Hurricane Debby wrought confusion on the Valdosta-Lowndes Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA), causing a controversial variance request to be bumped back weeks or maybe longer.

The board packet materials for that item VAR-2024-07 are somewhat lacking, since there is no WRPDO Site Map for it, and while the Zoning Location Map shows a green area to the left, nothing on that map nor in the text says the green area borders the Little River.

Collage @ ZBOA 2024-08-20

A request for a variance about Family Ties Land Division was tabled because the September ZBOA meeting was postponed for two weeks because of the hurricane. The Meeting Results Summary says “(Tabled 4-0)” but it does not say until when.

According to Terry Richards, Valdosta Daily Times, August 22, 2024, Appeals board denies variance for group home,

— The board voted to table any action on a request for a variance on family ties land division for a property at 7365 Webb Hall Road until a later meeting.

Part of the concern over the variance concerned the timing of advertisement of the meeting. Thursday’s meeting was originally scheduled to be held Aug. 6, but was postponed two weeks due to the threat of Hurricane Debby.

As state law requires a 30-day notice of meetings of this sort, board members were concerned they needed to push action on this matter further out.

There were also concerns as to whether a misprint of an address in a published legal ad would affect the situation.

According to the City of Valdosta’s ZBOA web page “The ZBOA meets the first Tuesday of each month at 2:30 p.m. in the City Hall Annex Building, Multi-Purpose Room located at 300 North Lee Street.” That would seem to mean the next ZBOA meeting will be September 3. But that is less than 30 days from now. So maybe October 1. If that is the date of the October meeting. Continue reading →