Tag Archives: Lowndes County

Rights of Way variances: Village of Hope and SSMT Holdings @ ZBOA 2019-10-01

Two Lowndes County cases this month at ZBOA, both wanting variances to access rights of way. Village of Hope appears to be a religious rehab center, offshoot of House of Hope, wanting to use the same access road as Valdosta Wake Compound.

[Site plan on Aerial Map]
Site plan on Aerial Map

SSMT Holdings appears to be an ordinary subdivision expansion, with fewer feet than code requires for road access due to a retention pond.

Also, ZBOA votes on officers this month.

Here is the agenda. See also the board packet, which is on the LAKE website, courtesy of ZBOA Board Member Gretchen Quarterman.

Valdosta – Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

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

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

AGENDA
October 1, 2019
2:30 p.m.

  1. Call to Order

    LOWNDES COUNTY CASES:

  2. VAR-2019-11 — Village of Hope (Old Clyattville Road)
    Request for a
    variance to ULDC Chapter 4.04.03(D) as it pertains to Design Standards for lots and Chapter 6.01.02(D)(1) as it pertains to Streets and Rights-of-Way requirements
  3. VAR-2019-12 — SSMT Holdings (4173 Springruff Drive)
    Request for a
    variance to ULDC Chapter 4.04.03(D) as it pertains to Design Standards for lots and Chapter 6.01.02(D)(1) as it pertains to Streets and Rights-of-Way requirements

    OTHER BUSINESS:

  4. Approval of Minutes: September 10, 2019
  5. Nomination of Chairman and Vice-Chairman
  6. Adjournment

-jsq

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More Natco on Val Del Road + 2 more Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2019-09-30

Look who’s back after last month’s rezoning on Val Del Road, which was heard by the Planning Commission and approved by the Lowndes County Commission: Natco, with another rezoning for twice as many acres, also on Val Del Road, just south of that previous rezoning.

[56 acres for sale just to the south]
56 acres for sale just to the south

Also a Joint Ordinance, which one can guess is the one Lowndes County Chairman talked to the Planning Commissioner about after adjournment last month, which one can guess is the SPLOST VIII agreement.

Why do we have to guess what our elected and appointed boards are up to? Would it be so hard to include a few words on that agenda item to say which Joint Ordinance? For that matter, would it be so hard to publish the GLPC board packet along with the agenda, like many counties much smaller than Lowndes have already been doing for years?

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 ~

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING AGENDA
Monday, September 30, 2019 5:30 P.M.
Public Hearing, Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading

Videos: Jury, Paving, and GEFA in Work Session @ LCC 2019-09-23

The Lowndes County Commission spent nine minutes yesterday morning discussing spending $124,454 and borrowing $1,734,000. They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

The county has now gotten up to not just demanding landowners give road right of way to the county, but also condemning property if they don’t get it donated.

The longest item at less than two minutes was 6.d. Request for Professional Engineering Services Proposals – CDBG. As Gretchen remarks in the notes, apparently this is in support of Arglas, the Japanese glass products manufacturer locating on Rocky Ford Road.

Second longest was 7.b. Bid for a Breathing Air System for the Fire Department, due to a question by a Commissioner.

Below are Continue reading

Videos: One Lowndes County case, solar fence, Lake Park, GA @ ZBOA 2019-08-06

Nancy Hobby recused herself before the lengthy discussion of the one ZBOA case for August 2019, which was actually in Lowndes County, VAR-2019-09 — Tycor Farms (6734 Georgia Highway 376, Lake Park) Request for a variance…. or 6530 GA 376, according to a followup letter from the applicant’s representative.

[Notice Sign]
Photo: Gretchen Quarterman, Notice Sign

There was still nothing about the wetlands around the place, leading to Enoch Creek, then into the Alapahoochee River, into the Alapaha, the Suwannee, and on to the Gulf.

[Alapaha River Water Trail Map]
Map: John S. Quarterman, from WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail Map.

However, the likely wetlands seem to be along the eastern edge of the cleared area, so one can guess the solar panels are not going there.

[Lowndes County Tax Assessor]
Map: Lowndes County Tax Assessor, Parcel 0222 002, Tycor Farms LLC, 6530 GA HWY 376, Lake Park, GA 31636.

Nobody from the audience spoke for or against the application. The result was: Continue reading

Videos: Bonds, Val Del Road, GLPC appointments, 1/2 million to Motorola @ LCC 2019-09-10

The longest item at 2:23 was the Val Del Road rezoning case, for which one Commissioner recused himself. The others passed it unanimously.

Second longest was the GLPC appointments. No surprise, Ed Hightower was reappointed, and the second appointment was….

Third longest was the Chairman’s unscheduled recognition of Leadership Lowndes and advertisement for a 9/11 ceremony. If he’s going to do this every time, maybe it could be put on the agenda.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with Continue reading

Jury, Paving, and GEFA in LCC Packet @ LCC 2019-09-23

Lowndes County staff are proposing to spend $124,454, according to all the “BUDGET IMPACT”s board packet: $48,500 for a Jury Management System, $1,469.00 for Condemning ROW for Howell Lane Paving Project, $3,500.00 (approx.) for Second Modification of GEFA Loan Agreement, and for the Fire Department $29,195.00 for a 1/2 Ton Truck and $41,790.00 for a Breathing Air System.

[Survey plat: Revised County RoW for Howell Lane]
Survey plat: Revised County RoW for Howell Lane

They propose to borrow $1,734,000 from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA).

The Lowndes County Commission discusses Monday morning at 8:30 AM. They vote 5:30 PM Tuesday.

[Project Budget]
GEFA Loan Agreement Project Budget

For the first time ever! Lowndes County has returned the board packet before the Work Session.

LAKE sent an open records request Tuesday, and the county actually supplied the packet Friday, with this note: Continue reading

Videos: Surprise Bonds, Val Del rezoning, GLPC appointments, 1/2 million to Motorola @ LCC 2019-09-09

Apparently more was shown on the screen yesterday morning that we finally received this morning in the board packet, such as this picture of the Nelson Hill subdivision on Val Del Road.

They also added 7.b. Refunding Revenue Bonds by South Region Joint Development Authority for VSU ASRE, which makes no sense until you can see details in the board packet.

After the agenda items, the Chairman made unscheduled announcements of a Continue reading

Packet: Surprise Bonds, Val Del Road rezoning, GLPC appointments, 1/2 million to Motorola @ LCC 2019-09-10

After four days, but before the Commission votes at 5:30 PM in its Regular Session this evening, the county sent the packet, at 10:50 AM this morning. Three is more than the statutory 3 days in the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA). The packet is on the LAKE website.

Now we can see who are the applicants to the Planning Commission.

[Survey Plat]
Survey Plat

Now we can see where is the Val Del rezoning: from the trailer park south to the power line. There’s also this interesting flood map: Continue reading

ZBOA Packet: One county setback case @ ZBOA 2019-09-10

Only one ZBOA case tomorrow, in the county: a setback variance so Applicant can put up a carport for his new truck, while avoiding mature trees.

[WRPDO Site Map]
WRPDO Site Map

The agenda is not on the City of Valdosta website, but it is on the LAKE website, courtesy of ZBOA member Gretchen Quarterman. Continue reading

Videos: Four county, four Valdosta @ ZBOA 2019-07-02

Two months ago at ZBOA: setbacks, exterior buildings, parking, landscaping, buffers, and tree protection, in four county cases and four Valdosta cases.

There were split votes on VAR-2019-08 — Grace Baptist Church of South Georgia (6749 US Highway 84 East, Naylor) and APP-2019-04 Ian McTurk (1062 Ridge Road.)

Seven conditions were imposed on a unanimous vote on APP-2019-03 Pete’s Otto Shop (401 E. Ann St./1113 Marion St.)

I’m slow posting these videos, but not as slow as the City of Valdosta, where there’s no Summary of Actions for any meeting since May, and no Minutes since June. However, the minutes are on the LAKE website, in the packet for the next ZBOA meeting, courtesy of ZBOA member Gretchen Quarterman.

Below are links to each LAKE video, with Continue reading