More road building TIA projects to promote more sprawl,
a redot to
let a developer off the hook for not doing drainage as required,
a subdivision special tax lighting district,
several water projects in already-developed areas,
a grant to prevent juvenile delinquency,
and the annual renewal of permits for both waste collection companies,
all on
the agenda
for this morning’s Lowndes County Work Session, for voting Tuesday evening.
Funny how they never count the later cost of box culverts and water main extensions when they approve rezonings for subdivisions,
but here some of those are later.
That
former detention pond site is actually parcel 0144 205A now,
and it’s at
4115 Little Viking Road.
They also don’t tell we the taxpayers and voters where the new detention area is.
HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: Map 0144 Parcel 205 owned by Rubber Tire,
LLC was originally designed for the entire lot to be one of the
detention areas for Roswell Place Subdivision and has been the
detention area since the subdivision was built. Rubber Tire, LLC had
the detention area redesigned, approved, and constructed so the lot
could become a buildable lot. Lowndes County will need to Quit Claim
the existing detention area back to Rubber Tire, LLC and accept a
drainage easement for the new detention area from Rubber Tire, LLC.
The agenda is below.
The board packet will follow when LAKE gets it.
My fault this time: I didn’t send the open records request.
Although it is still mysterious why Lowndes County doesn’t put the board packet
on its own website like many counties larger and smaller have been doing for years in Georgia and Florida.
The rudimentary expanded agenda with one-sheet agenda items is on the LAKE website.
LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 22, 2022, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor
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we include scans of those slides here for historical reference,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.
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.
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),
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
As expected, the Lowndes County Commission at its Regular Session passed the half million dollar bailout for a developer.
Not expected, they changed the agenda at the beginning of the meeting to approve new Commission district maps
and a resolution supporting them, for immediate transmission to the state.
One citizen wishing to be heard spoke about the never ending noise from the 15 month old Arglass factory.
Vice Chair Joyce Evans, presiding over the meeting in the absence of Chair Bill Slaughter, introduced the agenda change for district reapportionment indicating the Commissioners all already knew this was going to happen. Continue reading →
At yesterday morning’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session,
there was no discussion by the Commissioners about
5.k. Property Purchase – Building Valdosta, LLC,
but new wrinkles did come to some small light.
County Manager Paige Dukes said
“This is a follow up on the Building Valdosta purchase of property we have discussed with you several times…”
In what public meeting did those discussion take place?
She also said the county attorney had worked out an agreement with Building Valdosta, yet that agreement was not in the board packet.
And she remarked, “Any other claims related to this will continue through, um, any process with ACCG that they may have for lost profits.”
She immediately called for
an Executive Session for “Client-privileged communication regarding potential or pending litigation and for the purchase of property.”
Sounds like the county got sued by a developer, or was threatened with a lawsuit, and is resolving that by bailing out the developer with half a million of our tax dollars.
The $568,971.00 for
5.k. Property Purchase – Building Valdosta, LLC is
a markup of $323,971 over the price that property sold for last year,
supposedly to protect Moody AFB, even though how is not said and it’s 2.4 miles away.
The developer is the same as for the 5999 Val Del Road rezoning last October.
And there appear to be more previous subsidies from the County Commission to the same developer.
This current giveaway on GA 122 is on the
agenda
for this morning’s Work Session and Tuesday evening’s voting Regular Session
of the Lowndes County Commission.
Who does it profit?
And how does it protect Moody AFB?
After I pointed out to the Lowndes County PIO and Clerk that the county
was apparently in violation of the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA)
by not returning the board packet within three days,
they sent it at 7PM on Saturday.
The packet is
on the LAKE website.
However, the packet includes no information about this item beyond
the agenda sheet, which says:
HISTORY, FACTS AND ISSUES: At the direction of the Commission, staff
has worked with the County Attorney to prepare a purchase agreement
that will provide for Lowndes County to purchase 41.543 acres of
property on Highway 122 inclusive of development costs incurred by
the current owners and as reflected in the agreement, for the
purpose of protecting Moody Air Force Base from encroachment.
It doesn’t say where that 41.543 acres is.
But the Lowndes County Tax Assessors online web pages and map
find it as 7404 E HWY 122, 2.4 miles north of Moody AFB. Continue reading →
But the County Commission agenda does contain
two examples of how taxpayers are subsidizing development in Lowndes Counta.
The $45,742.00 for the
5.d. Nelson Hill Lift Station Pump Upgrade is “Due to growth in the area”: growth the county is actively promoting.
The $568,971.00 for
5.k. Property Purchase – Building Valdosta, LLC is
a markup of $323,971 over the price that property sold for last year,
supposedly to protect Moody AFB, even though how is not said and it’s 2.4 miles away.
On the one hand, I commend Lowndes County Utilities for staying ahead of
sewer system demand and thus preventing sewage spills.
On the other hand, look at why the agenda sheet says: Continue reading →
![[WINDY HILL SUBDIVISION, Lowndes County Rezoning Application, REZ-2022-03]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0001.jpg)
![[Requested Zoning Change]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0002.jpg)
![[WINDY HILL SUBDIVISION CHARACTERISTICS]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0003.jpg)
![[Location of Property]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0004.jpg)
![[Justification for Zoning Request]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0005.jpg)
![[Zoning map]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0006.jpg)
![[OPPOSITION POINTS ADDRESSED (1 of 3)]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0007.jpg)
![[OPPOSITION POINTS ADDRESSED (2 of 3)]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0008.jpg)
![[OPPOSITION POINTS ADDRESSED (3 of 3)]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-08--lcc-videos/small/REZ-2022-03-applicant-slides-0009.jpg)
![[Rezonings, Public Defender, Public Works]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-03-07--lcc-videos/many.jpg)
![[Rezonings]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-03-07--lcc-packet/many.jpg)
![[Chairman and Miller Bridge Road rezoning]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-07--lcc-videos/many.jpg)
![[Miller Bridge Road rezoning: Petition, Opposition parcels; Bemiss Road rezoning]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-02-07--lcc-packet/many.jpg)
![[Amendment, Commissioners, New Districts]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-01-25--lcc-videos/many.jpg)
![[Joyce Evans presiding]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-01-24--lcc-videos/many.jpg)
![[Building Valdosta parcel, Comprehensive Plan with MAZ]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-01-24--lcc-packet/other.jpg)
![[Agenda, Nelson Hill Lift Station]](http://www.l-a-k-e.org/govt/loco/2022-01-24--lcc-packet/many.jpg)