Tag Archives: Val Del Road

Videos: Dollar General Defeated, VLDA appointment, subdivision infrastructure, VOCA, server blades @ LCC Regular 2023-01-24

Update 2023-05-06: Dollar General developer and property owner sue Lowndes County about rezoning denial –VDT 2023-05-03.

Update 2023-01-29: Lowndes County nixes planned Dollar General –VDT 2023-01-26.

Much to the surprise of the several dozen opponents of the Dollar General rezoning, and even after the DG developer attorney attempted to tell his version of the Lowndes County Commission’s legal responsibilities, all the Commissioners voted to deny the rezoning.

Collage @ LCC 24 January 2023

The audience laughed at the Dollar General’s offer of an “enhanced facade,” as conveyed by County Planner JD Dillard. Even after Chairman Bill Slaughter limited each side to ten minutes, the opposition gave excellent summaries.

Heath Dawson, who is the nearest neighbor to the north and a commercial banker, attested Continue reading →

Videos: new attorney, VLDA appointment, Dollar General rezoning, 2 infrastructure, special assessment rate, VOCA @ LCC Work 2023-01-23

Update 2023-01-28: Videos: Dollar General Defeated, VLDA appointment, subdivision infrastructure, VOCA, server blades @ LCC Regular 2023-01-24.

The second-longest item at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session this morning was the proposed rezoning for a Dollar General at GA 122 and Skipper Bridge Road, slightly uphill from the Withlacoochee River. They vote tonight at 5:30 PM. You can still call your Commissioner or send email, or speak in the Public Hearing this evening.

The two subdivision infrastructure acceptances on or near Val Del Road remind us all of what happens when the county pushes development onto a road, as they did back in 2007 by running water and sewer to Nelson Hill on Val Del Road.

The longest item at almost three minutes was 7.c. Special Assessment Rate for 2023, which has to be set every year, even though it hasn’t been used in decades.

Collage @ LCC 23 January 2023

About the rezoning, County Planner JD Dillard said another letter opposing the rezoning had been received, from someone about three quarters of a mile north on Skipper Bridge, but he did not say who it was nor what they wrote.

For no apparent reason, he put up a map showing nearest distances to residences. Continue reading →

Packet: Dollar General rezoning again, VLDA appointment, 2 subdivision infrastructure, special assessment rate, DA VOCA, server blades @ LCC 2023-01-23

Update 2023-01-24: Videos: new attorney, VLDA appointment, Dollar General rezoning, 2 infrastructure, special assessment rate, VOCA @ LCC Work 2023-01-23.

Update 2023-01-23: Please deny Dollar General rezoning, GA 122 @ Skipper Bridge Road –WWALS to Lowndes County 2023-01-23.

The rezoning for a Dollar General is back on the agenda for the Lowndes County Commission to review Monday morning and to decide Tuesday evening.

Agenda, Dollar General rezoning

They will also decide on reappointing Brad Folsom to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority. interest rate for paving and utility assessments, authorization for D.A. to accept federal VOCA grant funds. and the only thing listed as costing money: server blades replacing those at end of life.

Reminding us what happens when the development camel gets its head under the agriculture and forestry tent, there are two acceptances of subdivision infrastructure over on and near Val Del Road, some of the numerous developments since the county ran water and sewer to Nelson Hill on Val Del.

Meanwhile, Dollar General does not seem to know where its stores are, and the lot layout it submitted is not binding, yet we should trust them to handle wetlands appropriately, just uphill of Poley Creek and the Withlacoochee River? Continue reading →

Videos: Leadership Lowndes, Rezonings, Lift Station, Pictometry, SDS, Suwannee Riverkeeper, Bethany Drive @ LCC 2022-10-11

Update 2024-01-24: Why the traffic light: The Towns at 4443 (Bemiss Road @ Studstill Road) letter of intent and Conceptual Plan @ GLPC 2022-09-26.

Lowndes County Commissioners were still not happy with the City of Valdosta about the Service Delivery Agreement, with Chairman Bill Slaughter reciting a litany of recent extraterritorial water and sewage decisions and a change in funding for county roads for the upcoming “physical” year, at their Regular Session of October 11, 2022. Commissioners Clay Griner and Scottie Orenstein complained about the agreement, with some threats to go back to the 2008 agreement if signatures were not gotten from the Valdosta immediately. It passed 4:1, with Griner voting against.

They spent 25 minutes on 5.a. REZ-2022-16 4443 Bemiss, ~14.1 acres, from C-G \u0026 R-A to P-D \u0026 C-G, finally agreeing for the applicant to add a fence between it and the nearby church.

County Manager Paige Dukes in her report said the county was only doing their river cleanup because it is required by the county’s stormwater permit, so it’s a checkbox they are checking. Also, she was asking Public Works to have the county’s litter crew stand down beforehand, so volunteers would have something to pick up at the boat ramps.

Two citizens spoke, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman proposing a grant application about water quality, and Matthew and Debra Williams of Bethany Drive back again after a year about a county drainage easement draining onto their property.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

Videos: Rezonings, pictometry, lift station @ LCC 2022-10-10

Update 2022-10-31: Videos: Leadership Lowndes, Rezonings, Lift Station, Pictometry, SDS, Suwannee Riverkeeper, Bethany Drive @ LCC 2022-10-11.

An executive session involving the fire chief and an extra attorney was the most unusual thing at the Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission on October 10, 2022.

Collage @ LCC 2022-10-10

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and board packet, and the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting. Continue reading →

Packet: Two rezonings, Pictometry, Lift Station quit claim, Val Del Estates subdivision infrastructure 2022-10-10

Update 2022-10-31: Videos: Rezonings, pictometry, lift station @ LCC 2022-10-10.

The two subdivision rezonings won’t cost anything, according to the Lowndes County Commission, even though on the same agenda there’s a resolution to adopt infrastructure for another subdivision that the county will then have to maintain, and a quitclain of a sewage lift station in another subdivision.

The only thing for which they do detail costs is aerial mapping of the county as requested by the Tax Assesssors’ office.

Cost	What
$39,979.33 years 1-3	Eagleview Pictometry Agreement between the Lowndes County Board of Assessors and Pictometry International Corp.
$40,310.67 years 4-6	Eagleview Pictometry Agreement between the Lowndes County Board of Assessors and Pictometry International Corp.
$80,290.00	Total

All that plus a beer license at the Work Session this morning, to be voted on in the Regular Session at 5:30 PM Tuesday.

Maps, LCC Packet 2022-10-10

Here is the agenda. The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website. For the two rezonings, see also the Continue reading →

Videos: Redo rezonings and a citizen paving request @ LCC 2022-09-13

Two weeks agao the Lowndes County Commission at its Regular Session recognized Fire Chief Lloyd Green for finishing second in his age class in a recent road race.

Then they unanimously approved the previously-rejected O’Neal James Road rezoning, after applicant’s attorney Bill Langdale pointed out the code infractions would have to get fixed regardless of the rezoning decision.

Rezonings and Citizens To Be Heard, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2022-09-13

On the previously-decided Campus Howell Road rezoning, they voted twice to invalidate their previous vote. because first they forgot to hold the public hearing. Twice because the Chairman first forgot to hold the Public Hearing. In the Hearing, several citizens spoke against the rezoning. The actual rezoning decision will be taken somewhere between six and nine months later, after the other Public Hearing held just after this Public Hearing.

In the other Public Hearing, they took no vote, since the vote will be sometime between March and May 2023. The rezoning may also go before the Planning Commission again before then. One citizen spoke against, asking why bother going through the Planning Commission again considering that the County Commission rejected the previous GLPC recommendation. County Chairman Bill Slaughter said GLPC will be asked if that is required for due process. Joshua Knight and Brent Moore spoke for.

All the extraterritorial water and sewer extensions passed, but both the Valdosta ones by split votes.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker voted against the Griner Park work, saying it is not a top priority and later they might get more than one bid. It passed anyway.

Everything else passed unanimously.

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

Videos: GA Forestry, $3 million, redoing 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water and sewer @ LCC 2022-09-12

Update 2022-09-26: Videos: Redo rezonings and a citizen paving request @ LCC 2022-09-13.

Update 2022-09-21: Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29.

Other than the seven-minute not-on-the-agenda Georgia Forestry presentation by Lowndes County Chief Ranger Mike Williford, the highest-dollar item got the most discussion: Griner Park, at the corner of Webster and Ashley Street.

There was no discussion of the items about redoing their botched rezoning decision.

They did kvetch about each of the extraterritorial jurisdiction items for water and sewer, alleging it was all somebody else’s fault. But why did the county not catch these earlier?

That was at the Work Session yesterday morning. The Lowndes County Commission voted this evening at their Regular Session.

Videos and a picture

Some Commissioners seemed unclear on why they were spending so much on Griner Park. Here’s Gretchen’s take: Continue reading →

Packet: redo 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water & sewer, $438,537 RR crossing, $2,542,586 Griner Park @ LCC 2022-09-12

Update 2022-09-21: Videos: 6 Remerton, 4 Valdosta, 1 Hahira, 1 Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2022-08-29.

Update 2022-09-13: Videos: GA Forestry, $3 million, redoing 2 rezonings, 3 extraterritorial water and sewer @ LCC 2022-09-12.

Update 2022-09-13: County rehab center vote invalid –Valdosta Daily Times 2022-09-12.

Update 2022-09-13: Videos: slides @ LCC Millage 2022-08-23.

Lowndes County will approve spending almost $3 million this week, on a downtown Valdosta park and a railroad crossing, but you wouldn’t know that from the agenda.

Maps

Fortunately, the board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

Maybe Lowndes County could put board packets on its own website, like other counties large and small in Georgia and Florida have been doing for many years.

Cost	What
$2,542,586.00	Griner Lot Improvements
$438,537.00	Briggston Road Paving Project Agreement with Valdosta Railway, L.P.
$2,981,123.00	Total

The county will also redo two rezoning decisions for which the the Chairman previously decided split votes.

Plus three extraterritorial jurisdiction water and sewer requests, one from Hahira for a sprayfield, and two for commercial properties by Valdosta.

And the county is accepting infrastructure for a subdivision, while as usual pretending that won’t cost the taxpayers anything.

Here is the agenda. See also: Continue reading →

Videos: One Valdosta-Lowndes funding, Hayden Park rezoning @ LCC 2022-04-26

At their Regular Session, Chairman Bill Slaughter pulled 7.a. One Valdosta Lowndes Community-Wide Initiative up front on the Lowndes County Commission agenda, because at least one of the OVL VIPs had another meeting: One Valdosta-Lowndes Co-Chairs VSU President Dr. Richard Carvajal and Georgia Power’s Scott Purvis, as well as Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber President Christie Moore. At least one of them left immediately after the Commissioners approved $200,000 total over five years to the Chamber to support OVL.

The County’s audio feed in the back of the room was again not working, so audio is whatever the LAKE video camera could pick up.

OVL, Hayden Park rezoning

Commissioners discussed the one rezoning, Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange