{"id":5087,"date":"2013-08-11T19:59:47","date_gmt":"2013-08-11T23:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=5087"},"modified":"2013-08-12T17:27:21","modified_gmt":"2013-08-12T21:27:21","slug":"gated-moody-housing-on-val-del-road-rez-2013-09-glpc-2013-07-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/gated-moody-housing-on-val-del-road-rez-2013-09-glpc-2013-07-29.html","title":{"rendered":"Gated Moody housing on Val Del Road, REZ-2013-09 @ GLPC 2013-07-29"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nOnly 81 of 396 proposed units have been built at current Moody Family\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nHousing on Roberts Road.\r\nWhy should we build more on Val Del Road?\r\n

\r\nAt the 29 July 2013 Greater Lowndes Planning Commission meeting,\r\nCounty Planner Jason Davenport said that in addition\r\nto the\r\n\r\ninitial materials<\/a> for GLPC,\r\nhe’d provided an update\r\nabout Magnolia Grove, which was Phase I of\r\n\r\nMoody Family Housing<\/a>.\r\nThe real reason for the rezoning wasn’t stated in the initial materials given\r\nto GLPC.\r\nIn\r\n\r\nthe materials obtained through open records request<\/a>,\r\nwe can see that\r\nthe\r\n\r\nGLPC agenda item<\/a>\r\ncontained the boilerplate\r\n“The general motivation in this case appears to be so that the subject property\r\ncan be developed at a greater residential density.”\r\nIn the update\r\nit’s assumed that the real reason is housing for Moody personnel,\r\nsince Magnolia Grove is the existing Moody housing off of Roberts Road.\r\nWhich isn’t even built out yet, as you can see in\r\n\r\nthis map from the county Tax Commissioners<\/a>,\r\nso why does Moody need more housing?\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n

\r\nLots of interesting back history in that\r\n\r\nJuly 29th GLPC Lowndes County Rezoning Update – 2<\/a>,\r\nto which\r\nI’ve added some links to the relevant County Commission minutes\r\nand interspersed some context:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nIn order to address questions regarding the status and history\r\nsurrounding Magnolia Grove (Phase I of Moody Family Housing) please\r\nfind the following information below:\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n2004-09-14 LCBOC approves LO-2004-59<\/a> or the initial Planned\r\nDevelopment (PD) rezoning for Magnolia Grove (Moody Family Housing\r\n~703.75 acres with 396 residential units))\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nThe previous morning at the \r\nWork Session of 13 September 2013<\/strike> 2004<\/a>:\r\n

\r\nAnne-Marie Wolff, Current Planner, presented Jason Davenport,\r\nnew Associate Planner at the South Georgia Regional Development Center. \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSo Moody housing was Jason Davenport’s first appearance before\r\nthe Lowndes County Commission!\r\nAt the time both he and Anne-Marie Wolff worked for SGRDC,\r\nbefore the county and the city of Valdosta hired their own\r\nplanners, when Jason Davenport became County Planner.\r\nAlso note in those minutes for later reference:\r\n“Charlie Clark, County Engineer”.\r\n

\r\nBack to the GLPC update:\r\n

\r\n

\r\n\r\n2005-07-12 LCBOC approves LO-2005-38<\/a> or the modified Planned\r\nDevelopment (PD) rezoning for Magnolia Grove (Moody Family Housing\r\n~11.26 acres with minor amendments to the previously approved\r\ndevelopment standards)\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nHere’s the entire text for that item from the\r\n\r\nCommission minutes<\/a>:\r\n

\r\n#05-1328 \u2013 LO-2005-38 \u2013 Moody Family Housing, A-U & C-N to P-D, 11.26 Acres, Davidson & Roberts Roads — Jason Davenport, Associate Planner, introduced the request:\r\n
\r\nChairman Casey stated that the request was to rezone 11.2586 acres from\r\nA-U and C-N to P-D to provide more acreage for the 300\r\nhomes south of Moody Air Force Base.\r\n

\r\nNO ONE SPOKE AGAINST OR IN FAVOR OF THE REQUEST.\r\n

\r\nMotion by Commissioner Roberts to follow the recommendation of the\r\nPlanning Staff and Planning Commission and approve the request, second\r\nby Commissioner Carter. Motion carried.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nThe same minutes record\r\n“Mike Fletcher, County Engineer”.\r\n

\r\nBack to the GLPC update:\r\n

\r\n

\r\n\r\n2006-05-09 ULDC Adopted<\/a> (MAZ I, II, and III regulations and zoning\r\ndistricts put in place.)\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nThere was a lot<\/em> of opposition to the ULDC adoption:\r\nTommy Stalvey Jr., Glen Gregory, Larry Wilkinson,\r\nDoarn Bland, and John Huff.\r\nMuch of it concerned with the ULDC’s lack of consideration of the needs\r\nof existing or future agriculture.\r\nSeveral people also spoke for, including Myrna Ballard for the Chamber,\r\nBruce Bailey, “member of the Home Builders of South\r\nGeorgia” and now its president and a member of the Planning Commission,\r\nKen Rickett,\r\nand Sherry Gregory.\r\n

\r\nBack to the GLPC update:\r\n

\r\n

\r\n\r\n2006-09-26 LCBOC approves text amendment<\/a>\r\nclarifying MAZ density\r\nrequirements (TEX-2006-02 ‘\u20ac“ i.e. prohibited within the\r\narea lying within LDN 70:)\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nHere’s what those LCC Minutes say:\r\n

\r\nTEX-2006-02 – ULDC Update \u2013 Phase I, County Planner, Jason Davenport,\r\nstated that staff had accumulated a list of concerns related to the ULDC which\r\nwere being presented to the Planning Commission and then the Board of\r\nCommissioners in phases. Mr. Davenport presented the Commission with an\r\nupdated map reflecting the location of the Moody Activity Zone (MAZ) in relation\r\nto residential development density. Commissioner Lee stated that it was\r\nimportant to protect Moody Air Force Base from residential encroachment, while\r\nbeing mindful to protect the rights of commercial development\r\nin the area that would not encroach upon the base mission. Chairman Casey added that the purpose of the amendment was to align noise corridors with the appropriate\r\nzoning density on the ground below, which in this case would be a 2.5 acre\r\nminimum. No one spoke for or against the request. Commissioner Lee made a\r\nmotion to approve the text amendment, Vice Chairman Roberts second. Motion\r\ncarried.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nNone of those numerous speakers from the previous hearing showed up\r\nfor the amendment public hearing.\r\nAlso note no concern stated for the rights of agriculture in the area.\r\nWait, in Citizens Wishing to Be Heard:\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nMr. Jerome Tucker, 5938 Jumping Gully Road, addressed the Commission\r\nstating that on behalf of the agricultural community, he would like\r\nto request a six month extension of the time to file a rezoning to a\r\npre-ULDC zoning without cost to the applicant. Mr. Tucker added that most\r\nfarmers do not have time to evaluate issues such as the ULDC until after\r\nthe harvest as well as the fact that a poor harvest could financially\r\ninfluence decisions related to agriculture and\/or development.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nAnd later, in Reports:\r\n

\r\nCounty Manager, Joe Pritchard, stated that the Commission had discussed\r\nextending the time to file a request to rezone to a pre-ULDC zoning\r\nwithout cost to the property owner. Commissioner Lee stated that\r\nhe had spoken with Mr. Jerome Tucker regarding the concerns of the\r\nagricultural community and that he thought the extension was a good idea.\r\nVice Chairman Roberts made a motion to extend the time to January 1,\r\n2007, Commissioner Lee second. Motion carried.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nOh, my!\r\nThey can’t do that any more, vote on something somebody asked for \r\nin Citizens Wishing to Be Heard, according to their\r\n\r\n25 January 2011 Policies and Procedures for Citizens Wishing to be Heard<\/a>:\r\n

\r\n8. The Board of Commissioners shall not vote on matters presented during \u201cCitizens Wishing to be Heard.\u201d \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nOf course, the Chairman when they were adopted, Ashley Paulk,\r\n\r\nimmediately set them all aside for that meeting<\/a>\r\nand\r\ncurrent Chairman Bill Slaughter\r\n\r\nmade up a new rule 11 June 2013<\/a>,\r\nso probably they could still vote if they wanted to.\r\nYep:\r\n

\r\nAny failure to comply with these Policies and Procedures may be ruled\r\nout of order by the presiding member of the Board of Commissioners.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSee that word, “may”?\r\nIf the presiding member may rule compliance out of order, he or she\r\nmay not, too.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nBack to the GLPC update:\r\n

\r\n

\r\n2013-07-10 81 units within Magnolia Grove constructed by Hunt\r\nConstruction\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nPlease expect physical copies of this e-mail and the attached\r\nmaterials to be available at the meeting tonight. Thank you.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n81 is a tad less than the “396 residential units”\r\nproposed in 2004!\r\nAccording to the Lowndes County Tax Assessor’s online database,\r\nthat housing is owned by\r\n\r\nHP COMMUNITIES LLC<\/a> of 4401 NORTH MESA, EL PASO, TX 79902-1107.\r\n\r\nDun & Bradstreet says<\/a>\r\nthey’re Real Estate Agents and Managers and their\r\ncontacts are Chris Hunt, Linda Moore, and Stephanie Aguilar.\r\n

\r\nHere’s\r\n\r\nthe video:<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n