Tag Archives: Planning

CAC office on Skipper Bridge Rd. + a Wal-Mart on Bemiss Rd? @ GLPC 2016-02-29

Finally with the agenda for tonight’s Planning Commission, case codes and an address for the 3-in-1 Bemiss Road rezoning, but still no address for the CAC Skipper Bridge Road rezoning, and none of the board packet: no maps, text, nothing else on Lowndes county’s website, for tonight’s 6PM Planning Commission Regular Session.

That Valdosta three-part case includes an annexation request. The agenda says it’s for Gusto Development, but no such company is registered with the Georgia Secretary of State. Maybe they mean Gusto GA Valdosta (Guest), LLC, registered “12/8/2015” with Principal Office Address: 736 Cherry St., Chattanooga, TN, 37402, USA. That’s the address of The Hutton Company, “We Know Dirt; Real Estate Development Construction”. The land is owned by Bassford Properties LLC, as noted in the previous post with the LAKE videos of the previous week’s Work Session, which shows what little the public was allowed to know, such as that it’s for a grocery store and a gas station. This might be a clue as to which company: Alex Green, timesfreepress.com, 9 November 2014, 3 new grocery stores coming to Chattanooga, and they may be Wal-Marts, Continue reading →

Canopy roads, agriculture, materials? –Greg Odom about Comprehensive Plan Update @ SGRC 2016-02-22

So well attended there weren’t enough handouts, as remarked on by Greg Odom, who later also said the proposed Comprehensive Plan Update didn’t have any plans for canopy roads, or roads on existing rights of way like in Virginia: “For the past 25 years there has not been a healthy attitude about people who want to maintain dirt roads. There has been an attitude of let’s pave everything, and let’s pave it in an outrageous way….”

Last night’s meeting was billed Continue reading →

Videos: Children’s Activity Center + 3 in 1 Valdosta cases on Bemiss Road @ GLPC 2016-02-22

No agenda available to the public, not on county’s website, and not available at the door at Monday’s Planning Commission Work Session. They didn’t even say the rezoning case numbers. Apparently the Planning Commissioners had a board packet with some materials, but the citizens and taxpayers did not get to see it, and the City Planner said the electronic version would be much different. They haven’t even put a sign up on the Lowndes County property. The Valdosta rezoning is a pretty big deal, with a grocery store and a gas station for the unnamed applicant, who apparently is Continue reading →

Lack of site plan disconcerting and unacceptable –Glenn Gregory about cemetery rezoning @ GLPC 2016-01-25

For an item also on the Valdosta agenda tonight, lack of transparency and concern for trees perplexed a prominent local citizen at the Planning Commission, as you can see in the LAKE video of the 25 January 2016 GLPC Regular Session. Glenn Gregory said:

I think y’all might have a site plan, but the public does not have a site plan.

Commissioner Celine Godwin recommended Gregory take his transparency recommendation to the Valdosta City Council. We shall see, at 5:30 PM tonight. Gretchen will be there with the LAKE video camera.

Jason Stewart, VDT, 29 January 2016, Gregory opposes cemetery proposal, Continue reading →

Videos: Video: Comprehensive Plan @ GLPC 2016-01-19

Following the email announcement about the Comprehensive Plan, I showed up late, expecting no formal presentation and a typical SGRC tables-and-easels mill-about meeting, and found the Planning Commission and staff in their usual seats. Turns out they were there for their Work Session agenda; see the LAKE videos. As you can see in this video of the first part of the meeting, there were citizen questions from Valdosta City Council Sandra Tooley and from me. Continue reading →

Videos: Chancy R6M, Stallings Road Cemetery, 4 County cases, one to E-A @ GLPC 2016-01-25

The Lowndes County cases are the ones the County Commission is reviewing this morning in their Work Session. GLPC recommended approval for all of them, with conditions on one, REZ-2016-03 Jacob Eckwahl on US 41 South.

See also the GLPC agenda and the LAKE videos of the 19 Jan 2016 GLPC Work Session. Below are the LAKE videos of the 25 Jan 2016 GLPC Regular Session, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: Chancy R6M, Stallings Road Cemetery, 4 County cases, one to E-A @ GLPC 2016-01-19

Not on the agenda, they started with a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan. Expecting from the email announcement about the Comprehensive Plan that this would be a typical SGRC tables-and-easels mill-about meeting, I didn’t show up on the dot and was quite surprised to find the Planning Commission and staff in their usual spots. See separate post.

Here are the LAKE videos with some notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Videos: Planning Meeting, Lowndes County Commission @ LCC 2016-02-04

Suing local businesses helps run up fees to the county attorney, says County Manager Joe Pritchard. He didn’t mention that continuing to promote sprawl for example through the county’s thoroughfare plan also runs up fees that property taxes will never meet. Commissioners seemed very concerned about “stakeholders” whom they said were “the development community, the real estate community” and “the construction and homebuilder industries”. Maybe somewhere they mentioned the agricultural and forestry industries, or sales tax payers even if they don’t own real estate; if so I missed it. At least they’re thinking about the Comprehensive Plan and the general direction of the county in a public forum. And the County Planner did talk about quality of life. Plus it seems business prospects bringing that up got the attention of the County Manager. They said they have a responsiblity to set the direction of the county. How about instead of continuing to drive sprawl outwards, which is a fiscally (and environmentally) irresponsible path, turn to directing development to be more dense in already-developed areas? They continue this morning at 8:30 AM, and Gretchen is there again with the LAKE video camera.

Here’s the agenda followed by links to each LAKE video with a few notes. See also two previous pictures.

We are looking forward to the improved communication that was touted in the VDT headline. Jason Stewart, VDT, 4 February 2016, Slaughter wants to strengthen communication, Continue reading →

It Begins: Planning Meeting @ LCC 2016-02-04

They were waiting on Demarcus Marshall. He arrived shortly with his own food. Can being the lone vote be worrisome? Here’s the agenda.

-jsq

Agenda, Planning Meeting @ LCC 2016-02-04

Turns out they did post an agenda for the Planning Meeting this morning and tomorrow, just not on the county calendar nor in their agenda section. Hm, Accountability Court: will they have to go to that? Gretchen is there with the LAKE video camera at Quail Branch Lodge, 7601 Zeigler Road, Lake Park, GA.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMSSIONERS
2016 Commlssion Plahning Meeting Agenda
Quail Branch Lodge
7601 Zeigler Road, Lake Park, Georgia

Thursday, February 4-

0:00 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Audit Report — Henderson & Godbee, LLC
9:15 a.m. Finance — Stephanie Black
10:15 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Speclal Purpose Local Option Sales Tax — Harrison Tillman Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange