Tag Archives: Johnson Road

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present the slides they said the previous morning they were going to present; we include scans of those slides here for historical reference, for when the next subdivision like this comes up, next week or next year.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.

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

sprawl 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:

  1. Groundwater Recharge Area:
    1. Lowndes County adheres to Local and State standards when in the Groundwater Recharge Area
    2. Notable Developments in Recharge Area in Lowndes County)
      1. Landfill
      2. Kinderlou Forest and Foxborough Subdivisions
      3. Valdosta Regional Airport
      4. Moody Airforce Base
      5. City of Dasher
      6. City of Lake Park and surrounding area
      7. 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]
WINDY HILL SUBDIVISION, Lowndes County Rezoning Application, REZ-2022-03

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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]
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]
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
$72,653.86Internal Network Firewalls
$72,653.86Total

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 →

Videos: Maybe revisit lowering millage rate @ LCC 2020-08-10

There was pushback on lowering the millage rate at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session yesterday morning. They will decide this evening at 5:30 PM at the Regular Session.

The Commissioners, like some of the public, also wanted to know when there will be a new County Clerk. Answer, from the former County Clerk, Paige Dukes, who is now the County Manager: not yet; maybe next meeting (two weeks from now).

The $0.9 million low bid from Reames for road paving and a box culvert got no discussion from Commissioners.

The Scruggs Company was offered a special exception to the Comprehensive Plan; one that actually makes sense.

Yes, the Copeland property backs up to PCA.

The Verizon tower got no questions from Commissioners.

Below are links to each LAKE video with a few notes, followed by a LAKE video playlist. See also the agenda and board packet, and the millage rate hearing at 5PM today (Tuesday).

Packet: $0.9 million paving project, reduction of millage rate, 3 small rezonings @ LCC 2020-08-10

For the Monday morning Work session and Tuesday evening voting Regular Session, the Lowndes County Commission has only one item that has “BUDGET IMPACT” in its agenda sheet, but it’s a doozy:
Cost What
$899,744.40 Ridgecrest, Woodland and Glenview Paving & Drainage Project
$899,744.4Total

The agenda sheet says:

Lowndes County solicited bids for Ridgecrest, Woodland and Glenview Grading, Drainage, Base and Paving. The project will consist of Grading, Drainage, Base and Paving of Ridgecrest and Woodland and the installation of a box culvert under Glenview Drive. Vendors present for the pre-bid meeting held on July 21, 2020, were James Warren & Associates, Southland Contractors, Reames & Son Construction, Rountree Construction, and The Scruggs Company. Three bids were received on August 4, 2020.

Here are the bids:

[Bids, NC-TIA 2019-04: Ridgecrest Street and Woodland Drive]
Bids, NC-TIA 2019-04: Ridgecrest Street and Woodland Drive

Where is that? South of the west end of W Savanna Ave, near I-75 Exit 16.

[Google map: Ridgecrest Street & Woodland Drive]
Google map: Ridgecrest Street & Woodland Drive

Ah, yes, I got stuck in traffic there not so long ago, trying to get around a stopped train.

We know this much because LAKE obtained a copy of the board packet through an open records request; it’s on the LAKE website.

I suppose if we rummage around enough we’ll find details of NC-TIA 2019-04 somewhere on the county’s website.

Here is the agenda.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Peace Officers, Public Works GA-EPD request, Regional T-SPLOST, 2 ZBOA appointments, 2 rezonings, surplus, quit claim, lift station pump, and Naylor Community Center bids @ LCC 2017-05-09

The T-SPLOST motion passed, but as a very unusual split vote, two weeks ago in the Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, 9 May 2017.

4. Peace Officers Memorial Week Proclamation Presentation,

Vice-Chair Joyce Evans presiding, they spent about five minutes on this item, including a speech by Sheriff Ashley Paulk, in which he said his department would be having a bigger presence. Chairman Bill Slaughter returned from his “good little trip” some time in there and took up the gavel after the minutes to be approved.

6. ZBOA appointments,

They reappointed Continue reading →

Videos: Public Works GA-EPD request, Regional T-SPLOST, 2 ZBOA appointments, 2 rezonings, surplus, quit claim, lift station pump, and Naylor Community Center bids @ LCC 2017-05-08

Not on the agenda this morning: Public Works is applying to GA-EPD for a grant for tire disposal amnesty. 11 of 18 counties have voted to hold a Regional T-SPLOST referendum, and Lowndes County now needs to decide whether to support or oppose that: they vote Tuesday at 5:30 PM.

County Manager Joe Pritchard asked why all the lift station pump repairs. Utilities Director Steve Stalvey said the county has 114 lift station pumps, all either duplex or triplex, with the duplication very important to maintain service. They typically last about 15-20 years, there were periods when money was short and maintenance was slack, and quite a few of them are coming to end of life, most recently this one at US 84.

They spent the longest time, 3 3/4 minutes, on the Continue reading →

Regional T-SPLOST, 2 ZBOA appointments, 2 rezonings, surplus, quit claim, and lift station pump, and Naylor Community Center bids @ LCC 2017-05-08 @ LCC 2017-05-08

They list the three applicants for ZBOA, Victoria Copeland, Michael Cooper, Mike Elkins, but they do not supply the actual applications. These are for two slots, currently held by Dr. Willie Houseal, who does not wish to be reappointed, and ZBOA Vice Chairman Gretchen Quarterman, who does.

Both the rezoning cases have different applicant names than the Planning Commission listed two weeks ago, this time as REZ-2017-05 Jay Carter rezoning from R-A to R-1 for subdividing for independent sale and REZ-2017-04 Rieffel rezoning to CON and E-A for animals. REZ-2017-04 is located at 3621 SE Johnson Road, which is just north of Mud Swamp Creek, which downstream joins with Grand Bay Creek to form the Alapahoochee River, which flows into the Alapaha, into the Suwannee, into the Gulf.

Parcel 0188 167H
Lowndes County Tax Assessors Parcel 0188 167H

After the regional T-Splost roundtable meeting 1PM Monday, April 17, 2017, in Pearson, the Lowndes County Commission this week votes to Take action to support or oppose Regional T-SPLOST. If I understand correctly, 10 of the 18 counties in the region voted Continue reading →