Category Archives: ZBOA

Gretchen Quarterman on Chris Beckham radio show 2014-04-29

“People would have a lot more confidence in the government if they understood it and they could see it happen,” said Gretchen Quarterman this morning on drive-time radio. She used last night’s Brookhaven apartment building rezoning public hearing in Lake Park to illustrate: local landowners have property rights and there was a lack of communication between the developers of a proposed apartment building, the Lake Park city government, and the neighbors.

She also talked about jobs, including in local agriculture. For example, she ran the 2014 South Georgia Growing Local Conference. Money spent on local agriculture supports the local economy, not companies far away.

She talked about stewardship of resources, including preserving local property and environment from the Sabal Trail natural gas pipeline. She advocated Continue reading

Board appointments by Lowndes County

Here’s Lowndes County’s list of Boards, Agencies & Commissions. Unfortunately, unlike Valdosta’s list, most of the names in the county’s list have no links to further information, and there’s no indication of which positions might be open or how to apply for them.

Update: 4:30 PM 24 April 2014: And there’s the Board of Elections which is decided by a completely different process with a quicker deadline of 28 April 2014.

We do know there’s a vacancy on the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA), which presumably will be filled after the upcoming Special Election May 20th, but the county has given no indication of when. The only way the county usually announces open positions is when they appear on the County Commission’s agenda, which usually shows up online Friday for voting on Tuesday. For example, the county has appointed: Continue reading

You can apply to serve on a board or commission

You can apply to be appointed by Valdosta to a local board or authority that decides or recommends on issues that affect everyone: do interesting work and serve your community. Dealine: April 30th. You don’t even have to live in Valdosta: anybody in Lowndes County can apply. If you want to run for a city council or county commission seat someday, this is a good way to start. And if you want to run for the state legislature or higher office, that’s the most common path to get there.

Update: 4:30 PM 24 April 2014: And there’s the Board of Elections which is decided by a completely different process with a quicker deadline of 28 April 2014.

Winnie Wright wrote for WCTV 23 April 2014, City Of Valdosta Looking To Fill 15 Vacancies In Boards, Authorities, and Commissions, Continue reading

Church parking back yet again @ ZBOA 2014-04-01

North Valdosta Church of God is back for perhaps the fourth time about the parking lot for their new building. Plus a house variance in Lowndes County and a gas station variance in Valdosta.

Here’s the agenda. The City of Valdosta puts ZBOA agendas and minutes online in real PDFs.

Continue reading

Zoning Board of Appeals meets on Tuesday March 4, 2014

zboa Five Lowndes County cases at ZBOA this month. One was previously tabled and one is a new variance request on the corner of North Oak Extension and Bemiss Road. I hope to see you there.
–gretchen

The agenda is not on the City of Valdosta website yet, but here it is. -jsq

Valdosta -Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Matt Martin,
Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator
Carmella Braswell,
Lowndes County Zoning Administrator
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563 (229) 671-2430

AGENDA

Tuesday, March 4, 2014
2:30 p.m.
Continue reading

Variances 2 x 4

Two Lowndes County variances, and four Valdosta ones.

Here’s the agenda:

Valdosta -Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Matt Martin,
Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator
Carmella Braswell,
Lowndes County Zoning Administrator
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563 (229) 671-2430

AGENDA

Tuesday, February 4, 2014
2:30 p.m.
Continue reading

the expense of agendas @ GLPC 2014-01-27

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meets tonight at 5:30PM, but there’s no agenda posted anywhere online. At the same meeting at which he asserted “we have broadband”, and “transparency is not a problem” County Chairman Bill Slaughter said the county doesn’t publish agendas or minutes for the Planning Commission because of “the expense”.

“the expense”
v.
“When officials act like
they have something to hide,
they often do”

I suppose I don’t know much about this Internet stuff, so maybe somebody can explain it to me: what’s the big expense in publishing the GLPC agendas and minutes the same way the county publishes its own agendas and minutes? Yet if you search for the Planning Commission on the county’s website, all you find is its name in a list of Boards, Agencies & Commissions; tonight’s meeting is not even listed in the county’s online calendar.

For that matter, what would be the big expense in posting the entire agenda packets, like for example Continue reading

Put Planning Commission agendas and minutes on web like for ZBOA? –Gretchen Quarterman @ LCC 2013-12-10

It’s curious how the City of Valdosta manages to put agendas and minutes for the Zoning Board of Appeals online, but Lowndes County doesn’t put agendas and minutes for the Planning Commission online. Gretchen Quarterman asked the County Commission to fix that, at the 10 December 2013 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

She noted that to get the minutes of the Planning Commission she had to file an open records request, and what she got was paper.

And I’ll show you one here. I’m relatively certain this wasn’t typed on a typewriter. It was typed on a computer. And I’d really like to get a computer copy of it; an electronic copy. I always just get a paper copy. So, my request would be: could I please get open records requests in electronic form when they’re available? And, even better, could the county put these minutes on the website somewhere?

Here’s the video: Continue reading

Videos: The Denny Hour @ ZBOA 2013-12-03

Parking at a new Denny’s in the City of Valdosta took most of the hour (did you talk to the gas station next door?), plus signs in Lowndes County near Lake Park.

Here’s the agenda, with a few links into the videos.

Valdosta -Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Matt Martin,
Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator
Carmella Braswell,
Lowndes County Zoning Administrator
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563 (229) 671-2430

AGENDA


Tuesday, December 3, 2013
2:30 p.m.
Continue reading

Signs and parking @ ZBOA 2013-12-03

Only two cases, for signs in Lowndes County near Lake Park, and for parking at a new Denny’s in the City of Valdosta.

Here’s the agenda.

Valdosta -Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Matt Martin,
Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator
Carmella Braswell,
Lowndes County Zoning Administrator
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia
(229) 259-3563 (229) 671-2430

AGENDA


Tuesday, December 3, 2013
2:30 p.m.
  1. Call to Order

LOWNDES COUNTY CASES:

  1. VAR-2013-18 — ANS Signs on behalf of Dharmesh Patel (1015 Lakes Blvd. Lake Park)
    Variance to ULDC 9.01.06(A)(3)(B) as it pertains to nonconforming signs

CITY OF VALDOSTA CASES:

  1. APP-2013-15 — Mike Woolsey (1328 N. St Augustine Rd.) Variance to LDR Section 222-2 as it pertains to minimum off street parking requirements for a restaurant

OTHER BUSINESS:

  1. Approval of Minutes: November 5, 2013
  2. Election of Officers
  3. Adjournment

-jsq