Tag Archives: Unified Land Development Code

Videos: Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC Regular 2024-04-09

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“We’re down to one!” said Commissioner Scotti Orenstein, seeing Commissioners Joyce Evans and Demarcus Marshall coming out of the elevator before the April 9, 2024, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session.

“Due to an issue with some advertising, staff is requesting this item be tabled until until the May 14, 2024, meeting,” said Engineering Director Chad McLeod, in 5. Public Hearing a. Abandonment of a Portion of Race Track Road SE.

[Collage @ LCC 9 April 2024]
Collage @ LCC 9 April 2024

They meet again this morning at 8:30 AM for their Work Session, and Tuesday at 5:30 PM for their voting Regular Session.

Their Regular Session two weeks ago would have been very brief, except for Continue reading →

Videos: Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08

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The Lowndes County Commissioners had no questions about the two items in their Work Session Monday morning.

In the meeting, the only thing unusual was the County Manager gave her report, because she was going to be absent the next day.

[LAKE Videos: Racetrack Road SE Abandonment and ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08]
LAKE Videos: Racetrack Road SE Abandonment and ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08

The interesting parts were outside the meeting:

  • Before the meeting, I asked Information Technology Services (ITS) Director Aaron Kostyu if the sound box in the video pen at the back of the room would be fixed soon. He said that was a $1700 item, but they were working on it. I asked loudly enough that all of the Commissioners could hear me, including when I noted that it’s hard to hear Commissioners on our videos without the direct audio feed. He said some of them probably would still be inaudible.
  • I went up to where Commissioner Joyce Evans was sitting and indicated that if Commissioners push their microphones away, they’re hard to hear. She said I was pointing at Commissioner Scottie Orenstein’s microphone. We shall see.
  • I had a video camera fail, so I took these videos with my phone, starting after they did, so the call to order and approval of minutes agenda items are not in these videos. Also, my phone does not stop and start videos quickly, so there may be a second or two missing between clips.
  • After the meeting was adjourned, Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker said he was disappointed to get dressed to come there for such a brief meeting. I feel his pain. It’s an hour round trip for me, this time for a five minute meeting.

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

See also the agenda and the board packet. Continue reading →

Packet: Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC 2024-04-08

Update 2024-04-10: Videos: Racetrack Road SE Abandonment and ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC Work 2024-04-08.

This is the briefest Lowndes County Commission agenda I’ve seen in a while, with only two items: Abandonment of a Portion of Race Track Road SE (for Southern Gateway LLC) and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments, both Public Hearings.

[Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC 2024-04-08]
Race Track Road SE abandonment and TXT-2024-01 ULDC Amendments @ LCC 2024-04-08

This is the last Public Hearing for the ULDC Amendments, after the one last month at the Planning Commission. So if you have any input, better show up Tuesday, or contact Commissioners or Planning/Zoning department head JD Dillard beforehand, preferably in writing.

The bit that may affect the most people is 10.00.07 Board of Commissioner Public Hearing Procedures. Continue reading →

Packet: ULDC text amendments, Hahira Personal Service Shops, Valdosta PSS and rezonings @ GLPC 2024-03-25

The ULDC text amendments get on the agenda this time, at the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission, 5:30 PM, Monday, March 25, 2024. They were heard last month unscheduled in a Lowndes County Commission Work Session,

Hahira has a Special Exception and Valdosta has a CUP and two small rezonings.

[Packet: ULDC text amendments, Hahira Personal Service Shops, Valdosta PSS and rezonings @ GLPC 2024-03-25]
Packet: ULDC text amendments, Hahira Personal Service Shops, Valdosta PSS and rezonings @ GLPC 2024-03-25

Here is the agenda.

The board packet, received in response to a LAKE open records request, is on the LAKE website.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
~ Lowndes County ~ City of Valdosta ~ City of Dasher ~
~ City of Hahira ~ City of Lake Park ~ City of Remerton ~

Monday, March 18, 2024 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, March 25, 2024 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

  1. Call to Order, Pledge and Invocation
  2. Approval of the Meeting Minutes: February 26, 2024

    Lowndes County Case:

    FINAL ACTION by the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, 327 N. Ashley Street,
    Valdosta, Georgia, Lowndes County Judicial and Administrative Complex Commission
    Chambers, 24 Floor, Tuesday, April 9′, 2024, 5:30 pm
    Point of Contact: JD Dillard, County Planner, (229) 671-2430

  3. TXT-2024-01 Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, ULDC Amendments, County-wide

    City of Hahira Case:

    FINAL ACTION by the City of Hahira Mayor-Council, 301 W. Main St., Hahira, Georgia
    Hahira Courthouse, Thursday, April 4th, 2024, 6:00 p.m.
    Point of Contact: Matt Martin – Planning Director (229) 259-3529

  4. HA-2024-04 David Deloach (505 South Church Street) Special Exception for multiple Personal Service Shops in conditional R-P(c) zoning

    City of Valdosta Cases:

    FINAL ACTION by the City of Valdosta Mayor-Council, 216 E. Central Avenue,
    Valdosta, Georgia, Valdosta City Hall, Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
    Thursday, April 11th, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
    Point of Contact: Matt Martin – Planning Director (229) 259-3529

  5. CU-2024-03 Scott Shalek (2704-B2 North Oak Street) CUP for a Personal Service Shop in R-P zoning
  6. VA-2024-05 Thomas Rowell (4507 Inner Perimeter Road) Rezone a total of 1.64 acres from R-P and R-10, to C-H zoning
  7. VA-2024-06 Park-Hawthorne LLC (North Forrest Street Extension) Rezone 6.34 acres from R-6(c) to R-M

OTHER BUSINESS

ADJOURNMENT

-jsq

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Videos: Spring Creek Well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC Regular 2024-02-27

In these LAKE videos of the February 27, 2024, Lowndes County Commission Regular Session, you can see they spent three minutes discussing the 6.e. Spring Creek Well Pilot Study. Everything else they breezed through.

They vote again this evening at 5:30 PM on three rezonings and other items.

[Collage @ LCC 27 February 2024]
Collage @ LCC 27 February 2024

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

See also: Continue reading →

ULDC Text Amendment Status @ LCC 2024-03-26 2024-02-26

Update 2024-03-23: Packet: ULDC text amendments, Hahira Personal Service Shops, Valdosta PSS and rezonings @ GLPC 2024-03-25.

Here is the ULDC Text Amendment handout from the Lowndes County Commission Work Session of February 26, 2024, received in response to a LAKE open records request.

[ULDC Text Amendments Status, Public Hearings @ LCC 2024-02-26]
ULDC Text Amendments Status, Public Hearings @ LCC 2024-02-26

Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC Work 2024-02-26

Update 2024-03-09: ULDC Text Amendment Status @ LCC 2024-03-26.

Yesterday morning at the Lowndes County Commission Work Session, they went straight into the ULDC Text Amendment. The changes County Planner J.D. Dillard discussed were not in the board packet. I have filed an open records request to get them. It’s fine that they want to be business friendly for incoming businesses, as he said. A little more friendly to we the taxpayers and voters would also be good, for example by publishing the board packet and proposed ULDC changes on the county’s own website, lowndescounty.com.

They could even put the proposed ULDC Text amendments on lowndescounty.com before they vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

[Collage @ LCC 26 February 2024]
Collage @ LCC 26 February 2024

While discussing minutes for approval, Chairman Bill Slaughter asked when the rezoning cases that were not decided two weeks ago due to the meeting being cancelled due to Commissioner illness: when will those rezoning cases be heard? Answer: March 12 there will be five rezoning cases. So apparently the old ones plus the new ones from yesterday’s Planning Commission meeting. County Manager Paige Dukes further clarified that they had to go back through the process of public announcements of the rezoning Public Hearings. Thank you, Chairman, for asking that question.

Those were the two longest items, at 3 minutes and 30 seconds and one minute and 20 seconds, each. The entire meeting took eleven minutes.

About 6.e. Spring Creek Well Pilot Study, Gretchen noted, “I hope this money comes from the enterprise fund for water and sewer and not the general fund.”

About 7.d. Golden Oaks Subdivision Force Main she noted “$100,500 to service around 30 homes. Again, I hope this is funded by the enterprise fund. Perhaps in the interest of transparency, the source of funds could be mentioned.”

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

See also Continue reading →

Packet: Missing ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC 2024-02-26

Update 2024-02-27: Videos: ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC Work 2024-02-26.

In the board packet Lowndes County sent this morning in response to yesterday’s LAKE open records request, there is more information on the 6.e. Spring Creek Well Pilot Study and 7.d. Golden Oaks Subdivision Force Main, including bid sheets and a contract. There was nothing additional on the third new agenda item, 7.a. Bid to Upgrade the Main Elevator at the Human Resource Building.

The ULDC Text Amendment (TXT-2024-01) Update Presentation was not included in the board packet. I have filed an open records request to get it.

[Packet: new well, force main, and elevator @ LCC 2024-02-26]
Packet: new well, force main, and elevator @ LCC 2024-02-26

Since no map was included of the Golden Oaks Subdivision, I have added one from VALORGIS. Continue reading →

Agenda: ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator plus For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC 2024-02-26

Update 2024-02-27: Packet: Missing ULDC Text Amendment, new well, force main, and elevator with For Consideration and Bids from previous cancelled session @ LCC 2024-02-26.

Another stealth ULDC presentation heads this morning’s Work Session at the Lowndes County Commission. You will be able to see it in the LAKE videos Gretchen is taking. You won’t see it in Lowndes County’s own videos, because they no longer post video of their Work Sessions.

[Old and new items @ LCC 2024-12-26]
Old and new items @ LCC 2024-12-26

Other new items are:

Everything else is carried forward from the cancelled previous Regular Session.

But none of the rezonings were carried forward, possibly because they had to advertise the Public Hearings again. I guess they’ll handle those next month along with the new ones on tonight’s Planning Commission agenda.

Here is the agenda.

I neglected to request the board packet after the previous meeting was cancelled due to lack of quorum due to Commissioner illness. However, I have included on the LAKE website the board packet items from the previous meeting’s packet.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2024, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Gresham Event Venue, Kinderlou-Clyattville Road RoW, Hurricane Idalia repairs @ LCC Work 2024-02-12

This morning the Lowndes County Commission spent nine and a half minutes on the contentious Gresham Event Venue on Old Valdosta Road. They did not discuss the substantial opposition letters from Richard A. Stalvey and Justin Coleman.

Two of the Commissioners were not present: Joyce Evans and Demarcus Marshall. They were with County Manager Paige Dukes in Washington DC.

Commissioner Scottie Orenstein (it’s in his district) asked if the Gresham Event Venue applicants understood they needed not to be a noise nuisance. The County Planner said the applicants had been made aware, and had discussed using tents which could accomodate up to 300 people. I don’t see how that would reduce noise.

Chairman Bill Slaughter asked if a condition could be added that music could only be inside the building. The County Planner said yes, but Code Enforcement would have to enforce it. There was more discussion of noise.

They vote 5:30 PM Tuesday (tomorrow).

[Collage @ LCC 12 February 2024]
Collage @ LCC 12 February 2024

They spent 3 minutes on the less contentious Byrd Road house lot project, and less on Continue reading →