{"id":1836,"date":"2011-06-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-06-28T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/06\/residential-home-owners-of-lowndes-county-take-notice-vince-schneider-lcc-14-june-2011.html"},"modified":"2011-06-28T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-06-28T14:00:00","slug":"residential-home-owners-of-lowndes-county-take-notice-vince-schneider-lcc-14-june-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/06\/residential-home-owners-of-lowndes-county-take-notice-vince-schneider-lcc-14-june-2011.html","title":{"rendered":"Residential home owners of Lowndes County take notice &mdash;Vince Schneider @ LCC 14 June 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"Vince Schneider warned county homeowners that it could happen to them, too:\n<blockquote>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/98706376@N00\/5879434016\/\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5150\/5879434016_a033376e3f_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nTo permit\nthe establishment of the Foxborough Avenue McDonalds, the county has\nirreversibly established a most terrible precedence. You too can wake\nup one morning to find a Fast food store being built in your front\nyard.\n<\/blockquote>\nLike many of us, he wondered what the county government is thinking:\n<blockquote>\nI cannot comprehend how the county can possibly\nbenefit from allowing such an establishment to be built in a quite\ncounty residential neighborhood. Is it because it provides unskilled\nlow paying jobs? Will this McDonalds look good on a resume? It was my\nunderstanding that Valdosta and Lowndes County wanted to attract a more\nskilled, professional work force. The real estate on Foxborough Avenue\nthe county permitted McDonalds to build on would have been, and is prime\nreal estate for just such a professional enterprise&#8230;.\n<\/blockquote>\nGood questions.\n<p>\nHere&#8217;s\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IP8io8ydEeM\">\nthe video:<\/a>\n<p align=\"center\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" width=\"480\" height=\"390\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IP8io8ydEeM\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<br>\n<small>\nResidential home owners of Lowndes County take notice &mdash;Vince Schneider @ LCC 14 June 2011\n<br>\nRegular Session, Lowndes County Commission (LCC),\n<br>\nValdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 14 June 2011.\n<br>\nVideos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.\n<\/small>\n<p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/98706376@N00\/5879434202\/\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5157\/5879434202_3a8ca853f3_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nAfter Vince Schneider finished reading his letter,\nChairman Ashley Paulk handed him a paper, which was apparently\na communication from County Engineer Mike Fletcher.\n<p>\nAppended is the text of the letter Vince Schneider read to the Commission.\n\n<!--more-->\n<p>\n-jsq\n<blockquote>\n<span align=\"right\">\n14 June 2011\n<\/span>\n<br>\nVincent H. Schneider Jr.\n<p>\nLowndes County Board of Commissioners\n<br>\nAshley Paulk, Chairman, At-Large\n<br>\nJoyce E. Evans, Commissioner, District 1\n<br>\nRichard Raines, Commissioner, District 2\n<br>\nCrawford Powell, Commissioner, District 3\n<br><br>\n327 N. Ashley Street-3rd Floor\nValdosta, GA  31601\nOffice: 229-671-2442\n<br><br>\nDear Sirs, Ma&#8217;am,\n<p>\nOnce again I thank you for providing me this opportunity to address the\nLowndes County Board of Commissioners. Before I begin, I wish to express\nmy gratitude to Lowndes County Clerk, Paige Dukes for her tireless\nefforts and patience in answering my many open records requests.\n<p>\nMy topic this evening concerns several issues I have with traffic.\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/05\/foxborough-mcdonalds-will-violate-ordinance-97-0704-vince-schneider.html\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2527\/5776676620_6861ea794d_m.jpg\"><\/a>\nBut before I begin I must digress back to\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/05\/foxborough-mcdonalds-will-violate-ordinance-97-0704-vince-schneider.html\">\nthe last time I stood before the Board.<\/a>\nIn relation to the Lowndes County Ordinance on Noise,\nOrdinance 97-0704, on 24 May 2011 I made an appeal to the Board to\ntake under consideration establishing limits to hours of operation for\ncommercial establishments operating adjacent to and in close proximity\nof residential properties. A decision in favor of limiting the hours of\noperation would lessen the impact of noise, lights, smells, and traffic\nthat such an enterprise brings to a residential community. Has the Board\nhad an opportunity to consider this request? If so, what is the Board&#8217;s\ndecision? If not, again I respectfully request that the board take into\nconsideration and vote in favor of limiting commercial enterprises&#8217; hours\nof operation when such enterprises share boarders with and are in close\nproximity of residential property owners. The commercial enterprise hours\nof operation proposed were\/are 7:00am to 10:00pm Sunday through Thursday\nand 7:00am to 12:00am on Friday and Saturday. Concurrently with the afore\nmentioned request, I respectfully requested of the Board to consider and\ndecide in favor of lights out at the same proposed commercial enterprise&#8217;s\ntimes of operation.\n<p>\nResidential home owners of Lowndes County take notice. To permit\nthe establishment of the Foxborough Avenue McDonalds, the county has\nirreversibly established a most terrible precedence. You too can wake\nup one morning to find a Fast food store being built in your front\nyard. Although the construction of the Foxborough McDonalds is underway I\nam still fighting to stop this precedence. I have not admitted defeat. I\nwill never admit defeat. Four years ago when I was preparing my family\nfor post Air Force retirement I searched for opportunities to continue\nand broaden my acquired aerospace knowledge base. Many companies from\ncoast to coast and points in between courted me. None of them matched\nmy ideal vision of post Air Force retirement. That was until I was\noffered a position at Moody AFB. The employment opportunity at Moody\nAFB was appealing. What signed the deal was the appeal of the rural\natmosphere of county living.  Our search for the ideal home to finally\nestablish roots after 25 years of nomadic living led us to the community\nof Foxborough. The community of Foxborough provided the ideal setting\nto enjoy the quite rural life of county living. Now, McDonalds with the\nsupport of the county has shattered my dreams and ended my enjoyment\nof county living.\nI cannot comprehend how the county can possibly\nbenefit from allowing such an establishment to be built in a quite\ncounty residential neighborhood. Is it because it provides unskilled\nlow paying jobs? Will this McDonalds look good on a resume? It was my\nunderstanding that Valdosta and Lowndes County wanted to attract a more\nskilled, professional work force. The real estate on Foxborough Avenue\nthe county permitted McDonalds to build on would have been, and is prime\nreal estate for just such a professional enterprise.\nFor many reasons a\nprofessional enterprise would have been (will be) more readily accepted\nby its residential property neighbors. A professional establishment\nwould not likely operate 24hrs a day and 7 days a week. The noise and\nlighting of a professional establishment would most likely be limited\nto day time business hours. And the traffic to and from a professional\nestablishment would be (will be) exponentially less than traffic to and\nfrom a fast food store.\n<p>\nTraffic congestion is a highly undesirable condition in Lowndes\nCounty. One not need to take my word on this statement. The contributors,\nauthors and signers of the\n<a href=\"http:\/\/lowndescounty.com\/content.asp?pid=23&#038;id=224\">\nLowndes County Unified Land Development Code (ULDC)<\/a>\nhave made many references throughout the code to this fact. Take\nfor instance paragraph 1.04.00 Purpose and intent of the ULDC.\n<blockquote>\nThe purpose of these regulations is to lessen congestion in the streets;\nprevent urban sprawl; assure the adequate provision of safe and convenient\ntraffic access and circulation, both vehicular and pedestrian; promote\ndesirable living conditions and the sustained stability of neighborhoods;\nand protect against blight and depreciation.\n<\/blockquote>\nAdditionally, the ULDC is\npartnered with the Lowndes County Comprehensive Plan (paragraph 1.05.00),\nwhich is\n<blockquote>\nthe official development policy and implementation guide for\nthe County to coordinate and direct physical and economic development,\nrelated public investment, and, to provide reasonable regulations for the\ndevelopment of private property in the interest of public health, safety,\nand welfare.\n<\/blockquote>\nAfter numerous hours of on-line research I have yet to find\nwhere a McDonalds store fits into any one of these categories. With\n<a href=\"http:\/\/lowndescounty.com\/content.asp?pid=23&#038;id=142\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/lowndescounty.com\/content\/government\/c142\/misc\/m.%20fletcher.jpg\"><\/a>\nthe addition of McDonalds to Foxborough Avenue I asked Lowndes County\nEngineer Mike Fletcher if a survey or report was accomplished to determine\na new estimated traffic volume. Traffic volumes shall be estimated in\naccordance with the latest edition of Trip Generation published by the\nInstitute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). He replied that no survey\nhad been accomplished. I respectfully request the Board to consider the\naccomplishment of a traffic volume survey. Closely related to street\ntraffic congestion is congestion within the perimeter of a commercial\nenterprise.\n<p>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/lowndescounty.com\/content.asp?pid=23&#038;id=139\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float:right;border:none;\"   src=\"http:\/\/lowndescounty.com\/content\/government\/c139\/misc\/p%20%20dukes.jpg\"><\/a>\nEarlier I expressed my gratitude of Paige Dukes. After nearly $100.00\nspent in acquiring open records request documentation of Lowndes County\nover the past several weeks, I still have not found in the development\nplans of the Foxborough Avenue McDonalds provisions for a fire lane,\na off-street loading (supply truck unloading) space, and am not totally\nconvinced that the requirement for an eight vehicle minimum stacking\nspace and by-pass lane have been met. I reference ULDC paragraph 6.01.02\nStreets and Rights-of-Way: D. Access: 4.\n<blockquote>\nAlleys or fire lanes shall be provided at the rear of lots in\ncommercial developments.\n<\/blockquote>\nAlthough\nnot listed in the Lowndes County Engineering Plan Review Checklist as\nbeing requirement for receiving a permit, ULDC Paragraph 6.01.03 Parking\nStandards and Design;\n<blockquote>\nA. Parking space requirements; 1.\nNo application for\na building permit shall be approved unless there is included with the plan\nfor such building, improvements, or use, a development plan showing the\nrequired space reserved for off-street parking and loading. E. Loading\nspace design standards; 1. Commercial operations shall provide loading\nspaces as follows: a. Commercial uses with less than 10,000 square feet\nof gross floor area shall provide one (1) off-street loading space.\n<\/blockquote>\nAnd\nfinally, paragraph 6.01.04 Drive-Through Facilities and Stacking Lanes:\n<blockquote>\nA. All uses and facilities providing drive-up or drive-through service\nshall provide stacking lanes in compliance with the standards of this\nsection. B. Restaurants with drive-up or drive-through facilities shall\nprovide a minimum stacking space to accommodate eight (8) vehicles. A\nby-pass lane shall be required.\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\n<a href=\"\/blog\/2011\/05\/mr-fletchers-misrepresentation-of-the-ingress-and-egress-vince-schneider.html\">\n<img style=\"float:right;border:none;\"\nwidth=\"232\"\nheight=\"153\"\nsrc=\"http:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2025\/5776263059_a0353edfe3.jpg\"><\/a>\nIn conclusion, I greatly appreciate the support of Paige Dukes. I\nask the Board to consider in favor for the adoption of reasonable\nbusiness hours of operation for establishments such as McDonalds when\nsuch businesses share property lines with and are in close proximity\nof residential homes. I ask the Board to consider authorizing a traffic\nvolume survey on Foxborough Avenue. I ask the Board&#8217;s consideration to a\ntotal reevaluation of the Foxborough Avenue McDonalds with the goal of\nultimate cancelation of the permit based in part to it&#8217;s conflict with\nthe Lowndes County Unified Land Development Code and in part because\nit&#8217;s the right thing to do. As always, I thank you for your time.\n<p align=\"right\">\n<br>\nSincerest Respects,\n<br>\n&nbsp;\n<br>\nVincent H. Schneider\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vince Schneider warned county homeowners that it could happen to them, too: To permit the establishment of the Foxborough Avenue McDonalds, the county has irreversibly established a most terrible precedence. You too can wake up one morning to find a Fast food store being built in your front yard. Like many of us, he wondered [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[97,48,40,14,3982,2,4216,88,3,449],"tags":[1816,1112,2324,4221,4229,4228,4226,8880,8701,876,4224,4225,7,8734,4222,8857,625,730,812,656,1327,4223,3621,8731,4218,4220,4219,1168,8700,1156,4227,4217,4230,3872],"class_list":["post-1836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-code-enforcement","category-community","category-economy","category-foxborough","category-government","category-lcc-14-june-2011","category-lowndes-county-commission","category-transparency","category-transportation","tag-14-june-2011","tag-code","tag-commercial","tag-congestion","tag-county-living","tag-fast-food","tag-fire-lane","tag-foxborough","tag-georgia","tag-health","tag-institute-of-transportation-engineers","tag-ite","tag-lowndes-county","tag-lowndes-county-commission","tag-lowndes-county-unified-land-development-code","tag-mcdonalds","tag-mike-fletcher","tag-open-records","tag-ordinance","tag-paige-dukes","tag-permit","tag-private-property","tag-public-safety","tag-safety","tag-signs","tag-smells","tag-sounds","tag-traffic","tag-transparency","tag-uldc","tag-unloading","tag-variance","tag-vince-schneider","tag-welfare"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p585fK-tC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}