{"id":24455,"date":"2024-07-12T11:39:40","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T15:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=24455"},"modified":"2024-07-12T11:39:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T15:39:40","slug":"videos-ban-passes-32-on-planning-commission-reviewing-uldc-changes-lcc-regular-2024-07-09","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2024\/07\/videos-ban-passes-32-on-planning-commission-reviewing-uldc-changes-lcc-regular-2024-07-09.html","title":{"rendered":"Videos: Ban passes 3:2 on Planning Commission reviewing ULDC changes @ LCC Regular 2024-07-09"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nOnly Commissioners Mark Wisenbaker and Clay Griner voted against prohibiting\r\nthe Planning Commission from reviewing proposed amendments to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC).\r\nCommissioner Scottie Orenstein made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Joyce Evants.\r\nCommissioner Demarcus Marshall also voted in favor.\r\nBut if you’re a “stakeholder”,\r\nwhich county staff define as Chamber or Homebuilders,\r\nyou’ll get special email notification and maybe sit-down meetings\r\nbefore ULDC changes appear before the County Commission.\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"[Collage<\/a>\r\n
Collage @ LCC 9 July 2024<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nIf you’re a private citizen, you can speak in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard,\r\nas\r\nMatthew and Debra Williams did<\/a>,\r\nasking once again for the county to do something about a drainage easement draining onto their property.\r\n

\r\nOr\r\n\r\nTara Parker<\/a>, suggesting a spay and neuter program\r\nwould be more effective than the new animal control building the Commissioners budgeted $10 million for.\r\nAs usual, nobody answered them during the public meeting.\r\n

\r\nEverything else on the agenda passed unanimously.\r\n

\r\nBefore they voted, on the ULDC changes, Gretchen Quarterman spoke in opposition,\r\nnoting that they previously had ULDC text amendments in 2015 and last year,\r\nand the Planning Commission did not delay any of those.\r\nAlso, if private citizens want a rezoning, they have to go through\r\nthe Planning Commission first, yet this amendment\r\nmeans the county government does not.\r\n

\r\nBefore that,\r\n\r\n\r\nCommissioner Scottie Orenstein asked about how ULDC changes would be advertised.\r\n

\r\nCounty Manager Paige Dukes answered, “Sir, we would still advertise\r\nthe updates to the ULDC, just like we would advertise any type of rezoning.\r\nIt just does not have to be advertised to go before the Planning Commission and then come to the County Commission.\r\nSo we would still advertise for the ULDC like we would for anything else.”\r\n

\r\nBut that’s not like anything else,\r\nbecause rezonings go before the Planning Commission, and have to be advertised for that.\r\n

The County Planner added,\r\n“[unintelligible] will be notified as part of a stakeholder group,\r\nsimilar to how we notify the Chamber, Homebuilders, of any particular amendments\r\nthat might affect certain groups, they will still be notified and people provide input.”\r\n

\r\nSo the county staff get to decide what might affect certain groups.\r\n

\r\nIn the \r\n\r\nWork Session the previous morning<\/a>, he said the Chamber and the Homebuilders Association get\r\n“a standard email, and any potential sit-down meetings.”\r\n

\r\nSo the Chamber and the Homebuilders get special access that the taxpayers and voters do not.\r\n

\r\nOn\r\n\r\nJune 26, 2023<\/a>,\r\nCounty Manager Paige Dukes talked about “stakeholder meetings”\r\nwith “the development community.”\r\n

\r\nWere you invited to those meetings?\r\n

\r\nOn\r\n\r\nJanuary 24, 2023<\/a>, the County Manager\r\ntalked 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\nOn\r\n\r\nJuly 10, 2023<\/a>,\r\nthe County Planner said about a previous set of ULDC text amendments,\r\n“In addition to the Planning Commission,\r\nthe amendments have also been shared with the Homebuilders Association,\r\nas our largest group of stakeholders,\r\nwe’d like for them to be able to give us some feedback.”\r\n

\r\nThe County Manager and County Planner’s idea of stakeholders is not what\r\nis in the 2021 Joint Comprehensive Plan Update<\/a>, which lists “Joint Planning Commission”\r\nsecond only to “The local governments’ elected officials and staff.”\r\nIt does list “The general public” dead last, but at least we are in there.\r\n

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  1. \r\nCommunity Involvement\r\n
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    1. \r\nStakeholders were identified. These included:\r\n