’s observation the previous morning that the applicants would accept one acre. Instead they approved 2.5 acres with no conditions as Office Institutional (OI) in an area with no other instances of that.

At six minutes, 7.n. Georgia Power- VisionFirst was about putting $25,000 to hire an unnamed consultant for a joint project for unspecified results.

Update 2017-11-22: According to Chairman Bill Slaughter, the consultant is VisionFirst Advisors out of Tallahassee.

Did they mean the sinkhole-infested Mission Creek instead of 7.k. Grant of Easement for Utility Right of Way Moody-Mission Point?

Five minutes included questions from the Chairman and resulted in a split vote and a stern warning on 7.i. Beer, Wine & Liquor License – Liquor Barn, 3990 N. Valdosta Rd.

One of the two road abandonments, 7.a. Abandonment of Lane Road and a Portion of Sheavette Road, got a very rare split vote, with Commissioner Clay Griner voting alone against.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Board of Health and an office in the woods @ LCC 2017-11-13

Quite a long Work Session yesterday morning, more than half an hour. Surprisingly, the longest was Liquor Barn’s Wine & Liquor License; apparently their state and county licenses don’t match. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM, in their Regular Session.

Below are links to each LAKE video, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda in the previous post, especially about 6a.REZ-2017-11 Arrow Engineering, R-A and E-A to O-I, ~2.5 acres, which is now apparently really for 1 acre. Continue reading →

Board of Health and an office in the woods @ LCC 2017-11-13

Stafford Wright Road is getting its 12″ water main, connecting all the way from Spring Creek subdivision off of Studstill Road to Val Del Road. That’s Nelson Hill on the center left and Foxborough lower left: subdivisions like that are what to expect on Stafford Wright Road soon.

Spring Creek Blvd. E. to Val Del Rd., VALORGIS
Map: VALORGIS. Green is Lowndes County sewer line; blue is water mains.

This appears to be another no-bid contract, this time for Continue reading →

Signs and setback @ ZBOA 2017-11-07

A yard setback on Thronwood Way and signs on Bemiss Road, both Lowndes County cases, on the agenda for the decision-making Zoning Board of Appeals.

Two parcels: 01108 102, 01108 103, VAR-2017-21
Two parcels at 3323 Bemiss Road: 01108 102, 01108 103, VAR-2017-21.

Valdosta – Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals Continue reading →

Update: Chemical smell, schools, and industry on Clay Road

Maybe ask the company that adopted Clay Road? Response yesterday from the EMA Lowndes facebook page:

Hi, as a point of clarification emergency personnel responded to reports of an odor; however, after thorough investigation no evidence of a chemical leak or release could be identified or confirmed. As a precaution, the Board of Education property was accessed by responders. No evidence of contamination was present. A follow up visit to the area later this morning reports the odor was no longer present.

Thank you, EMA Lowndes, for responding, and on a weekend, too.

However, people couldn’t get home that night.

ADM Adopt-A-Street, From Howell Road
Adopt-A-Street ADM, Clay Road north from Howell Road google street view.

I still think it would be good to check with nearby industry. Maybe start with Continue reading →

Chemical leak next to Lowndes County Schools Transportation Department

Update 2017-11-05: Word from EMA Lowndes, and how about ask the company that adopted Clay Road?

Already heard about last night on facebook, a chemical leak on Clay Rosd at Howell Road is next to the Lowndes County Schools Transportation Department. Were all those school buses affected?

Google Street View, SE Corner Clay and Howell Roads
Photo: Google street view.

Valdosta Daily Times, 3 November 2017, Chemical leak reported off Clay Road,

VALDOSTA — Lowndes County officials said late Friday a possible chemical leak located in the vicinity of Clay Road resulted in temporary road closures.

Sheriff Ashley Paulk said Continue reading →

Videos: Naylor Boat Ramp and Appointments to Public Facilities Authority @ LCC 2017-10-10

By far the most time, almost eight minutes, on 6b. Abandonment of Portions of Old Lake Park Road and Hickory Grove Road SE, the Lowndes County Commissioners spent two weeks ago, involving reference to minutes they approved in that meeting but that still aren’t on the county’s website two weeks later, and resulting in a split vote.

More interesting: the county is finally starting construction on the Naylor Boat Ramp.

By their customary silent “acclamation” they appointed people to the Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority.

Below are Continue reading →

Videos: Public Facilities Authority, Health Fair @ LCC 2017-10-09

The longest item was not on the agenda: a Health Fair Update in the County Manager’s Report.

They breezed through everything else including 5 a. Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority Appointment, although the Chairman did have another name to propose.

Below are links to the LAKE video of each item, plus a very few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also Continue reading →

Videos: Ten cases @ ZBOA 2017-10-03

A backlog since June is a lot of cases, and in the interests of time I have not watched the whole thing; instead I’m posting now. A Summary of Actions should appear soon on the Valdosta website for the decision-making Zoning Board of Appeals. See also the agenda and board packet, is which is on the LAKE website, courtesy of ZBOA member Gretchen Quarterman. Gretchen also set up the LAKE video camera behind the board this time. Links to the two LAKE videos appear below, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Continue reading →