Category Archives: Valdosta City Council

Videos: 3 Lowndes County + 6 Valdosta rezonings @ GLPC 2026-09-28

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The Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) spent the most time, 17 minutes, on 11. VA-2026-12 HOGM Prop., ~7.78 acres, Inner Perimeter Rd., R-10 to C-C.

Staff had recommended denial. GLPC voted to recommend approval. GLPC also recommended approval of all the other items.

That rezoning and the other Valdosta cases will be decided by the Valdosta Mayor and Council at 5:30 PM, Thursday, October 8, 2026.

Nothing else took more than nine minutes.

For the shopping center with grocery store next to Foxborough subdivision, 5. REZ-2026-20 MotEast LLC, 4293 N. Valdosta Road., ~71 ac, the appliceant declined to say who the tenant would be. Many people think it will be a Publix, but that was not confirmed.

The Lowndes County cases will be decided by the Lowndes County Commission at 5:30 PM, Tuesday, October 13, 2026.

[Collage @ GLPC 28 September 2026 --LAKE]
Collage @ GLPC 28 September 2026 –LAKE

Below are LAKE videos of each GLPC agenda item, with some notes by Gretchen Quarterman, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: 3 Lowndes County + 6 Valdosta rezonings @ GLPC 2026-09-28

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Update 2026-09-28: Packet: 6 Valdosta items @ GLPC 2026-09-28.

In these Lowndes County materials for the Planning Commission meeting coming up Monday, there are two small rezonings about family use of property.

And a big rezoning just west of Foxborough subdivision off of North Valdosta Road for a shopping center with a grocery store.

[Packet: 3 Lowndes County, 6 Valdosta rezonings, w. shopping center w. of Foxborough @ GLPC 2026-09-28]
Packet: 3 Lowndes County, 6 Valdosta rezonings, w. shopping center w. of Foxborough @ GLPC 2026-09-28

That big one includes an access road on its west side that could be extended south to the property that was rezoned M-1 back in July 2025. While the rumored DC BLOX datacenter would be west of the railroad tracks, this access road is east of the tracks, on the Withlacoochee River side.

Here is the agenda.

The packet materials received thus far are on the LAKE website, with images of each page below.

Including the draft minutes of the previous GLPC meeting. For more about what it took to get those minutes, see below.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, September 21, 2026 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, September 28, 2026 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Valdosta City Hall Annex 300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31601

Continue reading →

Videos: Datacenters, Flock cameras, Road paving, CASA, Alcohol, SGRC Disaster Recovery Grant, Hazard Mitigation Plan @ LCC Regular 2026-09-22

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Five citizens spoke at the end of the half-hour Regular Session Tuesday evening:

  • John Pike and Joni Wauhop spoke against the paving method the county proposes for Hall Road.
  • Susan Wehling spoke against Flock Cameras,
  • John Quarterman related the Enron bankruptcy and the dot-com market crash to the AI bubble and recommended a hefty bond requirement in the county’s datacenter ordinance.
  • Michael Noll made some recommendations about datacenters.

[Collage @ LCC Regular, 2026-09-22 --LAKE]
Collage @ LCC Regular, 2026-09-22 –LAKE

The Lowndes County Commissioners passed all the voting items with little discussion.

County Manager Paige Dukes had Fire Chief Billy Young speak about a recent state-wide leadership role.

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

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: Alcohol, SGRC Disaster Recovery Grant, Hazard Mitigation Plan @ LCC 2026-09-21

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Update 2026-09-23: Videos: Datacenters, Flock cameras, Road paving, CASA, Alcohol, SGRC Disaster Recovery Grant, Hazard Mitigation Plan @ LCC Regular 2026-09-22.

Most of the board packet for this week’s Lowndes County Commission meetings is the 414-page Lowndes County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. Of that, 246 pages are appendices, so the plan proper is 168 pages.

You might think this plan would be on the county’s website, but it is not on the Lowndes County EMA web page.

And there was no Public Hearing. Just as for ordinances, this plan showed up on the agenda Friday and the County Commissioners voted on it Tuesday.

[Packet: Alcohol, SGRC Disaster Recovery Grant, Hazard Mitigation Plan, @ LCC 2026-09-21]
Packet: Alcohol, SGRC Disaster Recovery Grant, Hazard Mitigation Plan, @ LCC 2026-09-21

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website, along with the minutes of the preceding Work and Regular Sessions, both on September 8, 2026.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: CASA, Alcohol, SGRC Disaster Recovery Grant, Hazard Mitigation Plan @ LCC Work 2026-09-21

Update 2026-09-22: Packet: Alcohol, SGRC Disaster Recovery Grant, Hazard Mitigation Plan @ LCC 2026-09-21.

Most of the Work Session this morning was a 20-minute presentation by Sonia Robinson, Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA). She provide a copy of her slides to LAKE; images of them are below.

You can speak for five minutes about datacenters, pipelines, road paving, or whatever you like, at the end of the Tuesday evening 5:30 PM Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard. Be sure to fill out the form and turn it in before the session starts. There’s an image below, but you must fill out the form and turn it in in person.

At the Work Session, Commissioners Joyce Evans and Scottie Orenstein were absent.

[Collage @ LCC Work Session, 2026-09-21 --LAKE]
Collage @ LCC Work Session, 2026-09-21 –LAKE

The other Commissioners and Lowndes County EMA Director Ashley Tye talked for almost six minutes about 6.b. Adoption, Lowndes Co. Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update. For example, they discussed how hard it had been to get the cities within the county to participate.

LAKE has now received the board packet, including the 414-page Hazard Mitigation Plan and the 3-page Resolution to adopt it. We will publish those shortly.

Why the county does not put those and other documents on its own website remains mysterious.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Old State Road Subdivision, Salem Church tower again, Hahira setbacks, Valdosta C-C and P-D @ GLPC 2026-08-31

Update 2026-09-08: Packet: small rezoning, communications tower, Animal Services Ordinance, Rural Transit, Bids, and Legacy Behavioral Health @ LCC 2026-09-08.

To answer the squabbling at the end of the last item, 7. VA-2026-10 RST Construction, NW corner of Cherry Creek Rd & Lake Laurie Dr., about which side got the most time to speak: after 38 minutes of introduction and staff presentation, Bill Langdale Jr. got 20 minutes to speak, which is more than the 15 minutes each side was supposed to have.

Watch for yourself in these LAKE videos of the August 31, 2026, Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting.

[Collage @ GLPC 31 August 2026 --LAKE]
Collage @ GLPC 31 August 2026 –LAKE

After almost two hours on that item, they had two tie votes, 4 to 4, each broken by acting Chairman James Miller.

The first motion was to recommend approval. James Miller agonized for a while, then voted no.

Then they had a motion to table. James Miller voted yes on that one.

They also voted to table 4. TWR-2026-01 Salem Church Communication Facility, Old Valdosta Rd. N., Hahira, that one unanimously, and until a variance, presumably by the Valdosta-Lowndes Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA).

For everything else, they recommended approval unanimously.

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

See also the Continue reading →

Packet: Old State Road Subdivision, Salem Church tower again, Hahira setbacks, Valdosta C-C and P-D @ GLPC 2026-08-31

Update 2026-09-01: Videos: Old State Road Subdivision, Salem Church tower again, Hahira setbacks, Valdosta C-C and P-D @ GLPC 2026-08-31.

The communications tower withdrawn before the May GLPC meeting is back for August 31, 2026. It’s still on Old Valdosta Road near Salem Church Road.

Now they reveal it is for Verizon. And unlike the other recent Verizon case, TWR-2026-02 from June, the county included the propagation maps and the certified engineer letter in the board packet, without LAKE having to squeeze those things out of them.

Verizon is also offering an out for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC): send the case to ZBOA. If the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals denies, it, presumably it’s done for. But if ZBOA approves it, they send it back to GLPC to deal with again.

[Collage, Packet @ GLPC 2026-08-31 --LAKE]
Collage, Packet @ GLPC 2026-08-31 –LAKE

The other county case this month is for a small subdivision on Old State Road.

There’s one Hahira case, on Old Stagecoach Trail, for a setback variance to build an addition on the back of their residence.

Staff like the first Valdosta case, to establish consistent zoning across the entire parcel, on East Park Avenue.

But staff recommend denial of the other Valdosta case, for a Planned Development at Cherry Creek Road and Lake Laurie Drive, finding it inconsistent three ways with city standards.

Here is the agenda. The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website, with images of each page below.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~
Monday, August 24, 2026 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, August 31, 2026 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Valdosta City Hall Annex
300 North Lee Street, Valdosta, Georgia 31601 Continue reading →

Videos: Lake Alapaha rezoning to ag., Howell Road rezoning and annexation to Valdosta @ GLPC 2026-07-27

Update 2026-08-07: Packet: R-21 to E-A rezoning, Jail door lock and skylight, Subdivision Infrastructure, LMIG Resurfacing Bids @ LCC 2026-08-10.

After sixteen minutes and several citizen speakers, the Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of 3. REZ-2026-15 Mardun Ventures, 6325 Lake Alapaha Blvd., ~10.7 acres, Map & Parcel 0261 056″.

[Videos: Lake Alapaha rezoning to ag. @ GLPC 2026-07-27, Howell Road rezoning and annexation to Valdosta]
Videos: Lake Alapaha rezoning to ag. @ GLPC 2026-07-27, Howell Road rezoning and annexation to Valdosta

In a rare showing, four Lowndes County Commissioners were present for whole session: Michael Smith, Chairman Bill Slaughter, Scottie Orenstein, and Mark Wisenbaker.

The Planning Commissioners took 35 minutes to reach a split vote on 4. VA-2026-07 Request by Sheldon Hill and Laine Chaney to rezone 15.57 acres and 5. VA-2026-08 Request by Sheldon Hill and Laine Chaney to annex a total of 21.97 acres into the City of Valdosta.

They even had Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter talk about water and sewer delivery pricing and annexation, at 15:10.

They recommended approval of the rezoning by 7:1, with Ed Hightower against.

They recommended denial of the annexation by 7:1, with James Miller against.

Below are LAKE videos of each agenda item, followed by a LAKE video playlist.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28

They approved everything unanimously, including reappointing Suzan Garnett to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) Board. Herb Reinhard and Broc McDowell were nominated to another seat, and the latter apointed.

Library Board candidates were Sarah Fitzgereald, Kimberly Cliett and Dave DiSalvo. Ms. Cliett was the only one nominated, and she was appointed “by acclamation.”

Only one person spoke in the Public Hearing about the Comprehensive Plan.

[Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments: VLPRA & Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening, @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28]
Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments: VLPRA & Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening, @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28

Here are LAKE videos of the July 28, 2026, Regular Session of the Lowndes County Commission.

See also the Continue reading →

Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work 2026-07-27

Update 2026-08-08: Videos: Comprehensive Plan Update, Appointments to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Regular 2026-07-28.

Update 2026-07-28: Links to three documents cited in the draft Comprehensive Plan.

Update 2026-07-28: Datacenter meeting after Lowndes County Commission Regular Session 2026-07-28.

The draft 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update has appeared on the county’s own website, lowndescounty.com. See below for how that happened.

Below are LAKE videos of the Monday morning Work Session of the Lowndes County Commission, July 27, 2026, with some notes by John S. Quarterman. They vote at 5:30 PM this evening, Tuesday, in their Regular Session.

Don’t forget the second page of the agenda says, “There will be an information sharing session to address data center ordinance considerations following the adjournment of the regular meeting.”http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/2026/07/datacenter-meeting-after-lowndes-county-commission-regular-session-2026-07-28.html”>separate post. More on that in a [Comprehensive Plan Update, Appts to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work Session 2026-07-27]
Comprehensive Plan Update, Appts to VLPRA and Library Board, Road Resurfacing and Widening @ LCC Work Session 2026-07-27

Monday morning I was experimenting with an external microphone, which does seem to work better, although with quite a bit of hiss.

See also the agenda and the board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

Comprehensive Plan

After the meeting, I mentioned to County Planner JD Dillard and County Attorney G. Walter Elliott that the draft Comprehensive Plan Update is not on the county website, so how can citizens know what to say in the Public Hearing 6.a. 2026 Comprehensive Plan Transmittal? Continue reading →