Category Archives: Comprehensive Plan

The controversial subdivision application on Lake Laurie Drive was withdrawn by applicant. It will still appear on the agenda for tonight’s GLPC and the April 9th Valdosta City Council meetings, but there’s nothing to vote on.

Also on the agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) is another Valdosta rezoning and two Lowndes County subdivisions. That’s 5:30 PM, Monday, March 30, 2026, at 325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia.

LAKE Collage @ GLPC 2026-03-30

Matt Martin wrote on March 4, 3026,“Please note that for case # VA-2026-02, there is also a separate packet for ‘public response items” which is dated March 22nd. Public response emails and letters continue to flow in to my office and I will be updating (& redistributing) this packet periodically between now and the GLPC public hearing. I will try to remember to include you on the re-distribution list as each of these revised packets come out.”

Later this came in:

Fri, Mar 27, 4:59 PM
ALL:
FYI. Attached is a copy of the applicant’s email “withdrawing” this rezoning request. Because it was an advertised public hearing, we will keep it listed on the GLPC and April 9th City Council agendas, but there will be no presentation/hearing, no discussion, and no action will be taken.
If the applicant chooses to resubmit the same or a different request for this property in the future, they will have to start all over again from scratch; new Pre-Application meeting, new application submittal, new fees, new advertisement, etc… Such requests are processed in monthly cycles. The next possible (earliest) submittal deadline date is April 15th. This would equate to a GLPC hearing date of 5/26, and City Council hearing date of 6/11. “If” a new request does get submitted, it will be fully advertised in a similar manner as before. Continue reading →

Videos: Workshop 2, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update 2025-11-17

Update 2026-01-17: the next such Workshop is being rescheduled; we don’t yet know until when.

Update 2026-01-16: Power, water, and datacenters –Suwannee Riverkeeper 2025-11-17.

Very interesting discussions at the second Workshop on the five-year Update to the Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan. Datacenters, water, sewer, power, trash, accessibility, affordable housing, guiding development, and more.

The third Workshop will be this ~~Monday~~ Tuesday, January 20, 2026, about 6 PM, after the Work Session of the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), at 325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, GA.

Update 2026-01-17: the next such Workshop is being rescheduled; we don’t yet know until when.

Workshop 2, Lowndes County, Comprehensive Plan Update, Many interesting discussions, 2025-11-17

Suwannee Riverkeeper noted reliable power and water are needed for economic development, and AI datacenters could be a problem for that. Also, don’t assume just because the governor says we’re doing datacenters that they will expand everywhere. Remember the dotcom bust and how cheap PCs took over, then smartphones. Somebody will invent a much less expensive method of doing so-called artificial intelligence, a method that does not require huge datacenters. Meanwhile, there are natural limits on water, witness Barber Pool, fed by a spring that now hardly ever trickles. Continue reading →

Workshop 1, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update 2025-10-20

Why I went to the Monday GLPC Work Session: after it was the first Workshop for the Greater Lowndes Comprehensive Plan, including the cities of Valdosta, Hahira, Remerton, Dasher, and Lake Park. Updates to the Comprehensive Plan are required by the state of Georgia every five years.

James Horton of the Southern Georgia Regional Planning Commission (SGRC) conducted the Workshop.

Workshop 1, Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan Update, James Horton, SGRC, Monday, October 20, 2025

For the current Plan, see:
https://lowndescounty.com/DocumentCenter/View/1512/2021-Greater-Lowndes-Comprehensive-Plan-PDF?bidId=

James Horton gave a very comprehensive review of what’s in the Comprehensive Plan and what it is for. Then most of the session consisted of people filling out a SWOT analysis, mostly online. That’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. You can SWOT, too: follow the QR code.

Afterwards, County Manager Paige Dukes mentioned she had just been to a session with One Valdosta-Lowndes (OVL) and we all needed to make all these plans work together. I was slow to get the camera restarted, so I missed the first part of what she said, but you can get the gist from what’s on the video.

Each of the cities has its own planning beyond what’s in the Comprehensive Plan, Parks and Rec and the Tourism Authority each have their plans, and of course OVL was intended for projects that affect all of the above.

Reminds me of the old joke about when there were a dozen standards, so somebody started another standard to merge the standards. Then where were a dozen plus one standards.

James Horton says:

The next meeting is Workshop 2 on Monday November 17, 2025 at 325 West Savannah Avenue at 6:00 PM following the work session of the Greater Lowndes County Planning Commission.

And the third Workshop will also be after a GLPC Work Session, on January 20, 2026. Continue reading →

Videos: Two Lowndes County Cases, Commercial on Stewart Circle, Tower on Rocky Ford Road

The Stewart Circle commercial rezoning sailed through. The communications tower on Rocky Ford Road had three people speaking for it (mostly about need for cell coverage), and several against, for a variety of reasons, as well as a petition against delivered at the meeting. GLPC recommended approval of both.

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) recommends. The final decision will be by the Lowndes County Commission on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 5:30 PM.

In Other Business, it was revealed that there will be a presentation about the update to the Comprehensive Plan at the next GLPC WORK session. (Not the Regular Session; the Work Session the week before.)

Collage @ GLPC 29 September 2025

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: Four small items, 2 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes County @ GLPC 2025-07-28

Update 2025-08-08: Packet: 2 small rezonings, Comprehensive Plan, USGS Gauges, GDOT for Shiloh Road, Civic Center Hurricane Repair @ LCC 2025-08-11.

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of all the items before them, some with staff-recommended conditions.

Including the Valdosta Land Development Regulations (LDR), which Valdosta still has GLPC review, even though Lowndes County no longer has GLPC review for its Unified Land Development Code (ULDC).

But see Gretchen’s comments on 6. REZ-2025-13 ENCC.

Collage @ LCC 28 July 2025

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

Packet: Four small items, 2 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes County @ GLPC 2025-07-28

Update 2025-08-04: Videos: Four small items, 2 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes County @ GLPC 2025-07-28.

Crossroads Baptist Church wants to expand at 3001 Country Club Drive and the City of Valdosta is entertaining some LDR text amendments.

The two Lowndes County rezonings are both to bring their properties into conformity or compliance.

These are on the agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) this evening.

Collage @ GLPC Packet 2025-07-28

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials, received in response to a LAKE open records request, are on the LAKE website, with images below.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, July 21, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, July 28, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia
Continue reading →

Videos: Appointments to 2 boards, 2 law grants, 2 lift station items, 1 Comp. Plan contract @ LCC Regular 2025-07-22

Two citizens spoke at the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session. Gretchen Quarterman about water wells, including private wells getting contaminated since Hurricane Helene, or running dry, and expenses of testing and well drilling. Commissioners actually discussed afterwards that you can take a water sample and get Public Health to test it.

Keyara Hamilton spoke about Goodwill.

Collage @ LCC 22 July 2025

The Lowndes County Commissioners appointed Scottie Orenstein, Joe Brownlee, and Rob Green to the Lowndes County Development Authority, which apparently never meets. Then they also reappointed Jerome Tucker and Barry Green.

They reappointed Michael Walker and J.D. Rice to the Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority. Then they also appointed Lowndes County Commissioner Mike Smith to succeed Clay Griner, and Andy Griffin to succeed Crawford Powell. They also clarified the when each term will end.

Chairman Bill Slaughter recommended that Commissioners should get a list of boards and their meeting dates and times so they can attend an learn things. This is good advice for citizens in general.

The Commissioners approved everything else unanimously.

County Manager Paige Dukes’s Reports lasted almost ten minutes, including Fire Department people speaking.

Below are Continue reading →

On the LAKE front

Citizen dialog for transparent process by the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange

Category Archives: Comprehensive Plan

Videos: one appointment, two subdivisions, huge and small @ LCC Work 2026-04-13

Videos: Lake Laurie Drive case withdrawn, another Valdosta case, 2 county cases @ GLPC 2026-03-30

Packet: one appointment, two subdivisions, huge and small @ LCC 2026-04-13

Packet: Lake Laurie Drive case withdrawn, another Valdosta case, 2 county cases @ GLPC 2026-03-30