{"id":23388,"date":"2023-01-28T10:14:07","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T15:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=23388"},"modified":"2023-05-06T18:52:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T22:52:30","slug":"videos-dollar-general-defeated-vlda-appointment-subdivision-infrastructure-voca-server-blades-lcc-regular-2023-01-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2023\/01\/videos-dollar-general-defeated-vlda-appointment-subdivision-infrastructure-voca-server-blades-lcc-regular-2023-01-24.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos: Dollar General Defeated, VLDA appointment, subdivision infrastructure, VOCA, server blades @ LCC Regular 2023-01-24"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update 2023-05-06<\/strong>:\r\nDollar General developer and property owner sue Lowndes County about rezoning denial –VDT 2023-05-03<\/a>.\r\n

Update 2023-01-29<\/strong>:\r\nLowndes County nixes planned Dollar General –VDT 2023-01-26<\/a>.

\r\nMuch to the surprise of the several dozen opponents of the Dollar General rezoning,\r\nand even after the DG developer attorney attempted to tell his version of the Lowndes County Commission’s legal responsibilities,\r\nall the Commissioners voted to deny the rezoning.\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"[Collage<\/a>\r\n
Collage @ LCC 24 January 2023<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\nThe audience laughed at the Dollar General’s offer of an “enhanced facade,”\r\nas conveyed by County Planner JD Dillard.\r\nEven after Chairman Bill Slaughter limited each side to ten minutes,\r\nthe opposition gave excellent summaries.\r\n

\r\nHeath Dawson, who is the nearest neighbor to the north and a commercial banker,\r\nattested\r\n\r\n that the project would not pass banking muster,\r\nand objected to the trash such developments produce\r\nand said he was disappointed that Commissioner Scottie Orenstein did not come to talk about the situation as he had promised,\r\nand he reminded everyone that the Planning Commission recommended denial 7:1.\r\n

\r\nWilliam Cope said he lives about 500 feet from the site,\r\nhe reminded everyone there are already Dollar Generals nearby in Hahira and at Walkers Crossing,\r\nhe presented a petition with 180 opposition signatures,\r\nhe remarked on trash and drainage,\r\nand he said the neighbors don’t want any commercial development in the area.\r\n

\r\nRoxanne Newton called Dollar General a predatory company,\r\nciting several southern cities that had made new rules to prevent Dollar Generals.\r\nShe contrasted social media by Commissioners supporting agriculture and forestery and promoting river cleanups, with them potentially supporting this commercial rezoning in an agricultural and forestery area near the Withlacoochee River.\r\nShe appreciated the African-American Mt. Olive Church opening its arms to\r\nthe newer residents, and asked why the Commission would disrespect that black church\r\nby putting a Dollar General across the road from it.\r\n

\r\nMatt Osteen said a Dollar General would be no good for the Withlacoochee River,\r\nnone of the neighbors want it,\r\nand spot zoning sounds like cancer: it expands.\r\nHe recommended following the Planning Commission’s recommendation to deny.\r\n“And please listen to the voices of the many,\r\nincluding the 180 that couldn’t be here,\r\nversus the dollars of the few.”\r\n

\r\nThe developer had a court recorder taking a transcript.\r\nThe attorney for the developer, Duke Groover,\r\nclaimed the public had already spoken when the Comprehensive Plan\r\nwas approved with the possible exception of C-C zoning in an Agriculture and Forestry Character Area; you can see several people shaking their heads at that.\r\nHe did several times acknowledge the opponents in the audience,\r\nwhile recommending the Commissioners ignore their opinions.\r\n

\r\nHis main point seemed to be that citizens’ opinions don’t count in rezoning,\r\nother than the opinion of the property owner.\r\nNonetheless he said, “The zoning classification is only legitimate\r\nif it bears a substantial relationaship to the public health, safety, morality.”\r\nWell, trash on the roads and in the Withlacoochee River is a public health problem,\r\nincreased traffic is a safety problem,\r\nand letting a big company from somewhere else plop a development foothold\r\nin an agricultural and forestry area is a morality issue.\r\n

\r\nHe claimed the county staff were “unbiased, who have no dog in this fight.”\r\nWhich is interesting, considering staff want to develop all over the county,\r\nas we’ve seen repeatedly on Val Del Road and elsewhere.\r\nThe attorney mentioned a survey that the public has not seen that he said indicated that people wanted the Dollar General,\r\nand a market evaluation report that he said indicated that it would cause no harm.\r\n

\r\nHe went on about damage to the landowner by not rezoning could be a legal problem.\r\nThat kind of scare tactics about a potential lawsuit after a rezoning decision\r\noften seems to work with county commissions.\r\nBut not this time.\r\n

\r\nThe unanimous County Commission vote to deny the Dollar General rezoning\r\nis a sea change from back in 2012 when a Dollar General was proposed for Naylor.\r\nBack then the Planning Commission unanimously recommended<\/a> despite citizen complaints, including that it would put out of business a local store.\r\nThe developer didn’t show up at the Planning Commission and wasn’t even named.\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"[Dr.<\/a>\r\n
Dr. Matthew Richard speaks against a rezoning for a Dollar General @ GLPC 2012-11-26<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nSomebody did speak for Dollar General at the County Commission<\/a> on December 11, 2012,\r\nreferring to a market survey and a many-year guarantee of occupancy.\r\nThe public had not seen either of those documents,\r\nand they were not mentioned at the Planning Commission.\r\nThe County Commission unanimously approved that Naylor Dollar General rezoning back in 2012.\r\n

\r\nOn a couple of the more recent DG rezonings, the County Commission at least put conditions.\r\nAnd finally they denied this one, on GA 122 at Skipper Bridge Road, on January 24, 2023.\r\nCongratulations, Lowndes County Commission!\r\n

\r\nAs expected, the Commissioners reappointed the only nominee, Brad Folsom, to the\r\n\r\n5.a. Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority<\/a>.\r\n

\r\nThe\r\n\r\nCounty Manager mentioned<\/a>\r\nCommissioners were going to attend a groundbreaking at the former Griner property on Webster Street,\r\nwhich is where they plan to spend\r\n\r\n$2,542,586 to make a Griner Park<\/a>\r\na few blocks from Valdosta’s new Unity Park.\r\nShe talked about an upcoming meeting with the Homebuilders Association,\r\nwhom she referred to as stakeholders in and customers of the\r\nnew Lowndes County permitting office.\r\nShe did not mention citizens as stakeholders or customers.\r\n

\r\nLowndes County EMA Director Ashley Tye\r\n\r\ngave a weather report<\/a>,\r\nmentioning recent tornado damage in Cook County,\r\nand predicting a squall line coming in the next day in Lowndes County.\r\nThere were no tornados this time, but that Wednesday rain\r\ndid wash E. coli<\/em> contamination into creeks and rivers<\/a>.\r\n

\r\nIn Citizens Wishing to Be Heard,\r\n\r\nI thanked the Lowndes County and Moody AFB\r\nFire Departments<\/a> for showing up quickly when called,\r\neven though there was no need when I was doing a prescribed burn of 20 acres\r\nof CRP planted longleaf pines on Quarterman Road.\r\nThis is yet another reason subdivision do not belong in agricultural and forestry areas: subdivision residents do not understand prescribed burns.\r\n

\r\nAlso in CWTBH,\r\n\r\nJohn Morris<\/a>\r\ntalked about the county noise ordinance and some things it does not address,\r\nsuch as noise from stereos, working on old cars, etc., and how loud.\r\n

\r\nBelow are links to each LAKE video of each agenda item,\r\nwith a few notes by Gretchen Quarterman,\r\nfollowed by a LAKE video playlist.\r\n

\r\nSee also\r\nthe LAKE videos of the previous morning’s Work Session<\/a>,\r\nthe\r\nWWALS letter against the rezoning<\/a>,\r\nand\r\n\r\nthe agenda and board packet<\/a>.\r\n