{"id":5136,"date":"2013-08-13T10:02:48","date_gmt":"2013-08-13T14:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/?p=5136"},"modified":"2013-08-13T14:21:13","modified_gmt":"2013-08-13T18:21:13","slug":"what-happened-at-nelson-hill-on-val-del-road-lcc-2013-08-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/what-happened-at-nelson-hill-on-val-del-road-lcc-2013-08-12.html","title":{"rendered":"What happened at Nelson Hill on Val Del Road? @ LCC 2013-08-12"},"content":{"rendered":"

\r\nStaff promises evaporated, many of 13 conditions voted by elected Commissioners\r\ndidn’t get implemented: what happened at\r\nNelson Hill, the subdivision\r\n\r\nCounty Planner Jason Davenport referred to<\/a>\r\nas the neighborhood on Val Del Road for\r\nREZ-2013-09 Moody Housing?\r\nWell, it has a reputation, as\r\n\r\nsomeone nearby said in\r\nopposing another development<\/a>:\r\n

\r\nAnd we’re certainly not interested in what they built out on Val Del Road.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nWhat happened at Nelson Hill?\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nAs\r\n\r\nGretchen Quarterman mentioned to the Planning Commission<\/a>,\r\nthere were supposed to be condominiums and a gated community there, but:\r\n

\r\nif you go out to Nelson Hill now you don\u2019t find anything resembling a gated condominium community; you find ticky-tacky houses where they cut down the swamp. \r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSo what was supposed to be there?\r\nIn the \r\nMinutes for the Work Session of 12 February 2007<\/a> condominiums are mentioned:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nREZ-2006-80, Nelson, Val Del Road (0071 006) \u00b1 43 ac, R-1 to PD, 76 Lots,\r\n
\r\nCounty Planner, Jason Davenport, stated that the request involved\r\nthe rezoning of an additional 76 acres off of Val-Del Road and that\r\nall issues related to the request were centered around density,\r\nwetlands and traffic. Further, a recent letter received from Mr.\r\nCharlie Clark, Mr. Nelson’s Engineer, addressed all three issues as\r\nwell as the DRI process. Mr. Davenport added that County staff had\r\nworked to try to mitigate all three criteria.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nWait, Charlie Clark?\r\nThe same\r\n“Charlie Clark, County Engineer” back in\r\n13 September 2004<\/a>\r\nwhen\r\n\r\nJason Davenport made his first presentation<\/a> to the Lowndes County Commission?\r\nThe Charlie Clark who had been succeeded by Mike Fletcher as County Engineer by\r\n\r\n12 July 2005<\/a>?\r\nApparently a year or two after Clark revolved out the door into the\r\nprivate sector, he came back to help propose the Nelson Hill development\r\non Val Del Road.\r\n

\r\nBut let’s look at what was supposedly going to be in Nelson Hill:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Lee\r\nstated that Mr. Nelson has a Planned Development (PD) approved for\r\n399 units (condos). Further, the request would add more green space,\r\n75 additional units and redefine the development.\r\n

\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\nCounty Engineer,\r\nMike Fletcher, stated that another point of ingress and egress would\r\nbe added as well. Chairman Casey asked if the County agreed to build\r\na road from Grove Point to Val Del Road. Mr. Davenport stated yes,\r\nthat he has a copy of the Grove Point master plan showing the\r\nconnection to Val Del Road. Commissioner Lee stated that there would\r\nbe another connector road that would help with traffic coming to a\r\nfour lane road within the next ten years.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nGrove Point is\r\noff of Old US 41 North<\/a>\r\nat Dasher Grove Road,\r\nabout 2\/3 of a mile southwest of Nelson Hill\r\nas the crow flies,\r\n\r\naccording to the county’s Tax Assessor maps<\/a>:\r\n

\r\n\r\n\"Grove<\/a>\r\n

\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Roberts asked\r\nif the 475 single family units mentioned were condominium units to\r\nwhich Mr. Davenport stated yes. Commissioner Roberts asked if the\r\nelevations were all the same. Mr. Davenport stated that Mr. Nelson\r\nagreed to use a mix of elevations.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\nSo that’s 399 condominiums, plus another 75 units,\r\nwith a mix of elevations, and green space to mitigate wetlands,\r\nplus a road from Grove Point to Val Del Road to help with traffic.\r\nBut that’s just talk in the Work Session so far.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nLet’s look in the\r\n\r\nMinutes of the Regular Session of 13 February 2007<\/a>:\r\n

\r\n

\r\nREZ-2006-80, Nelson, Val Del Road (0071 006) \u00b1 43 ac, R-1 to P-D, 76 Lots,\r\n
\r\nCounty Planner, Jason Davenport stated that the request involved the\r\nrezoning of an additional 76 acres on Val-Del Road and that discussion\r\nhad centered around density, wetlands and traffic.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nAmy Swindle, 4953 Bethany Drive, spoke against the request stating that\r\nshe lives and owns property on Bethany Drive and was speaking on behalf of\r\nherself and husband (Roy Swindle) and other neighbors (4 citizens stood\r\nin the audience). Due to the high traffic volume that this development\r\nwould bring in as well as the overcrowding in the school system, she\r\ndoesn\u2019t see how this request can be approved.\r\n

\r\nChairman Casey asked County Planner, Jason Davenport if the development\r\nhad been previously approved to which Mr. Davenport stated yes.\r\n

\r\nCharlie Clark, with EMC Engineering, 707 N. Patterson St., spoke in\r\nfavor of the request on Laurence Nelson\u2019s behalf.\r\n

\r\nLaurence Nelson, 4300 Reed Road, spoke in favor of the\r\nrequest. Information was given regarding the size and price of the\r\nunits. Mr. Nelson stated it would either be a gated community or a\r\nsecurity guard would be on duty. This project will be in townhouse\r\nfashion including playgrounds, dog walks, etc.\r\n

\r\nScott Alderman, 4803 Springbrook Drive, spoke in favor of the request.\r\n

\r\nChairman Casey stated both sides made good points.\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Lee stated much of his time was spent going to the Planning\r\nCommission meetings and he thought the support from the community was\r\nsubstantial.\r\n

\r\nCommissioner Lee made a motion to approve the request with the following\r\nconditions,\r\n
\r\n\r\nUpdate 2013-08-13 14:15:<\/strong> Fix item divisions (and thus numbering) according to the\r\nNotice of Decision<\/a>.\r\n

    \r\n
  1. \r\n<\/a>\r\nthe development will need to meet the Residential Planned\r\nDevelopment Requirements of the ULDC,\r\n
  2. \r\nthe development will require two points of ingress\/egress,\r\n
  3. \r\nthe roads will be built to Lowndes County Standards,\r\n
  4. \r\nthe development will require acceleration, deceleration lanes, and\r\ndedicated left turn lanes at each point of ingress\/egress,\r\n
  5. \r\nall lots shall front interior roads,\r\n
  6. \r\nwhen warranted, improvements to the Val Del – North Valdosta Intersection\r\nwill be completed by Lowndes County,\r\n
  7. \r\nthe front of each condominium unit will be staggered when compared with\r\nadjacent condominium units,\r\n
  8. the development will at a minimum include\r\nall forms of the housing elevation mix provided in the Nelson Hill packet,\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/a>\r\n
  9. \r\nall units will be condominiums of at least 1800 sqft.,\r\n
  10. \r\na landscaping plan will be required when construction plans are submitted\r\nand shall include landscaping between blocks of units that face back\r\nto back,\r\n
  11. \r\nas approved by the County Engineer, construction plans will include\r\ntraffic calming measures along straight right-of-ways,\r\n
  12. \r\nall lots will be serviced by Lowndes County Water and Sewer,\r\n
  13. \r\nthe development will be based on the submitted site plans 1, 2, 3, 3A, and 4.\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    \r\nCounty Attorney, Walter Elliott, stated the conditions did not include\r\nthat the zoning be conditioned to the site plans. Further, in order to\r\nbe consistent with ULDC specifications there needs to be an additional\r\ncondition\r\nconnecting the approval to the\r\nsite plans included in packet (1, 2, 3, 3A, and 4) dated October 25, 2006.\r\n

    \r\nCommissioner Lee amended his motion to approve the request with the 13 conditions,\r\nVice Chairman Carter second. Motion carried.\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

    \r\nI’ve added the paragraph breaks (in both sets of Minutes)\r\nand the numbering of the conditions.\r\nNote the road from Grove Point to Val Del Road has evaporated.\r\nAlso missing is anything about one speaker’s promise of\r\n“either be a gated community or a security guard would be on duty”;\r\ngo by Nelson Hill now and see if you see either of those things:\r\nthey’re not there..\r\nAnd there’s no specific condition about wetlands or green space.\r\nSo much for what was said in the Work Session but not voted on.\r\n

    \r\nYet in the Regular Session thirteen conditions were voted on and approved\r\nby the elected Commissioners.\r\nWere they implemented?\r\n<\/P>\r\n

    \r\nLet’s look at what\r\n\r\ngoogle maps shows<\/a> at Nelson Hill now:\r\n

    \r\n