Tag Archives: Windy Hill Subdivision

Unanimously voted down: Miller Bridge Road subdivision @ LCC 2022-02-08

The Commissioners unanimously denied the rezoning for the subdivision on Miller Bridge Road. Applicants spoke a minute over their time, yet did not present the slides they said the previous morning they were going to present; we include scans of those slides here for historical reference, for when the next subdivision like this comes up, next week or next year.

Commissioners unanimously approved the other two rezonings.

They also unanimously approved 6.a. Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Local Project – Coleman Road NW and 6.b. Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Local Project Kinderlou-Clyattville Rd. Road building and improvement projects attract subdivisions. But the opponents to the Miller Bridge Road subdivision had already left after that one item. Chairman Bill Slaughter mentioned that the crowd was gone in 6.c. Internal Network Firewalls.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session, the agenda and board packet and the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission meeting, as well as Secrecy of Lowndes County Commission and Staff.

1. Call to Order 2. Pledge 3. Invocation
Video.
Leadership Lowndes Recognitions
Video.
4. Minutes for Approval
Video.
5.a. REZ-2022-01 Hamilton Green Townhomes, Bemiss Rd., 0145D 006A, 7.32ac
Video.
5.b. REZ-2022-02 Justin Warren, 4128 Johnson Rd., 1.97ac, R-1 to R-21
Video.
5.c. REZ-2022-03 Windy Hill Subdivision, 7532 Miller Bridge Rd., E-A to R-A
Video.

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wanted to know if this was for private wells. County Planner JD Dillard said the application was for a community well, and while the lots were big enough for private wells, the soils had not been tested for that.
Don Powell spoke for the applicant. Jesse Bush also spoke for, listing many things they were not there to talk about, including aquifer recharge or community wells. He said the only question was six homes (which the landowner can do by right anyway) or twelve homes. Chairman Bill Slaughter cut them off saying he’d given them an extra minute, and he’d give the other side an extra minute.

Brad Folsom spoke against on behalf of a room full and a 360-signer petition of opponents. He reminded the Commissioners that the subject property was in an Agricultural and Forestry Character Area. While R-A was permissible in such an Area, it was not appropriate. He discussed nearby zonings and lots that had been brought up by staff previously. Among the many other points he brought up was flooding would be exacerbated by tree cutting and paving for a subdivision. He reminded the Commissioners that they had told him they did not want any more community well systems.

Somebody else (unnamed, but see below) speaking against said it would be spot zoning. He said he owned 320 acres and had been there for more than a hundred years. This rezoning would change the character of the community and would be a precedent for other rezonings. He said he owed this community a debt and he would like to repay it. Elton D. Redding, 7649 Webb Road, representing the Redding property, John L. Redding his brother.

Demarcus Marshall moved to deny, Mark Wisenbaker seconded, unanimous vote to deny.
Crowd departs after
Video.
6.a. Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Local Project – Coleman Road NW
Video.
6.b. Transportation Investment Act (TIA) Local Project Kinderlou-Clyattville Rd
Video.
6.c. Internal Network Firewalls
Video.
7. CWTBH (none) 8. Reports – County Manager 9. Adjournment
Video.
1. Thank you to Megan and Belinda for organizing Bird Supper
2. Next Bird Supper – Feb 1, 2023
3. 23M for Internet access – Windstream is the vendor that county is working with
4. Enabling legislation (reapportionment) has been introduced.
5. Second Harvest DCA grant kick off for new facility was earlier in the day. Relocation Second Harvest to next to Martin’s Bakery near I75.
6. HR events for staff upcoming
7. Mud Swamp Update – survey work is complete, drainage easements
8. Carter Way will be upcoming – public safety passible but not good
9. Utilities employee has son deployed actively near Ukraine

Here’s a LAKE video playlist:

Unanimously voted down: Miller Bridge Road subdivision @ LCC 2022-02-08
Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE),

Applicant Slides REZ-2022-03 Miller Bridge Road

How did we get them? The County Manager handed them to LAKE’s Gretchen Quarterman at the previous morning’s Work Session.

Images below (apologies for the accidental cropping of the right side), and the whole thing as PDF.

The developer’s last point in their Justification for Zoning Request does identify a widespread problem:

7. Almost every subdivision built in Lowndes County is adjacent to some form of agriculture or timber production

However, there is no need to make it worse.

Another point in that same slide is plain wrong:

5. There will be minimal impact to County facilities or services, while increasing the taxes of the county approximately $70k per year

The Dorfman Report

The Local Government Fiscal Impacts of Land Use in Lowndes County: Revenue and Expenditure Streams by Land Use Category, Jeffrey H. Dorfman, Ph.D., Dorfman Consulting, December 2007.

As Dr. Dorfman summarized in a different presentation,

Local governments must ensure balanced growth, as
sprawling residential growth is a certain ticket to fiscal ruin*
* Or at least big tax increases.

It’s interesting that the developers put Groundwater Recharge Area first in their OPPOSITION POINTS ADDRESSED:

Groundwater Recharge Area:

Lowndes County adheres to Local and State standards when in the Groundwater Recharge Area
Notable Developments in Recharge Area in Lowndes County)

Landfill
Kinderlou Forest and Foxborough Subdivisions
Valdosta Regional Airport
Moody Airforce Base
City of Dasher
City of Lake Park and surrounding area
Lake Park Industrial Park

While probably all these points are true (I haven’t checked each location), most of them precede current concerns about groundwater recharge, and there is no need to make the problem worse.

WINDY HILL SUBDIVISION, Lowndes County Rezoning Application, REZ-2022-03

Requested Zoning Change

WINDY HILL SUBDIVISION CHARACTERISTICS

Location of Property

Justification for Zoning Request

Zoning map

OPPOSITION POINTS ADDRESSED (1 of 3)

OPPOSITION POINTS ADDRESSED (2 of 3)

OPPOSITION POINTS ADDRESSED (3 of 3)

-jsq

Investigative reporting costs money, for open records requests, copying, web hosting, gasoline, and cameras, and with sufficient funds we can pay students to do further research. You can donate to LAKE today!

Ten minute Work Session @ LCC 2022-02-07

Update 2022-03-18: Unanimously voted down: Miller Bridge Road subdivision @ LCC 2022-02-08.

The developer of the proposed 5.c. REZ-2022-03 Windy Hill Subdivision, 7532 Miller Bridge Rd. plans to make a presentation this evening at the voting Regular Session, we heard at yesterday morning’s February 7, 2022, Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

Below are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item, with a few notes by Gretchen, who was there, followed by a LAKE playlist. See also the agenda and board packet, and that post has links to the previous relevant meetings and materials.

Chairman and Miller Bridge Road rezoning

Continue reading →

Board’s Pleasure should be Deny: Miller Bridge Road rezoning @ LCC 2022-02-07

Update 2022-03-08: Ten minute Work Session @ LCC 2022-02-07.

On the agenda for tomorrow morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session, county staff included the petition against REZ-2022-03 Windy Hill Subdivision, 7532 Miller Bridge Rd.. County staff note “RECOMMENDED ACTION: Board’s Pleasure or Deny”, unlike the other two options, where the second option is “Approve”. Those who do not want that rezoning to pass would do well to contact their Commissioners before the meetings, and then show up at the meetings, or at least the Tuesday 5:30 PM voting Regular Session.

For REZ-2022-01 Hamilton Green Townhomes, Bemiss Rd., 045D 006A, they cited a parcel that does not exist. The correct parcel number, 0145D 006A, was in the Planning Commission agenda.

Miller Bridge Road rezoning: Petition, Opposition parcels; Bemiss Road rezoning

As usual, county staff say rezonings do not cost the county anything. Nevermind that subdivisions far from county services will never pay enough in property taxes to fund sending school buses, fire trucks, and Sheriff vehicles, so all the taxpayers subsidize those costs.

Cost	What
$72,653.86	Internal Network Firewalls
$72,653.86	Total

Here is the agenda, and the board packet, on the LAKE website, received in response to a LAKE open records request. See also Continue reading →

Secrecy of Lowndes County Commission and Staff

Update 2022-02-06: Board’s Pleasure should be Deny: Miller Bridge Road rezoning @ LCC 2022-02-07.

It’s almost enough to make you wonder why the Lowndes County Commission does not want the public to know what it is doing?

A state-funded road restriping with the list of roads not revealed to the public for three months, and no minutes for the relevant meetings on the Lowndes County website (but LAKE kept a copy from their old website).

A petition with 300 signatures the County Planner just took out of the board packet so even County Commissioners did not see it.

Two board packets (for Planning and County Commission meetings) not returned for more than the statutory three days, and then one of them only partial.

No board packets on the county’s website, even though other counties larger and smaller in Georgia and Florida have been doing that for years.

No minutes (except one) before 2014, or maybe some hidden. Not even any agendas before 2012.

Lowndes County Agenda Center for 2013

County Commission staff do take videos of the Commission meetings, but they only post videos of the Regular Session (not the Work Session), and not even those between October 2020 and October 2021. This is despite spending more than $100,000 for new audio visual equipment for the Commission Chambers, while the Valdosta City Council has livestreamed through the pandemic using an employee’s iPhone.

I could go on about the stealth reapportionment of Commission Districts and the half million dollar bailout of a developer, both at the same January 25, 2022, Lowndes County Commission meeting, both not revealed to the taxpaying public before the voting Regular Session.

But just items related to the Miller Bridge Road rezoning requests are enough to raise questions about the secrecy of Lowndes County Commission and staff.

Why don’t they want the public and the taxpayers to know?

What don’t they want us to know?

Road Striping

Continue reading →

Packet: Staff says growth over agriculture and forestry for Miller Bridge R-A Rezoning @ GLPC 2022-01-31

Update 2022-01-31: Dasher packet item: 10 minutes from SGRC vs. too many days from Lowndes County @ GLPC 2022-01-31.

Lowndes County staff says “existing development pattern and growth of the community” is more important than agriculture and forestry for 6. REZ-2022-03 Windy Hill Subdivision, 7532 Miller Bridge Rd., 0010 022, ~34 ac., E-A to R-A on the agenda for the Monday, January 31, 2022, meeting of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission. Nevermind the surrounding community overwhelmingly opposes this rezoning and it is the Lowndes County Commission (and the Chamber and others) causing this “pattern and growth” heading north into places it should not go and that the county will never be able to collect enough property taxes to support school buses, fire trucks, and Sheriff calls.

Also, they’ve found one R-1 lot nearby and apparently the Rural Residential Character Area on Morven Road counts heavily as “proximity to the Rural Residential Character Area”. And they’ve ignored numerous requirements of the Comprehensive Plan for for the Agriculture/Forestry/Conservation Character Area, as well as what used to be a hard-no county road safety requirement.

In case you had any doubt, this rezoning is not just about this case, it is about the “precedent set by this case for other similarly sized and located properties in Lowndes County.”

REZ-2022-03: Miller Bridge Road, E-A to -RA

Here is the main text of the agenda sheet for this rezoning. I have boldfaced certain phrases and interleaved the relevant maps from the board packet.

HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: Continue reading →

Miller Bridge Rezoning back as R-A @ GLPC 2022-01-31

Update 2022-01-27: Packet: Staff says growth over agriculture and forestry for Miller Bridge R-A Rezoning @ GLPC 2022-01-31.

As expected, it’s back, on the agenda for the January 31st Planning Commission meeting, this time for R-A, as in probably 2.5-acre instead of 1-acre lots: 6. REZ-2022-03 Windy Hill Subdivision, 7532 Miller Bridge Rd., 0010 022, ~34 ac., E-A to R-A.

I would tell you more, but Lowndes County has not returned the board packet despite having more than the three days the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) permits for returning such documents. So I’ve included some information provided by the opposition.

Agenda, Opposition to Miller Bridge Road rezoning

That’s one of four subdivision rezonings, one in Dasher, the other three in unincorporated Lowndes County. The Miller Bridge Road one is different because it’s still in an aquifer recharge zone, still far outside any appropriate Character Area in the Comprehensive Pland, and it has overwhelming opposition. See this map that opponents tell me was a house-to-house team effort to get people to sign a petition against the rezoning. It shows the parcels owned by the opponents. They’ve got the subject parcel surrounded for miles around. Continue reading →

Cancelled: Lowndes County Commission Meetings 2022-01-10

The current top news entry on lowndescounty.com is January 10 & 11, 2022 Commission Meetings Cancelled,

The January 10, 2022 and January 11, 2022, Commission meetings have been cancelled due to the lack of agenda items needing immediate attention.

The calendar entries for the Monday morning Work Session and the Tuesday evening Regular Session are marked “Cancelled”.

Regular and Work Sessions Cancelled

So expect the contentious Miller Bridge Road subdivision that was withdrawn last time to be back with larger lot sizes at the January 24 and 25 Commission meetings.