Tag Archives: Unified Land Development Code

Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC Regular 2025-09-09

They unanimously denied the controversial rezoning, 5.a. REZ-2024-06 Budd Horace Ave, 1735 Madison Hwy, ~3.0ac, CON – C-H. The Lowndes County Commissioners approved the other rezoning, and everythig else, at their Regular Session, Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

In 8. Reports – County Manager, County Attorney Walter Elliott said the county is required by state law to initiate the Service Delivery Strategies (SDS) process. If I heard him correctly, they already did back in April. We already knew the county intends to stick with the current SDS.

[Collage @ LCC 9 September 2025]
Collage @ LCC 9 September 2025

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 the Continue reading →

Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08

Update 2025-09-12: Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC Regular 2025-09-09.

The Lowndes County Commissioners were quite chatty at their Work Session yesterday morning, which took more than 35 minutes; very unusual for them. They vote this evening at 5:30 PM.

Yesterday, they discussed the controversial rezoning for a suprisingly long time, almost 17 minutes: 5.a. REZ-2024-06 Budd Horace Ave, 1735 Madison Hwy, ~3.0ac, CON – C-H. Nobody seemed to be defending it. The Chairman did suggest maybe tabling it.

The other rezoning breezed by, 5.b. REZ-2025-14 Dinkins, 6533 Lake Alapaha Blvd, 1.0ac, C-C to R-21.

Also they spent more than 12 minutes on 6.a. Pet Shop Ordinance and more than 4 minutes on 7.a. Moody Water Storage Tank Rehab. It’s an underground concrete tank, and apparently those have to be lined these days.

[Collage @ LCC 8 September 2025]
Collage @ LCC 8 September 2025

Below are Continue reading →

Packet: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08

Update 2025-09-09: Videos: A controversial and an easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, and Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08.

The rezoning on Horace Avenue next to Mud Swamp Creek that the Planning Commission recommended to deny is on the agenda for the Lowndes County Commission this week.

As is the Lake Alapaha Boulevard rezoning that sailed through the Planning Commission.

Plus a Pet Shop Ordinance, and Moody Water Storage Tank Rehab, for which Moody is reimbursing the county.

[Packet: 1 controversial, 1 easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08]
Packet: 1 controversial, 1 easy rezoning, pet shop ordinance, Moody AFB water storage tank @ LCC 2025-09-08

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.

For the rezonings, see also the LAKE videos of the preceding Planning Commission.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2025, 8:30 A.M.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025, 5:30 P.M.
327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading →

Videos: Four small items, 2 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes County @ GLPC 2025-07-28

Update 2025-08-08: Packet: 2 small rezonings, Comprehensive Plan, USGS Gauges, GDOT for Shiloh Road, Civic Center Hurricane Repair @ LCC 2025-08-11.

The Greater Lowndes Planning Commissioners unanimously recommended approval of all the items before them, some with staff-recommended conditions.

Including the Valdosta Land Development Regulations (LDR), which Valdosta still has GLPC review, even though Lowndes County no longer has GLPC review for its Unified Land Development Code (ULDC).

But see Gretchen’s comments on 6. REZ-2025-13 ENCC.

[Collage @ LCC 28 July 2025]
Collage @ LCC 28 July 2025

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 the Continue reading →

Packet: Four small items, 2 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes County @ GLPC 2025-07-28

Update 2025-08-04: Videos: Four small items, 2 Valdosta, 2 Lowndes County @ GLPC 2025-07-28.

Crossroads Baptist Church wants to expand at 3001 Country Club Drive and the City of Valdosta is entertaining some LDR text amendments.

The two Lowndes County rezonings are both to bring their properties into conformity or compliance.

These are on the agenda for the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC) this evening.

[Collage @ GLPC Packet 2025-07-28]
Collage @ GLPC Packet 2025-07-28

Here is the agenda.

The board packet materials, received in response to a LAKE open records request, are on the LAKE website, with images below.

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

Monday, July 21, 2025 5:30 P.M. Work Session
Monday, July 28, 2025 5:30 P.M. Regular Session
Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia

Continue reading →

ULDC text amendments remove pines and pecans from protected trees @ LCC 2024-11-12

Update 2024-11-12: Videos: GLPC appointments, ULDC Amendments, 2 rezonings, Street Lighting, Beer and Wine, UPS, infrastructure acceptance, Regional Transit, Georgia Power, VSU, LMIG, Fire @ LCC Work 2024-11-12.

Thanks to Jason Davenport for sending a current draft of the ULDC text amendments for this evening’s Public Hearing at the Lowndes County Commission at 5:30 PM.

They are on the LAKE website in Word and PDF formats.

I’m not sure how the public is supposed to comment intelligently on these changes with about two hours to look at them, if they happen to look when I post this. The county has not posted any drafts of these text amendments.

[Pines and pecans no longer protected: ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC 2024-11-12]
Pines and pecans no longer protected: ULDC Text Amendments @ LCC 2024-11-12

The big change is:

5. Replace 4.07.07 (D) with:

4.07.07(D) All pine and pecan trees, even those over 24 inches dbh, are not considered protected trees.

Everyone understands that trees falling in Hurricane Helene (and Debby and Idalia) were a big problem.

But this seems like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Continue reading →

Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14

Update 2024-10-21: Agenda: DRC Emergency Services and VSU South Campus Purchase @ LCC 2024-10-21.

The TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments are quite long and detailed. The county still has not published them for the tax-paying and voting public to see. You can see them now, because LAKE got them with an open records request, and now they are on the LAKE website.

[Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn rezoning, millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection: Grove Pointe, Nelson Hill @ LCC 2024-10-14]
Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn rezoning, millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection: Grove Pointe, Nelson Hill @ LCC 2024-10-14

It’s good the Lowndes County Commissioners decided Tuesday to table those amendments (and the rezoning) until the Planning Commission can review them.

Cost What
$3,369,213.71 Sprayfield Expansion Phase
$78,392.6.00 Grove Pointe Nelson Hill Watermain Interconnection
$3,025.00 Joint Funding Agreement with USGS for Stream Gauge Maintenance
$3,450,631.31Total

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

See also Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Regular 2024-10-15

Update 2024-10-17: Packet: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14.

As Chairman Bill Slaughter said they would in the preceding Millage Public Hearing, they adopted the roll back millage rate of 7.356 rather than the advertized rate of 7.804. Last year (2023) the rate was 8.778.

The Fire District Millage Rate is continuing at 2.5 mil. The commission plans to continue this rate for 5 years from the start date. This is probably year 3, so apparently 2 more years.

[Collage @ LCC 15 October 2024]
Collage @ LCC 15 October 2024

They actually did table the 5.a. TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments and the rezoning 5.b. REZ-2024-15 Loch Laurel – Carroll Ulmer so the Planning Commission could hear them at the October 28 meeting and then voted on at the November 12 Lowndes County Commission Regular Meeting.

There was quite a bit of discussion between Commissioners and Lowndes County Manager Paige Dukes and Utilities Director Steve Stalvey about the Sprayfield Expansion. Continue reading →

Videos: Forestry, Weather, ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Work 2024-10-14

Update 2024-10-17: Videos: Millage Public Hearing @ LCC 2024-10-15.

Only in the Work Session this morning, and if you weren’t there, only in these LAKE videos:

[Collage @ LCC Regular 14 October 2024]
Collage @ LCC Regular 14 October 2024

In regular items, County Planner JD Dillard recommended tabling the ULDC Text Amendments until stakeholders have more time to comment. He referred to the copy Commissioners had in their packet. We the taxpayers and voters do not have a copy.

He also recommended tabling 5.b. REZ-2024-15 Loch Laurel – Carroll Ulmer until the Planning Commission can review it. Which indicates that GLPC did not meet last month, even though there was no announcement that it had been cancelled.

Finance Director Stephanie Black said there would be a Millage Public Hearing at 5PM tomorrow, Tuesday, October 15, before the 5:30 PM Regular Session.

There was discussion in 7.a. Sprayfield Expansion Phase I. Continue reading →

Agenda: ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC 2024-10-14

Update 2024-10-14: Videos: Forestry, Weather, ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn LTD rezoning, adoption of millage rates, USGS stream gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection @ LCC Work 2024-10-14.

The long-quorum-and-hurricane–delayed REZ-2024-15 Loch Winn LTD rezoning will probably be decided Tuesday evening by the Lowndes County Commission. Before that, it will be heard at the Work Session Monday morning 8:30 AM, along with suprise ULDC text amendments, two millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield, and watermain interconnection between two northside subdivisions.

The adoption of the regular and Fire District millage rates will presumbably get presentations much like the last Millage Public Hearing on September 19.

We get a one-paragraph summary of TXT-2024-03 ULDC Text Amendments, but not the actual text.

We would have seen the text in the GLPC packet, but back in June the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission abdicated oversight of ULDC text amendments. And in June, the Lowndes County Commission rubberstamped that abdication.

The agenda item says, “9/2024 VDT Advertisements Published (Public Notice)” but I can’t find that in GeorgiaPublicNotice.com.

What is it the county planners and Commissioners do not want the public to see?

[ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn rezoning, millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection: Grove Pointe, Nelson Hill @ LCC 2024-10-14]
ULDC text amendments, Loch Winn rezoning, millage rates, river gauges, sprayfield expansion, watermain interconnection: Grove Pointe, Nelson Hill @ LCC 2024-10-14

Here’s a refresher for where this would be, between Old US 41 North and Val Del Road: Grove Pointe Nelson Hill Watermain Interconnection. Continue reading →