Tag Archives: Valdosta

Solar Parking v. accessory structure in Valdosta LDR @ ZBOA 2014-08-05

Both of Dr. Urbonas’ solar parking lot variance cases were tabled by ZBOA for a month so he could figure out a revised way to do it, probably involving connecting the supports to the building so they wouldn’t be accessory structures. Plus some sentiment that Valdosta City Council needed to address this issue that solar parking shouldn’t be classed as accessory structures. This was at the 5 August 2014 Regular Meeting of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals.

  1. APP-2014-07 — Arunas Urbonas
    (2922 N. Oak Street)
    Variance to LDR Section 218-7 as it pertains to the location and setback distance for accessory structures

    Video. Arunas Urbonas is a doctor with an office at 3564 N Crossing Street. My guess (some sort of addition to his offices) was wrong. He wants to upgrade his solar panel structures, to shade parking lots. TRC recommended denial because of canopy oak trees that would get bigger, probably shading the panels, and were not permitted to be removed. ZBOA found many more issues pro and con than that. Continue reading →

Videos: ULDC Lake Alapaha, house, design; LDR solar parking lot @ ZBOA 2014-08-05

ZBOA postponed Lowndes County’s Lake Alapaha water treatment plant variance so the county could think about it some more, presumably related to that no-bid contract for equipment upgrade.. Two other county Lowndes County variances ( minimum side yard setbacks (approved), lot access (denied). Both of Dr. Urbonas’ solar parking lot Valdosta cases were tabled for a month so he could figure out a revised way to do it, probably involving connecting the supports to the building so they wouldn’t be accessory structures. Plus some sentiment that Valdosta City Council needed to address this issue that solar parking shouldn’t be classed as accessory structures.

The county cases are variances from the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) and the city cases are variances from Valdosta’s Land Development Regulations (LDR), and both the ULDC and LDR are supposed to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

Here’s the agenda with links into the videos and some notes. All ZBOA members were present: Paul Alvarado, Laverne Gaskins, Nancy Hobby, Dr. Willie Houseal, Mac McCall, Scott Orenstein, Gretchen Quarterman, and Chairman Allan Strickland. The City of Valdosta puts ZBOA agendas and minutes online in real PDFs.

Valdosta -Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

Continue reading →

Nova Scotia banned fracking; will southeast U.S. ban fracked methane pipelines?

Yesterday Nova Scotia announced a ban on fracking. Will local or state governments in the southeast, now threatened by the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, ban such pipelines? Especially since FERC has now directed Sabal Trail to examine routes through Americus, Cordele, Ashburn, Tifton, Adel, Valdosta, and even Thomasville, in addition to the ones it already proposed through Dougherty, Colquitt, Brooks, and Lowndes Counties?

Sierra Club Canada wrote about public meetings in its Media Release of 28 August 2014, Government of Nova Scotia Needs to Ban Fracking,

“Public meetings held by the panel were attended by an overwhelming majority of well-informed citizens who had deep concerns about fracking,” according to [Gretchen] Fitzgerald, “Those concerns should be met with the type of leadership they deserve: an immediate, legally binding ban.”

And the Nova Scotia government listened. Bruce Erskine wrote for The Herald Business 3 September 2014, Nova Scotia to ban fracking, posting a video in which you can hear Energy Minister Andrew Younger say: Continue reading →

Quitman 10+2 third trial

“Thank you for not plea bargaining” said George Boston Rhynes starting his series of videos on the ongoing third trial of Lula Smart of the Quitman 10+2. No newspapers, radio, or TV reporters at this trial about voters’ rights. But George is there.

Here’s George’s first report: Continue reading →

A presentation and some rubberstamping @ LCC 2014-08-26

Congratulations to Ashley Tye for being only the third in the state to attain a certificate as a professional emergency manager.

“I was trying to break a record,” bragged County Chairman Bill Slaughter as several people reminded him not to skip approving the minutes, presumably referring to the previous morning’s three-minute Work Session. After the six-minute presentation, they took less than a minute on each of the remaining items, except they did find time for an Executive Session for Attorney-Client Privilege. Who are they suing this time? Crawford Powell had to remind the Chairman not to skip Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, but “There are none,” said the Chairman, with satisfaction.

This time the contractor had magically finished punchlist for Nottinghill that the previous morning the County Engineer said would take a week, but had not finished the work. What does this rubberstamp punchlist mean, then? They approved the Davidson Road drainage easement quit claim from the county back to the landowner.

Here’s the agenda with links into the videos and a few notes, followed by a video playlist.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROPOSED AGENDA
WORK SESSION, MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2014, 8:30 a.m.
REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
327 N. Ashley Street — 2nd Floor
Continue reading →

Water, events, flea market, religious events @ GLPC 2014-08-25

The Turner Brooks rezoning next to Pine Tree Road turns out to be in paved-over wetlands that previously flooded, only slightly uphill from notoriously-problematical Sugar Creek. GLPC recommended tabling until Historic Preservation could look at one of the houses, but these water issues could be at least as important, and Valdosta City Council could decide to approve anyway without waiting.

Also in Valdosta an accessory building, an event center and flea market, and an office park. In Lake Park an ordinance text change about religious meetings in commercial districts. In the county, a request to remove some existing zoning restrictions and the county wants to approve all its recent ULDC changes.

And they only submitted one name for the County Commission to consider for appointment to GLPC.

Here’s the agenda followed by links to the videos as events occurred in the meeting.

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission

Lowndes County City of Valdosta City of Dasher City of Hahira City of Lake Park

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING

AGENDA

Lowndes County South Health District Administrative Office
325 West Savannah Avenue

Monday, August 25, 2014* 5:30 P.M. * Public Hearing

Continue reading →

Turner Brooks: flooding, runoff, Sugar Creek? @ GLPC 2014-08-25

The Turner Brooks rezoning next to Pine Tree Road turns out to be in paved-over wetlands that previously flooded, only slightly uphill from notoriously-problematical Sugar Creek. GLPC recommended tabling until Historic Preservation could look at one of the houses, but these water issues could be at least as important, and Valdosta City Council could decide to approve anyway without waiting.

People were six deep in the foyer Monday night Continue reading →

DuPont withdraws mine permit application after citizen opposition

After only a few weeks of organized opposition by citizens, including Satilla Riverkeeper and activists from as far away as Waycross, mighty DuPont has had to think again about mining Wayne County near Jesup. Not given up, but at least not just breezing through unnoticed.

Update 2014-08-28 14:00: Greenlaw Press Release.

Terry Dickson wrote for jacksonville.com 27 August 2014, DuPont withdraws application for permit to mine more than 2,200 acres in Wayne County, Continue reading →

Nydia Tisdale’s offense: she sat in the front row

Landowner Johnny Burt’s excuse for having Nydia Tisdale ejected from an event advertised as a public campaign rally:

“She promptly sat down on the front row on the end where she would be right in their face and was making everybody uncomfortable.”

Shades of Ashley Paulk’s excuse for wanting that illegal bill of attainder Continue reading →

SRO against Pine Tree subdivision @ GLPC 2014-08-25

Stuck in the foyer six deep because SRO in the Planning Commission tonight, mostly for the Turner Brooks item, back with another plan after being withdrawn last month. Tom Call, representing some of the owners of the property sellers, said they’d tried to meet with the neighbors, who refused. He didn’t say whether they tried meeting with them one-on-one. GLPC could have put a bunch of conditions on it that would have mostly satisfied the neighbors’ concerns, leaving the developers and sellers to decide whether it was worth it. Instead, they tabled. The Valdosta City Council can still decide if they want to. However, one of the houses they’d have to demolish is potentially on the National Historic Register, and if so, they can’t tear it down.

600x170 Panorama, in Standing Room Only, by Gretchen Quarterman, 25 August 2014

Also, they only submitted one name for the County Commission to consider for appointment to GLPC; attorney Brad Folsom. They didn’t include several potential women applicants, several of them attorneys, and yes, also Gretchen. As an old white man, even I find it impressive how much this area is run by old white men.

The agenda arrived only as images Gretchen took at the meeting. Videos to come. Continue reading →