Tag Archives: Valdosta

Agenda: Howell Road Halfway House @ LCC 2023-03-27

Update 2023-03-27:
Packet: Howell Road rezoning, Trash colleciton centers, Windstream Broadband map @ LCC 2023-03-27.

Update 2023-03-27:
Videos: Howell Road Halfway House @ LCC Work 2023-03-27.

The controversial halfway house on Howell Road
is back for its final Public Hearing Tuesday evening, with review this morning at 8:30 AM.


[Agenda, The Campus @ LCC 2023-03-27]


Agenda, The Campus @ LCC 2023-03-27

$22 million is a lot of money, but almost all of it is incoming grant funds.

Cost What
$21,853,779.00 A New Headquarters for Second Harvest of South Georgia
$116,286.00 PowerPhone Emergency Medical Dispatch with CAD Integration
$86,266.00 Acceptance of the FY2023 VAWA Continuation Grant Award
$500.00 Lowndes County DUI Court Technology Supplemental Grant Award
$250.00 Adult Accountability Court Technology Supplemental Grant Award
$22,057,081.00 Total

Here is

the agenda
.
The agenda sheets from the county’s website are also

on the LAKE website
.

We do not have the board packet because I didn’t send the GORA request until this morning.
LAKE will publish it after we get it.

LOWNDES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

PROPOSED AGENDA

WORK SESSION, MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2023, 8:30 a.m.

REGULAR SESSION, TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023, 5:30 p.m.

327 N. Ashley Street – 2nd Floor

Continue reading

Videos: Contentious James Road rezoning @ LCC Work 2023-03-13

This wasn’t even the Public Hearing, which is tomorrow evening.
The Lowndes County Commissioners themselves were trying to make sense
of

the James Road rezoning
.
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to know how many floors the current zoning allows,
and whether Smith Road would be improved.
Two floors and the county has no plans to modify Smith Road at this time.


[Collage @ LCC 13 March 2023]


Collage @ LCC 13 March 2023

Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker wanted to know when James Road got widened.
The County Planner said, “prior to 2008, for sure.”
The County Manager said, “about fifteen years ago.”
Actually, that widening started on February 16, 2009, which is 14 years ago.
The County Manager later did produce the date of 2009;
apparently the County Attorney looked that up.

The widening happened because of the proposed-in-2007 but-never-built Continue reading

Videos: One rezoning each, Valdosta and Lowndes County @ GLPC 2023-02-27

It took the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC)
about an hour to consider the Valdosta and Lowndes County rezonings.
Each case had quite a few citizen speakers and much Commissioner discussion.

The

one Lowndes County case
got a 6:2 recommendation to deny.
It will be decided by the Lowndes County Commission tomorrow evening, March 14, 2023.

The

one Valdosta case
got a unanimous recommendation to approve.
It was decided by

the Valdosta Mayor and Council on March 9th
.


[Collage @ LCC 27 February 2023]


Collage @ LCC 27 February 2023

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

See also the

agenda and the board packet materials for the Valdosta item
.
And the
board packet materials for the Lowndes County rezoning
that the county got around to sending the day after the GLPC meeting are

linked into the agenda post for the deciding Lowndes County Commission meeting
.

Here’s

a LAKE video playlist:



Videos: One rezoning each, Valdosta and Lwondes County @ GLPC 2023-02-27

Greater Lowndes Planning Commission (GLPC), Regular Session, February 27, 2023, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, .

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).

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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!


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Firefighters grant, Madison Highway rezoning, Webster Street purchase, Wild Adventures expansion, Peterson Road Sewer Main Open Cut @ LCC Regular 2023-02-14

Nobody spoke for or against the one rezoning,

6.a. REZ-2023-02 Thomas Property, Madison Hwy, R-1 to R-A, ~10 acres
,
which passed unanimously.
Everything else also passed unanimously.


[Collage @ LCC 14 February 2023]


Collage @ LCC 14 February 2023

There was one

Citizen Wishing To Be Heard
,
but it never became clear what
Karen Carlisle was talking about, nor who “we” was on behalf of which she was asking.

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

James Road rezoning, Kinderlou well emergency repair, Francis Lake sewer rehab, Val Del water main extension to McMillan Road @ LCC 2023-03-13

It will be a busy Work Session this morning at the Lowndes County Commission,
with a rezoning, an emergency well repair, a sewer main rehab, and yet another water main extension northwards along Val Del Road, pushing sprawl with it.

As usual, they pretend the rezoning will cost the county nothing,
yet the vast majority of the more than a million dollars for the water items
is for the water main extension, which will result in more rezonings and more subdivisions.
This has been the county’s practice on Val Del Road since they pushed water and sewer north for Nelson Hill subdivision.
As goes Val Del, so goes the county, if the County Commission continues to have its way.

Cost What
$980,051.00 Val-Del Water Main Extension
$225,910.30 Francis Lake Sewer Rehab
$26,585.50 Kinderlou Offsite Well Emergency Repair
$1,232,546.80 Total

I do not have the board packet, because I forgot to send in a GORA request.
Why the county does not put its board packets on its own website is mysterious.
Under Agenda Center
for each County Commission agenda there is even a pulldown slot for “Packet”.
That currently has only the agenda and the one-page agenda sheets.
There is no reason it could not instead have the PDF of the entire board packet.


[Agenda, James Road rezoning]


Agenda, James Road rezoning

However,
the county got around to sending the GLPC materials for the rezoning the day after the GLPC meeting,
well after the statutory three day limit for the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA).
So those rezoning materials are

on the LAKE website
.

Here is the

agenda
. Continue reading

Halfway house rezoning has Public Hearing date 2023-03-28

Update 2023-03-27:
Agenda: Howell Road Halfway House @ LCC 2023-03-27.

The halfway house rezoning on Howell Road is back for its final Public Hearing,
on March 28, 2023.


[Second Public Re-Hearing, Zoning Location Map]


Second Public Re-Hearing, Zoning Location Map

Back in May 23, 2022, the Greater Lowndes Planning
recommended denial by 7:2.
Nonetheless,
the Lowndes County Commission
approved this rezoning on 2022-06-16
with
the Chairman breaking
a tie
.

After an attorney for opponents dug in,

that vote was determined invalid
, because the county had not advertised the Public Hearing according to

state law specific to Transitional Care Facilities
.
The first of two new Public Hearings was held

2022-09-13
.

See also the Lowndes County Commission board packet 2022-06-16,
the
board packet 2022-09-12
,
and the GLPC board packet 2022-05-23.

In the Valdosta Daily Times, March 5, 2023:



PUBLIC NOTICE TO THE CITIZENS OF LOWNDES COUNTY


[Public Notice of Second Public Re-Hearing]


Lowndes County Board of Commissioners
will hold a public hearing to consider the following rezoning request. The location, date and time of the public hearing are as follows:


Tuesday, March 28, 2023 – 5:30 p.m.


Lowndes County Board of Commissioners (official public hearing) Lowndes County Judicial and Administrative Complex Commission Chambers, 2nd Floor 327 North Ashley Street, Valdosta, Georgia

The Board of Commissioners of Lowndes County will hold a public
hearing pursuant to OCGA § 36-66-4(A) at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday,
March 28, 2023, in the Lowndes County Judicial and Administrative
Complex, Commission Chambers, 2nd Floor, 327 North Ashley Street,
Valdosta, Georgia, in Case Number REZ-2022-10 regarding all or part
of Tax Map 0186 Parcel 107 and Tax Map 0187 Parcel 082 on the
application by Redeemed Living, c/o Charles B. Moore, Jr., on behalf
of Parkerson Properties, LLC/Thomas A. Parkerson, to amend the
Zoning Map of Lowndes County, Georgia, to rezone 23 acres located at
2193 Howell Road, Valdosta, Georgia, from E-A (Estate Agriculture)
zoning district to PD (Planned Development) zoning district for uses
to include a Transitional Care Facility. The Lowndes County Unified
Land Development Code defines Transitional Care Facility to mean “A
building or buildings in which is provided long-term but not
permanent living accommodations for one or more persons who are in
need of short term or long-term housing assistance, and in which may
also be provided meals and social services including physical
therapy, social therapy, emotional therapy, counseling,
rehabilitation, or substance abuse recovery assistance.” The legal
dictionary definition of halfway house is “A transitional housing
facility designed to rehabilitate people who have recently left a
prison or medical-care facility, or who otherwise need help in
adjusting to unsupervised living.”

The proposed zoning decision
relates to or will allow the location or relocation of a halfway
house, drug rehabilitation center, or other facility for the
treatment of drug dependency.

Any comments may be presented at the public hearings, or filed in
writing prior to the public hearings. Also, review of the above
applications is available in the Office of the County Planner
located at 327 North Ashley Street.

Pursuant to O.C.G.A. 36-67A-3, any opponent of this proposed
rezoning who has made campaign contributions aggregating $250.00 or
more to a local government official of Lowndes County Board of
Commissioners, within two years immediately preceding the filing of
the application, is required to file a disclosure statement, at
least five days prior to the hearing, with the Zoning Administrator
or County Planner, stating the name and position of the local
official to whom contributions were made, the amount, description
and date of each campaign contribution.

680722-1

-jsq

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!


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Lowndes County Boards and Commissions Term Expirations – Current Opportunities 2022-2023

You may want to apply to get appointed to one of these boards, authorities, or commissions.

Some of these opportunities have already passed, but most are in 2023.

For how to apply, see the bottom of the web page for each body.

Lowndes County, News Flash,
April 26, 2022,


2022-2023 Boards and Commissions Term Expirations – Current Opportunities


[Lowndes County Boards and Commissions]


Lowndes County Boards and Commissions

Lowndes County Development Authority

  • Gary Moser – 1/09/22

Board of Health

  • Mary Margaret Richardson – 12/31/22

  • Randy Smith – 12/31/22

Valdosta-Lowndes County Zoning Board of Appeals

  • Victoria Copeland – 5/7/23

  • Marion Ramsey – 5/7/23

Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority

  • Anthony Payton – 5/21/23

Lowndes County Public Facilities Authority

  • Crawford Powell – 5/31/23

  • Scott Purvis – 5/31/23

Lowndes County Division of Family and Children Services Board

  • Elsie Napier – 6/30/23

South Georgia Regional Library Board

  • Dr. Beverley Richardson-Blake – 6/30/23

  • Dr. George Gaumond – 6/30/23

  • Gary Wisenbaker – 6/30/23

  • Thomas Lovett – 6/30/23

  • DeWayne Johnson – 6/30/23

Valdosta-Lowndes County Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals

  • Tripp Howell – 6/30/23

  • Charles “Chuck” Smith – 6/30/23 (Rotating appt.) now City’s turn to appt.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority

  • Suzan Garnett -6/30/23

  • Cisco Diaz – 6/30/23 (Rotating Appt.) – City’s turn to appoint

Valdosta Lowndes County Conference Center and Tourism Authority

  • Commissioner Joyce Evans – 12/31/23

  • Michael Smith – 12/31/23


[2022-2023 Boards and Commissions Term Expirations - Current Opportunities]


2022-2023 Boards and Commissions Term Expirations – Current Opportunities

-jsq

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!


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

Cancelled: Lowndes County Commission Meetings 2023-02-27

Lowndes County, News Flash,
February 23, 2023,

February 27-28 Commission Meetings Cancelled

The February 27, 2023 Work Session and the February 28, 2023 Regular Session Commission Meetings have been cancelled due to a lack of agenda items.


[February 27-28 Commission Meetings Cancelled]


February 27-28 Commission Meetings Cancelled

-jsq

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!


http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/donate

One case each: Valdosta, Lowndes County @ GLPC 2023-02-27

Update 2023-03-13: Videos: One rezoning each, Valdosta and Lwondes County @ GLPC 2023-02-27.

The one Valdosta case before the Greater Lowndes Planning Commission
tomorrow evening is for rezoning 1.76 acres from R-6 to R-M at 915 West Street,
“to develop it as an apartment complex with 12 dwelling units.”

The one Lowndes County case
is for rezoning about 8 acres from R-1 (Low Density Residential) to P-D (Planned Development)
on Janes Road at Smith Street.
That’s all I know, because the county has still not sent the relevant board packet materials in response to a LAKE open records request.
As a placeholder, I put in a map from the Lowndes County Tax Assessors.


[Valdosta and Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2023-02-27]


Valdosta and Lowndes County cases @ GLPC 2023-02-27

Here is
the agenda
.
The board packet materials that Matt Martin sent on February 14, 2023, is
on the LAKE website, and images from it are below after the agenda. Continue reading

Videos: Wild Adventures and Weather Report @ LCC Work 2023-02-13

Update 2023-03-13:
Firefighters grant, Madison Highway rezoning, Webster Street purchase, Wild Adventures expansion, Peterson Road Sewer Main Open Cut @ LCC Regular 2023-02-14.

Wild Adventures

wants to make a 50 space short term RV park on their property
.
Their General Manager Jon Vigue gave a slide presentation.


[Collage @ LCC 13 February 2023]


Collage @ LCC 13 February 2023

Commissioner Scottie Orenstien wanted to know did they own the land: yes.
Would they connect to county water and sewer? yes.
Lowndes County Utilities Director affirmed that the county
already has the necessary infrastructure for them to connect to.

Commissioner Demarcus Marshall wanted to be sure Continue reading