Tag Archives: Regular Session

Solar Parking v. accessory structure in Valdosta LDR @ ZBOA 2014-08-05

Both of Dr. Urbonas’ solar parking lot variance cases were tabled by ZBOA for a month so he could figure out a revised way to do it, probably involving connecting the supports to the building so they wouldn’t be accessory structures. Plus some sentiment that Valdosta City Council needed to address this issue that solar parking shouldn’t be classed as accessory structures. This was at the 5 August 2014 Regular Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals.

  1. APP-2014-07 — Arunas Urbonas
    (2922 N. Oak Street)
    Variance to LDR Section 218-7 as it pertains to the location and setback distance for accessory structures

    Video. Arunas Urbonas is a doctor with an office at 3564 N Crossing Street. My guess (some sort of addition to his offices) was wrong. He wants to upgrade his solar panel structures, to shade parking lots. TRC recommended denial because of canopy oak trees that would get bigger, probably shading the panels, and were not permitted to be removed. ZBOA found many more issues pro and con than that. Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC Lake Alapaha, house, design; LDR solar parking lot @ ZBOA 2014-08-05

ZBOA postponed Lowndes County’s Lake Alapaha water treatment plant variance so the county could think about it some more, presumably related to that no-bid contract for equipment upgrade.. Two other county Lowndes County variances ( minimum side yard setbacks (approved), lot access (denied). Both of Dr. Urbonas’ solar parking lot Valdosta cases were tabled for a month so he could figure out a revised way to do it, probably involving connecting the supports to the building so they wouldn’t be accessory structures. Plus some sentiment that Valdosta City Council needed to address this issue that solar parking shouldn’t be classed as accessory structures.

The county cases are variances from the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) and the city cases are variances from Valdosta’s Land Development Regulations (LDR), and both the ULDC and LDR are supposed to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

Here’s the agenda with links into the videos and some notes. All ZBOA members were present: Paul Alvarado, Laverne Gaskins, Nancy Hobby, Dr. Willie Houseal, Mac McCall, Scott Orenstein, Gretchen Quarterman, and Chairman Allan Strickland. The City of Valdosta puts ZBOA agendas and minutes online in real PDFs.

Valdosta -Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Continue reading →

A presentation and some rubberstamping @ LCC 2014-08-26

Congratulations to Ashley Tye for being only the third in the state to attain a certificate as a professional emergency manager.

“I was trying to break a record,” bragged County Chairman Bill Slaughter as several people reminded him not to skip approving the minutes, presumably referring to the previous morning’s three-minute Work Session. After the six-minute presentation, they took less than a minute on each of the remaining items, except they did find time for an Executive Session for Attorney-Client Privilege. Who are they suing this time? Crawford Powell had to remind the Chairman not to skip Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, but “There are none,” said the Chairman, with satisfaction.

This time the contractor had magically finished punchlist for Nottinghill that the previous morning the County Engineer said would take a week, but had not finished the work. What does this rubberstamp punchlist mean, then? They approved the Davidson Road drainage easement quit claim from the county back to the landowner.

Here’s the agenda with links into the videos and a few notes, followed by a video playlist.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Water, events, flea market, religious events @ GLPC 2014-08-25

The Turner Brooks rezoning next to Pine Tree Road turns out to be in paved-over wetlands that previously flooded, only slightly uphill from notoriously-problematical Sugar Creek. GLPC recommended tabling until Historic Preservation could look at one of the houses, but these water issues could be at least as important, and Valdosta City Council could decide to approve anyway without waiting.

Also in Valdosta an accessory building, an event center and flea market, and an office park. In Lake Park an ordinance text change about religious meetings in commercial districts. In the county, a request to remove some existing zoning restrictions and the county wants to approve all its recent ULDC changes.

And they only submitted one name for the County Commission to consider for appointment to GLPC.

Here’s the agenda followed by links to the videos as events occurred in the meeting.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Monday, August 25, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →

Turner Brooks: flooding, runoff, Sugar Creek? @ GLPC 2014-08-25

The Turner Brooks rezoning next to Pine Tree Road turns out to be in paved-over wetlands that previously flooded, only slightly uphill from notoriously-problematical Sugar Creek. GLPC recommended tabling until Historic Preservation could look at one of the houses, but these water issues could be at least as important, and Valdosta City Council could decide to approve anyway without waiting.

People were six deep in the foyer Monday night Continue reading →

SRO against Pine Tree subdivision @ GLPC 2014-08-25

Stuck in the foyer six deep because SRO in the Planning Commission tonight, mostly for the Turner Brooks item, back with another plan after being withdrawn last month. Tom Call, representing some of the owners of the property sellers, said they’d tried to meet with the neighbors, who refused. He didn’t say whether they tried meeting with them one-on-one. GLPC could have put a bunch of conditions on it that would have mostly satisfied the neighbors’ concerns, leaving the developers and sellers to decide whether it was worth it. Instead, they tabled. The Valdosta City Council can still decide if they want to. However, one of the houses they’d have to demolish is potentially on the National Historic Register, and if so, they can’t tear it down.

600x170 Panorama, in Standing Room Only, by Gretchen Quarterman, 25 August 2014

Also, they only submitted one name for the County Commission to consider for appointment to GLPC; attorney Brad Folsom. They didn’t include several potential women applicants, several of them attorneys, and yes, also Gretchen. As an old white man, even I find it impressive how much this area is run by old white men.

The agenda arrived only as images Gretchen took at the meeting. Videos to come. Continue reading →

Videos: developer property rights and effects on neighbors, Leninco, Roger Budd, Lake Park @ LCC 2014-08-12

There was at least some reason for the Commission’s approval of the Family Dollar and other use rezoning for Roger Budd Jr. and Leninco out of the Francis Lake golf course in Lake Park: because it would include a condition of a berm that would continue with the property regardless of who owned it. The applicant’s attorney had made it clear that applicant considered the berm too expensive and it, along with other conditions, might make the project unfeasible. Perhaps the Commission should apply the same technique to stop the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline. This was in the 23 August 2014 Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission; thanks to Toma Hawk for the video.

6.b. REZ-2014-14 Roger Budd Jr, Lakes Blvd (SR 376), R-10 to C-G, Water/Sewer, ~4.2 acres

[Work Session Start 1 minute 48 seconds.] County Planner Jason Davenport said this was a repeat of a request from 2009 “that Continue reading →

Francis Lake opposition and 3:2 vote for anyway @ LCC 2014-08-12

Update 2014-08-25: There was some rationale for why the Commission voted to approve. See Videos: developer property rights and effects on neighbors, Leninco, Roger Budd, Lake Park @ LCC 2014-08-12.

With little notice local citizens didn’t have time to organize opposition to a rezoning for three companies domiciled outside Lowndes County on behalf of a developer who doesn’t even own the property next to them. Yet again no agenda was posted for the Planning Commission last month so few people showed up. More spoke at the Lowndes County Commission this month. But with so little time, only 38 people signed a petition, and there were no citizen-organized meetings, unlike for the Brookhaven rezoning back in March and April. Unlike the Lake Park City Council, which held a special public hearing, the Lowndes County Commission plowed ahead on its usual schedule and voted on a bare majority to approve anyway for a developer on which they are on a first-name basis, while local neighbors went un-named and unheeded. Does this seem right to you?

Toma Hawk videoed and edited together the Work Session of 11 August 2014 and the Regular Session of 12 August 2014 to emphasize this item from the agenda: Continue reading →

Roger Budd on Francis Lake and Riverview on the Withlacoochee River @ GLPC 2014-07-28

Neverending Nelson Hill was completely withdrawn this time. Opposition showed up against Roger Budd Jr‘s rezoning of 4.28 acres from R-10 to C-G on Francis Lake in Lake Park. Plus recommendations for a county appointee to GLPC. In Valdosta, Turner Brooks was withdrawn although paperwork was in progress for a different submission, and Riverview Development LLC still wanted to rezone 3.59 acres to Community Commercial and to rezone 7 parcels of 3.14 acres total to Multi-Family Residential partly in the floodplain of the Withlacoochee River behind Music Funeral Home.

Here’s the agenda, and the videos are below. Continue reading →

Riverview development next to Withlacoochee River? @ GLPC 2014-07-28

A flood plain rezoning next to the Withlacoochee river came back from 2011, at the 28 July 2014 Planning Commission meeting, which voted unanimously for, as did the Valdosta City Council later.

7. VA-2014-05 Riverview Development LLC

Video. This is parcel 0074 088 on North Valdosta Road behind Music Funeral Home, next to Langdale Park, on the other side of the Withlacoochee River from Foxborough.

City Planner Matt Martin said only a tiny part of the property was in the floodplain of the Withlacoochee River. Continue reading →