City Council - Regular Meeting

I'm not.

It's been a while.

I'd like to call to order the September 10th, 2026 meeting of mayor and council. I'm going to call on Pastor David Miller with Beulah Holiness Church and clergyman for Valdosta State Prison. He does double duty. Actually, he does triple duty. Also likes to come to my prayer group on occasion. We'll love to have him back. If you'll remain standing for the pledge, we'll have the Boy Scout troop 491 lead us in the pledge immediately after the prayer.

Shall we bow? Dear God, we thank you for this opportunity to gather in this place with the mayor and his precious city council, with those who are here gathered to share, to discuss, to peruse, to pursue the people's business. We pray now, Lord, that you will give us the wisdom of the sages to make choices and decisions that will benefit the whole of our community. I pray now, Lord, that you will strengthen us and encourage us. Give us the right words, the right thinking, the right understanding to know what it is that we're to do in this hour, in this season. For the battle really is not ours, it is yours. So we thank you now. We ask that you would help us even as this meeting moves on and as we go about our daily lives. Lord, allow us to come to the agreement that we are your children, we are your people. And we look to do the best thing for us all. We thank you for preserving us and protecting us. And now we live to love you and to love each other. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. Thank you. Gentlemen, if you'd step up loud and clear, lead us in the pledge.

I present allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Pastor, thank you. Troop, thank you guys. We'll open with a pair of public hearing items. Item A, consideration of an ordinance to rezone a total of 8.20 acres from single family residential R10 and residential professional to community commercial. Matt Martin will present. Matt, when I go to the public hearing side, I will allow 15 minutes for each side on this item as well.

For each side. All right, thank you, Mayor. You're welcome. Good evening, Council. Two items from the Planning Commission on your agenda this month. The first one is the resigning request by... Excuse me. I got to the wrong page, actually. By Robin and Dale Watts. This is probably located on East Park Avenue, out there between Interpermiter Road and the Stallings Road intersection. As you can see on the map on the screen, it is currently split-zoned between RP and R10, most of the property being R10 zoning. The request is to rezone all of the acreage to community commercial. For speculation purposes, they're wanting to market the property. I'll let the applicant explain more about that, but we did talk about some of that in the work session. There is no specific use currently planned for the property. However, there is some development nearby. Many of you have noted the large single family subdivision that is under construction to the east and south that is bringing city utilities to the area. And so the area is becoming a little bit more ripe for development. And so commercial seems to be in the order. And you see the zoning pattern, but important to note is the character area for the area, which is community activity center, which allows the intensive forms of zoning. One thing to note is the R10 zoning is not compliant with this character area, it is simply not intensive enough. So commercial zoning is the typical one that you see, so that fits their request. aerial imagery this is from 2007 before some of the recent activities took place but I show this one to you where you can see in the upper right hand corner there's some existing wetlands on the property that is a natural separation between the developable area of this property and the developing subdivision to the east And so that will always be a sort of a natural buffer between. And so really the focus is on commercial development between here and InterPremier Road. There's already a convenience store there. There's also a retail store about to be built there as well. So this would be a way to fill in the gap in the future commercial area. Other things, subject property, as seen from across the street, is currently wooded. And as you look around in the area, zoom in on the subject property, this is that developing subdivision to the east. And then the view eastward down Park Avenue, out toward the eastern end of the city limits. And then back around the curve toward Interperimeter Road. Planning Commission reviewed this request at their public hearing on August 31st. They found the rezoning consistent with the comprehensive plan, consistent with the standards for exercise of zoning power, those are articulated there in your packet, and they are recommending approval of the rezoning by unanimous vote. Any questions on this one?

Any additional questions after Tuesday night's discussion? None. Matt, thank you. I'll offer this up as a public hearing item. I'll give 15 minutes for anybody that would like to come forward and speak in favor of this request. Please state your name and address.

I'm Robin Watts, and I'm representing my property. Hi, Robin. He was talking about me wanting to sell it and my gold and everything. I hope you don't mind if I wrote this down because I can't remember everything.

Not at all.

I'm not a public speaker. But I wanted to be transparent about my intentions. I do plan on eventually selling the property, but I don't want to just simply sell it to someone without caring about what happens to it. And I do know that it's in a prime area for a lot of good things that could happen with the community and for the community. So I don't know what that could be yet because I don't have any potential buyers or anything like that. But I'd really like to find someone who has a vision for it like I was thinking, you know? Someone who can take the property and turn it into something good. I'd love to see it become a place that's needed for the area. I know exactly what the future, I don't know what it's gonna be, but because I don't know who eventually will buy it, I do wanna create the opportunity for someone to come in with this particular zoning and be able to do something. You know what I mean? I'm not asking you to approve any kind of specific business or development right now or anything like that. I'm just asking you to allow the property to have that consistent zoning classification that I can believe fits best for the community and where it's located. I understand that whoever eventually purchases the property will still have to follow the county's rules and go through the proper process for whatever they propose to do there. But for me, this is really about giving the property a future. I have had it for a long time and I've contemplated different things, but I have extenuating circumstances where I don't live here and I can't develop stuff. So I believe that the CC zoning would give it that opportunity, because it did need to be cleaned up with the two different zonings that was on it already. I need to clean all that up. I sincerely hope that you will consider my proposal and rezoning.

Robin, thank you. Counsel, is there any questions for the applicant?

None.

Robin, thank you. Thank you.

Is there anybody else that would like to come forward and speak in favor of this request? Seeing none, is there anybody who would like to come forward and speak in opposition to this request? Again, seeing none, counsel, it's yours for action.

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to approve this request as stated. Second.

I have a motion and a second. Any further comments? All in favor, show of hands. Council, thank you. Congratulations. All right, we'll move on to the second item. Item B, consideration of an ordinance to grant planned development approval for residential development and single-family residential R-15 zoning. Matt, again, to present.

Yes, sir. Thank you, Mayor. This one is not a zoning change, but a planned development approval which as you know is sort of like a floating overlay approval of a master plan, is eligible to be asked for in any zoning district. The guidelines are that it follow, in general, the uses and density patterns allowable in the zoning district. In this case, it is property located on the north end of the city. In total, it's two parcels, 30.63 acres, currently zoned R15. You see the zoning patterns there on the map on your screen, and in the packet, you see everything that's in the city limits, which is west of Cherry Creek Road, is all R15. To the east, those are county zoning districts, R21 and R1, which are a little bit lower density. Character area map reflects in general the zoning pattern of the area. It's established residential for the subject property, or at least most of it. The PRC that you see there is for parks, recreation, and conservation. And for the subject property, that refers to the eight acre parcel. that the applicants also include in their request but that's for the existing pond that has been there for many many years and then you can see how that interconnects with the other water features that are nearby but in our comprehensive plan we note that as recreation and conservation area and then to the east in the county area you see it's more of a mixed character area pattern established residential suburban area and neighborhood activity center Aerial imagery from a couple years ago. Here, the pond sticks out a little more vibrantly, but you see the land is undeveloped. It is forest area that is starting to grow back. 20 years ago, it was more of a cleared piece of land, but Mother Nature has been busy in there with growing. But around it to the north and to the west, you see the rooftops. of the Cherry Creek Hills and the Lake Lorie neighborhoods. And then to the east you see the vacant lands that are there whose use really now is agriculture. Subject property, applicants have put this sign along Lake Lorie Drive to mark where their proposed project is going to be along the Lake Lorie frontage. Their property has frontage on Lake Lorie, Cherry Creek, and also South Lakeshore. Another imagery that's in the packet. And then in this presentation, this is the view looking down Lake Lorie Drive from Cherry Creek looking westward. Subject property is there off to the right. There's a little closer in view of the south end of that property. The utilities substation cluster that is right there, that is part in the right of way, part on the subject property itself. The pond that we had talked about that's on the western end of the property. A natural pond, but it could be a very nice amenity for development. And then some of the frontage here. This is one of the public hearing signs, one of the three. The frontage along South Lakeshore Drive. This is what I often call the South Georgia Jungle. Natural vegetation along the right-of-way itself. And then some of the adjacent properties. This is going back to the Lake Lorie Drive intersection, but now looking east for Cherry Creek. and they should pan around to the right, the house that is directly across the street, the other pond that is upstream from the subject properties pond, and then some of the home sites that are in the area. So these first few are home sites in the Lake Lorie subdivision, single family detached homes on good sized lots, a lot more upscale than what the R15 requires, but notice also the sidewalk and the curb and gutter, street pattern of the roads. And then when you get into South Lakeshore, it's a little different atmosphere, much larger lots, larger homes, but the streetscape itself changes to something more of a semi-rural from when it was starting development 50 years ago. You do not have the curb and gutter and the sidewalks, but a wholly different feel with the large yards. And then some of the homes there, a variety of architectural styles, all of them with large footprints, and have been there for a number of years. And these are all ones on South Lake Shore that abut the subject property. In your packet, there's lots of information, different pages that compose the master plan being proposed by the development. And just to run through these briefly, we cover these in detail at the work session. But the first one is the boundary survey. It shows the two parcels of the existing development, the 22.17 acres and then the eight and a half acres for the pond, and also shows the parcel lines of the subject property. There you see the eight individual lots along South Lakeshore and the group of houses on the cul-de-sac street that's on the other side of the pond. And then other drawings, we get into the master plan itself. which is really presented in layout in two different ways. What they are proposing is a private gated subdivision with 87 individual lots of individual single family homes, all interconnected by a common area rather than a conventional street right of way. So on a subdivision plan, it would look like this, individual lots and one big intricate common area. When you look at how it would be physically built, here you see the road of the roadway path that is within the common area that links the properties together, but is within the common area. But you also on this drawing see many of the amenities that they're proposing, the clubhouse, walking trails, other paths, of course the pond itself. The perimeter area around the development is shown here, which is part of the proposal. All of that is articulated in much greater detail in your packet. And then also on your master plan drawings is an inset table that is the proposed development standards. So R-15 zoning comes with its own development standards for conventional development. with plan development an applicant gets to propose their own standards for consideration and what they're proposing here is illustrated based on an a b and c style of housing lots and you see the quantity like for example style a 33 of those lots dimensions would be 45 feet wide 104 feet deep for the lot size. Front yard setbacks, 10 feet. Side yard on both sides, 5 feet. Rear yard, 5 feet, with a 2,300 square foot home in there. Two-story homes, which would be pretty much necessary on the small lots. And then you see the variety of lot patterns. You also see that none of these meet the R-15 minimums. They're all much lower than that, but they are offsetting that by a lot of open space that is being proposed. Other maps in your packet include these. This is a colored version of the previous map, but it illustrates in color where the A, B, and C styles would be located. So you see how they're arranging those in an organized way around the proposed community. And then another drawing similar to that is this one, the color rendering, doing the same thing but using different colors to highlight how the landscaping and the open spaces would look within the development. And the pond, of course, stands out very prominently. Building elevations, these are conceptual architectural drawings of how the different styles of building would look. This is the one that has the front-loading garages. Here you see the two-story nature of the houses. You see how close they are together as part of their minimum setbacks. And then some of the other drawings would include this. This is one that they are proposing that has a driveway up one side of the lot to a rear garage tucked in pretty tightly in the backyard. And then another similar drawing here. These are conceptual, but architectural styles. Some of the imagery, we had talked about some of the other neighborhoods, but that's not part of the proposal, but we can get into these if you so desire. Hand development has a lot of features that come with it, and your packet includes a list of deviations from the R-15 zoning, where they do not follow what's required under normal R-15 conditions. Planning Commission held their public hearing on August 31st. They went through a series of votes, but their final recommendation to you is a recommendation of tabling for two months to allow the applicant to make some modifications to their development plan. However, no parameters were given as to what those modifications should be, but that is a vote that is five to four. only because the Vice Chair broke the tie in favor of the motion to table. Before that, it was a motion to recommend approval with just a few conditions. Also resulted in a tie vote. The Vice Chair on that initial vote broke the tie against the motion. So there's a long story, again, to the voting record of the Planning Commission. But what's being presented to you is a recommendation for tabling for two months. um handouts i gave you on the work session include all of these items in your packet also included part of the history of the property the applicant has owned this for 11 years but previous to that there was a rezoning request in 2007 that was very controversial it filled the chambers kind of like tonight that ended up in a withdrawal by the applicant City Council in that year tabled the request, and before it could come back, the applicant withdrew. That was 19 years ago. Different applicant, very similar design, but I included in your handouts a copy of that layout plan from 2007 as a comparison. Five months ago, there was a request to rezone a portion of this property to high-density residential. That was to help lay groundwork for a plan development request for this whole property, but to introduce the possibility of multifamily development in addition to single-family. They were contemplating a mixed residential plan development at that time. Also met with a lot of controversy. The applicants withdrew the request. And then here a few months later, same applicant requesting just the plan development proposal, but for single family, you see generally not single family and multifamily. Based on the raw numbers, when you add in the eight acre pond, it barely meets the possibility of 87 houses. That's based on the entirety of the 30.63 acres, otherwise the numbers would be quite a bit less than that. Again, we talked about that at length at the work session. Planning Commission had asked staff at their work session to prepare a list of potential conditions of approval in case they wanted to recommend that way. I provided them a list of 14 conditions that are based on previous plan development requests that we've had for them to pick and choose from, and I've given you a copy of that list as well in case you wanted to look at that also. um other than that the applicants are here there's lots of folks here in the public who i think want to speak to you um i'll try and answer any additional questions that you might have council any questions for matt this time yeah man i'd like to ask a question if you go back to the to the

plan development slide right there that one is yeah I just want to let the record reflect that Tuesday I turned in a updated of this so everybody know that the road that leads on to Lakeshore Drive Actually is not a road anymore. So there's no no road. It's spinning onto that drive It's been closed off actually, so I just want everybody to know that if case you're looking at this They'll understand that the packet has not been updated but

we are aware that that has been done correct and thank you councilman i've forgotten that i got it on tuesday night but the only difference is we see that gated access to south lake shore that's changed to a small like a half cul-de-sac right as a terminus for the street um that's the only change though that they've made to their plan then everything else seems to be the same to me yes sir

yes councilman thank you any other questions for matt none matt thank you again this is a public hearing item we'll offer 15 minutes per side that being said is there anybody who would like to come forward and speak in favor of this request good evening mr mayor members of the council

I'm Bill Langdale, 2519 Jerry Jones here in Valdosta. I appreciate this opportunity to be before you today. I do represent the applicant, and I talk some at the work session and ask some questions, so I'm gonna be briefer. I got scolded at the earlier meeting when we, at the planning commission, because I took all the time and there was some people wanting to talk, so if you would please cut me off at seven minutes. I have confirmed with, well anyway, I was gonna make a joke about I've earned my fee if I make seven minutes, but anyway, you know, the question before you today is probably not difficult, and I know there are people on both sides. The question is, does the city of Valdosta wanna see an architecturally designed garden homes Or do you wanna see, with no architectural design, another R15 development? And that's really the question. It's not gonna, and some people would prefer it stay just like it is, like it's been for, I guess forever, because nothing's ever been there. But it's not gonna stay like it is. It's gonna go one way or the other, and the question is what would you prefer? I might use a word another night at the works I use I wrote it down, controversial, controversial. I was involved in the first one. And that involved an element of multifamily. We had 250 signatures out of this community, out of this neighborhood, approving that plan. But we had friends that wanted to see us do this development. So they pulled it and we refiled it in the garden home concept. which they favor and they like a great deal. After the meeting the other night, and I took all the time, they suggested, said, well, if you can't control how long you talk, let's get a petition. So, and I think you've seen some, but if you don't mind, I'm just going to hand them out. Ms. Vivian, if I could hand them to you. I think we could have had 250 or more. Most people that study what we are asking for like the concept, like what we're asking, and would like to see it approved. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that they wouldn't prefer to have it not developed. What some of them are saying is that, look, I know what an R-15 subdivision looks like, and I don't want an R-15 subdivision at my front door. He said, but I like your concept. You probably can't see that. It's the colored version. Matt, do you have the flipper? Well, could you step a little closer and see if you can get in range? I think if we get to that one, it's a little easier to see than what I brought. You know, at the Planning Commission, Matt also referred to a large crowd. And I meant to ask all of them in support at that time, but I ran out of time totally and they asked me to sit down. There were actually more people in support than there were against it, because a lot of the homeowners feel very strongly about having a real up upscale development at the front door rather than what might be there. Let me go through why we want to do this development, why we think it's better. We want an upscale garden houses with an average of 2,100 square feet versus what you would have with a vinyl siding R-15 that could be 1,200. And I'm not saying it would be 1,200 because I'm sure there'd be more than 1,200, but it could be 1,200. you wouldn't see any 2,100 feet houses because the builders aren't going to build that big because they're going to maximize their profit. We believe and want an upscale development that preserves common area. And I want you to look at your chart that you have. All that green is common area. 60% of this development is common area. You have never seen that in the R-15, and I don't think you ever will. We want amenities. You don't have any amenities whatsoever in R-15. Nothing, nothing at all. I don't even think you have a walking trail. You have sidewalks because y'all require it. But in this development, if you look, you've got a clubhouse, swimming pool, you've got walking trails, you've got green areas, you've got a, I'm gonna call it a fishing pavilion, because they're gonna make the lake prettier than it already is and places to fit. and fish, and you just don't have that in R15. Plus, if you're riding by, it'll be much prettier than what you would have normally. But you've got a gated community. You don't have a gated community in R15. It's gonna be public streets, but you don't have a decorative, architecturally designed entry that's gated, where you've got exclusivity and nicer homes. You've got professional landscaping. Look at all the lawns, because They're gonna have one or two contractors that keep all the lawns, and why? Because they want it to look good. They don't want to see what you normally see in most subdivisions in this town if you run through. And just a very few years in an R-15, you know, you'll have mixed types of fences, some wood, some plastic, all different colors. You'll have trampolines in the yard. You'll have pool above and below ground. You'll have cars on jacks. You'll have a lot of things that aren't gonna be in this subdivision. It's gonna be pristine because why? The homeowners are gonna control it and they're gonna be paying, am I running out of time? Okay, well, let me quickly say lot sizes. I might make a big thing about lot sizes, but remember, we're not after first-time homeowners. We want people that want lower maintenance. So we want, we're looking at the doctors that are coming to the hospital. We're looking at the professors that are coming to Mercer. We're looking at people that want to downsize. We're looking at people that don't want to mow grass. And that's what it's about, and that's where the trends go. And you have that, you've got Bellmead, you've got Wild Matter, you've got Farmington Court. You've got some good examples of how this concept works. And I guess I'd better stop. Thank you.

Sorry, time left for anybody else that wants to come speak in favor of this request.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, fellow council members. My name's Jeff Hanson. I live on Valerie Place, which is right down the road from this development, so I would go by it every day. I've lived there for 23 years. We talk about the different plans and the changes. yeah i really look at that as uh the builders being very deliberate they've been out talking to neighbors they've looked at it they've made changes based off comments they've received i think they've really done everything they could do uh to obviously have a quality product but also fit the neighborhood and do you know uh make changes as as you as you've seen before when it was tweaked just a little bit ago. They did that to accommodate the neighbors and residents. So I think they've been very accommodating. I've had the opportunity to know RST for a long, long time. Been doing business here for 20 plus years. They do very high quality work. This will be a quality development. I assure you that the city will be very proud of, and I know as a resident, I certainly would be. Don't want to regurgitate what Mr. Langdale said, but You know, I've seen a lot of projects come and go, and I think that this is probably the best one that I have seen that fits the neighborhood. I really think that it fits the neighborhood and the quality of homes that we have. It really will enhance, I think, protect the value of everybody in the neighborhood for reasons that they've stated, and y'all looked at the plans. These would be, again, high-quality homes. This design, I agree, they're not looking for, people that come here are not looking really to, they just want a nice house with little maintenance. So the density issues and those type things are geared to that. And to me, that's a positive, not a negative. The impact of the traffic, I really don't think is a big deal. This is not that much. I think you've looked at it. Cherry Creek Road can easily handle the traffic coming and going. Nobody likes traffic. It's an issue we all deal with, but based on how it's, you know, the road capacity and that sort of thing, it's just really a non-factor. So it really just comes down to design and the quality. So I think this is a fantastic development. I'm strongly in favor, and I would emphasize you've got the petition. The vast majority of the folks that live here are in favor of this, in my opinion, the ones that I have talked to, and that's 100-plus residents. So I just encourage you to consider the request, and I urge you to vote in favor of it. Thank you. Yep, thank you.

Is there anybody else that would like to come forward and speak in favor of this request at this time? We still have about four minutes remaining.

How are y'all doing? My name is Nick Daugherty and I have resided at 904 Crown Ridge Court since 2007. I'm here in support of the planned development North Park. I recognize that this is not an easy decision for the council given the mixed feelings surrounding this project. However, as many of us are aware, there are actually two potential plans for this property. Plan number one is what y'all have seen so far. The North Park subdivision is a gated community that will be similar in construction, if not superior to the existing homes in Cherry Creek. Although the lots are smaller than some would prefer, this development would bring a gated, secure, custom-style home subdivision to the city limits of Valdosta, which is not currently available. This subdivision is designed for individuals looking to downsize from larger homes and who are simply tired of maintaining their current residences. It will feature a 10-foot berm around the property and a gated entrance to provide the homeowners with a greater sense of security. North Park include restricted covenants and amenities intended to attract home buyers who wish to remain within the city limits and is our new custom-built home. Currently, there are only two lots available in the city limits in the MLS. One is in Eager Subdivision and one is in Cherry Creek North, where a custom-built home, similar to what they're proposing, would be constructed. This scarcity is the primary reason most of the custom-built homes are built in Kinderloo Forest, as it's virtually the only remaining option for custom construction. If this is voted down, then comes plan two. Plan two would remain R15 zoning. They would develop the subdivision as economically as possible. Sell all the lots to one, two or three builders with no restrictive covenants aside from the 1200 square foot minimum required by R15. The approach would essentially involve clear-cutting the property, installing a road, and allowing builders to construct whatever they choose. This means if a builder wishes to construct 50 rental homes, rent them all out, package them up, sell them to an investor, they're permitted to do it. D.R. Horton did exactly this in 2023, selling a package of rental homes to a group in Salt Lake City, Utah for $12 million. this was in stonebrook subdivision which is located kind of on the corner near barack obama boulevard and bemis road on the biles property where they developed it additionally three builders have already approached the owner with offers to purchase these lots as soon as they are ready for our 15 development the city of idospha already has several such subdivisions under construction with more planned for the future on inner perimeter alone there are over 400 lots being developed across three subdivisions or track-built homes. In my opinion, I would prefer a planned community with custom-built homes over another home subdivision that will likely become a mixed-use area of rental and owner-occupied homes within five years. I respectfully ask the council to consider this rezoning request and approve it on the basis that it will be similar in construction as to what already exists in Cherry Creek and that it represents the type of desirable development the city of Valdosta needs if we're going to continue to grow. Thank you all very much.

Thank you.

there anybody else that would like to come forward i have about 50 seconds left on the clock 15 seconds 50 5 0 5 50 thank you my name is gus walters thank you mr mayor and commissioners my wife and i live at two lees crossing we've been in the carry creek subdivision for 11 years and i'm here tonight to express my support for the north park development as someone who already calls this area home i care very much about what happens to the entrance of our neighborhood I believe North Park will not only protect the value and integrity of Cherry Creek, but will create an attractive entrance to our community that we can be proud of. I also believe this type of residential development in Valdosta needs. North Park isn't simply about building more houses. It offers a smaller, private, well-managed community with amenities that people are looking for today. Walking trails, clubhouse, community pool, attractive common areas, and a beautiful pond just on the other side of the property. Those features create a sense of community and encourage homeowners to take pride where they live. Yes, that wraps it up for that side. Thank you. We understand the sentiment.

Thank you. All right, we're going to open it up for those in opposition, that same 15 minutes. Those that are in attendance, is that what you're asking? Yep, all right, that is absolutely fair. Anybody in support of this project that would like to stand right now, please do. And I'll give that same opportunity in opposition in a minute here. Thank you, thank you all. All right, we're gonna start the clock now for 15 minutes. Those in opposition, please, please.

To the honorable mayor and council, my name is Willie Housel. I live at 764 Lake Laurie Drive, Valdosta, Georgia. I'm here to vote against, if you will help me vote against this building project in the Cherry Creek Hills subdivision. And after consulting with our planning department, I conducted my own feasibility study in the proposal planning development at the site of Cherry Creek Road in Lake Laurie Drive. I'm here to speak in opposition to the housing development. The development may appeal to some, but in my opinion does not fit the character of the houses in the neighborhood adjacent to the project. The building and planning have gone over and above They request an unusual versus in an attempt to meet established building standards. I'm still trying to comprehend the logic in building 85 or 87 small condo-style dwellings without thinking about the consequences of building this many units in such a small area. By including these eight acres of the pond into the 22-acre building plan, it does not negate the reflection of the potential overcrowding conditions that may occur later on. We were made aware that the development could be built smaller homes in this location without any variances at all. But to my knowledge, they would be building these homes on 60 lots rather than building the 85 or 87 units currently proposed. The planning commission meeting did not go as I expected on August the 31st, 2026. I thought that this would be a cut and dry case favoring the Cherry Creek neighbors. No one came to my house asking for support. The hour-long discussion of the matter ended in kicking the can down the road. Commission could not come to a favorable conclusion on our behalf. In the 24 years I've lived in Cherry Creek, I've witnessed the pride that the residents take in maintaining their properties. I invite any of you to take a ride through our neighborhood, and you will find pristine lawns professionally cared for, beautiful architectural design homes displaying their southern charm. There are no two houses alike in this neighborhood that makes it very unique. Any number of these homes could easily be featured in the Home and Garden magazine. Many questions have not been answered concerning this project because the various city departments have not signed off on them as of yet. Issues pertaining to the three to five feet variances with some setbacks on property lines, water and sewage issues, storm water drainage issues, water quality, increased traffic in the area, decreased equity on some of the homes adjacent to this development. The location of these two gates, for instance, entering and exiting the proposed housing development is still unresolved. Therefore, I humbly request that you vote no on this housing development. And as I close, I would like to leave you with one rhetorical question. Where is the logic in building two-story houses for retirees and specifically, where many retirees are experiencing knee problems, hip problems, back problems, and in some cases, all three. At this point, I would like to thank you for allowing me to make this presentation and for attention in this matter. May God bless you all, thank you.

Willie, thank you. Is there anybody else that would like to speak in opposition to this request at this time? Please come forward. Thank you.

I'm Connie Ledbetter. My husband and I live at 524 Shirley Place. We're opposed to this development. We feel that in no way does it fit with our neighborhood at all. We're opposed to the design. We feel like it's more like a dormitory or an institution than it is fitting into a neighborhood. We're very concerned about the impact of traffic, especially school and work peak hours, and we feel that it would completely change the community that we call home. This type of infill housing has been repeated in Valdosta, and the end result is that city residents are moving to the county, which is what will happen with many of the people who are impacted by this development. and it should be very concerning all the pressure that's being put on so many here, residents, council, to go along with this plan or plan or else what's going to happen to us, what's gonna happen to our community. The community that we have, and it was very well presented, I was concerned about that. People in our neighborhoods walk in the afternoon. They ride bikes. They ride golf carts. They push strollers. They push parents. You speak to people you don't know. You wave to people who are passing. People don't speed through our neighborhood. People care about their neighbors. People assist their neighbors when we have hurricanes, when we have sickness, when we have deaths. We know each other. We are not a neighborhood of transition, people moving in to live here for two or three years or four years. We're a neighborhood where people move to raise their families and retire and stay. That's what we're looking for. That's all we're asking for in what you're giving to us. If you want people to live in the city, support the people who have families. We respectfully ask that you do not approve this development. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Ledbetter. Still eight and a half minutes left. Is there anybody else that would like to come forward and speak in opposition to this request?

Eight.

All right, so I wanna say good evening to the mayor and to the members of the city council. My name is Gail Finley, and my husband and I, we reside at 1148 Old Meadow Road. So, pretty much just coming as a homeowner at the mercy of the council just to say cherry creek is an established low density single family neighborhood and many of us know that and many of us we purchase our home because of that simple fact The R-15 zoning designation was not a minor detail. It was a part of a commitment made to the homeowners who invested their monies, where we have raised our families, we pay taxes, and we build our lives in this particular community. So I'm just asking the council tonight to just place yourself in our shoes. How would you feel if you saved your monies, purchased a home in a single family neighborhood, paid your taxes year after year, and then learned that a developer wanted the city to change to this new project? How would you feel if the decision beyond your control threatened the value of the largest investment that you could ever make in your life. How would you feel if the peaceful interests of your neighborhood could be altered or destroyed to accommodate a developer that was never part of a community you chose? Would you consider that to be fair if it was happening in your neighborhood, on your street, or next door to your home? So tonight, I just stand on behalf of my husband and I, depending on you all to understand that this is not merely a developmental proposal to us. This is our neighborhood. These are our homes. This is where our children and our grandchildren visit and play. This is where we expect to feel safe. This is where many of us plan to remain for the rest of our years. We also have to consider that our interest that was so graciously displayed on the imaging, that that's our interest to our subdivision. We look forward to coming in that entrance and exiting that entrance, and we do not want that to be altered. This entrance is more than a driveway or a strip of a pavement. It's a part of our identity, safety, and appearance, and a peaceful enjoyment of Cherry Creek. It should not be damaged, destroyed, or subsequently altered to benefit a developer that is incompatible with our neighborhood. There are serious concerns that must be answered. How will we handle the additional traffic that will affect our residents entering and leaving this subdivision? What will happen during our peak hours in the morning and in In the in the evening time how would the construction vehicle affect our roles and interests who would pay for damages maintain? Drainage improvement traffic control and any other needs so these questions should be answered through complete and independent traffic drainage the property impact studies Not promises estimates estimates and and of course anything that's going to affect our community whether you know it or not the emotional effect on the community is already visible we have four homes that have already gone up for sale which is ridiculous people do not need to put their homes up for sale for any reason this is the area that we chose whether this proposal is the sole reason for each house to be sold or one of the several factors the timing demonstrate the fear and the uncertainties that residents experiencing families should not feel pressured to leave an established neighborhood because they believe their voices will not be heard or their investments will not be protected so this is not right and it's not fair we recognize that the community grow and that the responsibility the development has placed however growth must be compatible carefully planned and respectfully of the residents who are already here progress should not require sacrificing and establishing neighborhood or disregarding the reasonable expectations of its homeowners we understand that the decision was with the council in that sense we are at the mercy of the governing body we ask that you not to view just the authority of the permission to overlook our concerns but as a as a reasonable to protect the public interest and make a decision that is fair to the people who elect you and pay taxes to the city. So on behalf of my husband and I, who are taxpayers, honestly we do not want our home to be devalued and certainly we don't want our property taxes to increase. So we ask that you all consider those that are living in this neighborhood, that chose to live in this neighborhood when it comes to joining with us in denying the proposal for the development. Thank you.

Gail, thank you. Still three minutes and 20 seconds left for anybody that wants to come forward and speak in opposition to this request. all right seeing none in honor it's uh in all fairness excuse me anybody that has shown up in opposition to this request please stand thank you everybody all right council this is yours for action mayor um i'd like to make a motion

that we approve the plan development approval uh... we have four changes on the conditions uh... i'll read them out uh... condition one uh... the approval shall be granted for non-conventional single-family residential subdivision with a maximum of eighty two detached dwellings not eighty seven but eighty two of them uh... number five where it says at the bottom minimum building setbacks for each residential lot shall be ten feet for the front yard secondary side yards would be at least five feet instead of six feet that corresponds with the handout that was given to us council during Tuesday night's meeting number seven Fences may be allowed around the perimeter of the rear yards and side yards. So we are going to take out the whole side yards or front, rear, wall, line, corner, dwelling, all that stuff. So simply just fences may be allowed around the perimeter of the rear and side yards of residential lots. And then number eight. Where'd you do them on number eight? That's one of my packet up here I'm playing. Number eight is a little bit long, but basically what number eight basically says is that the common areas shall include a minimum 30 foot wide buffer around the whole entire development as it sees right here. But there also will be an eight foot berm that will also go in between the Lake Laurie Drive along the Lakeshore South Drive and per year um and you know the vegetation fence per landscape approval by the city arborist so the city will have a say in what all gets planted there the buffer yard portions adjacent cherry creek road along later already drive from cherry creek road all that stuff so anyhow the point is that there would be a vegetation eight-foot berm that would be there as well, which is not any different really from what's there now in the conditions that were given to us other than instead of it being an eight-foot tall masonry wall and all that stuff, it's now a berm. without, that's it, that's all I got.

Councilman, there's 14 conditions in all that were presented to you. Yes. Council, you're gonna have to read all 14 as you enter them into the record.

Whatever, if your motion is attached to certain conditions, read just, I hate to make you read all that, but.

I'm a school teacher, let's go.

Read the conditions you're proposing in your motion.

All 14, all right, y'all get a drink. um... condition one prayer shall be granted for a non-conventional single-family residential subdivision in our fifteen zoning with a maximum of eighty-two detached or welling units of individual lots in general accordance with the layout of the submitted master plans architectural schematics including depicted common areas and development amenities permitted uses and development shall be limited to one single family dwelling private gardens internal open space and depicted amenities on the master plans keeping a household pets like home occupations will produce No customers or client traffic and are in strict accordance with LDR Section 218-13HH. Without variance, there shall be no home, business, daycares, accessory dwellings, personal care homes, short-term rental facilities, nor any other LDR-defined permit or conditional use allow. Number two, as depicted on the approved master plans and developments shall include An internal share of private common area which provides vehicular and utilities access to the interior portions of development. This common area shall include a share of private access roadway within a minimum 40 foot wide path and includes a minimum 22 foot pavement width and is built to the city standards as approved by the city engineer. Number three, access to development shall utilize the depicted gated entrance from the abutting public streets with the design of these gates for emergency access being approved by the city engineer and city fire marshal. However, to depict the gate across from the South Lake Shore shall be eliminated with all appropriate dead end turnarounds being installed from development approximately to lot 33 as approved by the city engineer and fire marshal. 4. All dwelling units within development shall contain at least 2,100 square foot gross floor area, maximum two stories, and have an overall building height not to the C-35. 5. All residential lots with development shall be at least 45 feet wide and contain at least 4,500 square foot lot area. Minimum building setbacks for each residential lot shall be 10 feet for the front yard, very front side yard in the case of the corner lot, at least 5 feet for all other side rear yards, except for um along the cherry creek um cherry creek road number six uh there should be no detached accessory buildings swimming pools or accessory structures within the residential parcels development number seven fences may be allowed around the perimeter of the rear and side yards for residential lots Number eight, the common areas shall include a minimum of 30 foot wide buffer yard around the entire development. That includes walking trails and or cart passes depicted and includes canopy trees. Plant a 50 foot interval basis of landscape plan approved by the city arborist. The entire portion of the buffer yard adjacent to the residential lots facing South Lake Shore shall include an eight foot berm with landscape approval by the city arborist. Sorry, sorry. Number eight, the common areas shall include 30 foot wide buffer yard. Who typed this up? I need glasses. You don't mind? Lord. All right.

How do you put these things on?

The common areas shall include 30-foot-wide buffer yard around the entire development. It includes walking trails at the peak. It includes canopy trees planned on a landscape plan approved by the city arborist. The buffer yard adjacent to the residential lots facing south lake shore. Drive along west margin of the development of the Lake Laurie Drive. Then along Lake Laurie Drive back to the east side of Lake Sean of the plan shall include eight-foot-tall vegetative fence with irrigation landscaping as approved by the city arborist. The buffer yard portions adjacent to Cherry Creek Road And along Lake Laurier Drive from Cherry Creek Road to the east side of Lake Schoen on the plan shall include eight-foot-tall earthen berm, which irrigated landscaping as approved by the city arborist. The berm portion of the Schoen on the plan attached here to the date 9-10-26. Number nine, the common areas shall also include one or more shared mailbox kiosks for development, negative internal street lights and scattered guest parking spaces to accommodate at least 12 vehicles throughout the development. Internal walkways or sidewalks within the development shall Utilize decorative pavers for crosswalk intersections. Number 10, parking shall only be allowed within the paved private driveways or carport garages of each dwelling unit and within the designated shared guest parking spaces of the common area. There shall be no parking within the travel way of the shared internal private road nor any unpaved services. There shall be no outdoor parking or storage of any recreational vehicle or trailer nor any overnight parking of any commercial vehicle. 11. Development entrance signage shall be unlit and only consist of decorative mounted signs on masonry walls as monument signs not to exceed 10 feet in height. Entrance signage shall be reviewed and approved separately as a sign permit in accordance with the LDR regulation for such signs. The development, number 12, the development shall include restrictive covenants with architectural standards and the homeowner associations that is responsible for the ownership and proper maintenance of all common areas and private infrastructure. The city shall not be petitioned at any point in the future by the association or any property owners within the acceptance of maintenance of any roadways or any private infrastructure development. Proposed covenants shall be Review for these compliances and conditions for approval and approved by the city engineer, plane director, and city attorney before approval and recording of any subdivision plats for development. Number 13, all other applicable R15 development standards and city permitting requirements shall be followed. And number 14, plan development approval shall automatically expire three years from date of approval with no subdivision final plat for at least 20 of the residential lots has been approved and recorded by that date. And my motion reflects all those that I just read.

Reach over and smack that thing, really?

Back in my day on the farm when I had the auctioneer type thing. But then it's easier because it's just dealing with bulls and cows and horses and... Yep.

Yeah. And money. It picks it up anyway. Everything's still on. Everything. Yeah.

I can't consent to any of this stuff.

I've got to do it all separately.

All of them. Chiefs, everybody. They all take a separate role.

It's because the agreements and agreements require each individual agenda.

Tim Gould is such a nerd. He calls me and he's just all about it. He's like, isn't that exciting?

All right.

council we will continue now um item 3a is a consideration of a request to purchase and lease to own body cameras for the valdosta police department our police chief leslie manahan will come forward to present chief how you doing good how are you so the lobby's clear but they're still mulling down the stairway there You absolutely can. Who was that, was that the bishop? Miss Cody, thank you. Chief, thank you. Go ahead.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, City Manager. So Tuesday night, I talked to you all about the fact it's time for us to redo our technology. A lot of it is outdated. So we we have to make some new changes. So the first thing I'm bringing forward tonight is the lease to own agreement with the Motorola for their SVX body worn camera. Our current body cameras are over 12 years old and so they're no longer support for them. We can't repair them. We can't even buy them anymore. And we've definitely got 12 years of use out of them. So it's time to change them out. So the new Motorola SVX camera is compatible with the APX Next radios, and this would be used as a shoulder mic as well. And the lease-to-own proposal is for 180 SVX cameras, which includes support, maintenance, a five-year warranty, and five-year video storage, and all the accessories needed. So the total cost of the project is $1,154,600.13, which is broken down over five years, and it was approved as a SPLOST 9 project. The FY27 cost would be $399,782.81, with the next fiscal years of $188,704.33. Any questions?

Council, any additional questions for the Chief? Chief, thank you. Oops, sorry. No, I actually can't. I have to do them individually. Council, it's yours for action.

Mayor, I'm making a motion to approve the request as presented. Second.

I have a motion and a second. All in favor, show of hands. Council, thank you. Chief, item B, consideration of request to purchase and lease to own new Motorola APX. Next, portable radios.

Yes, sir. Along the same line, our current radios are over 13 years old and they're no longer supported either. So we can't repair them when they're damaged and we can't get new ones. And they're also not compatible with what we've got to be compatible with now, which is the Lowndes County E911 time division. multiple access radio network the tdma and that's the standard now that's going to be required by the lowndes county e911 center the lowndes county e911 center has actually approved this particular radio from motorola last year i came forward in front of you all to purchase 10 of them we've tried them out and they work great with our department we haven't had any issues So the lease-to-own proposal is for 165 of the APX Next radios with all accessories, five-year warranty and support. The total cost of this project is $2,125,220.57, and it, again, is also a SPLOST 9 project. For FY27, the cost would be $463,822.66. The next three fiscal years would be $447,220.66. And then the final fiscal year would be $319,735.93. Any questions? Council.

Bad question. You said you have audit 10 previously, right? Yes, ma'am. That would give us a total of 185. 175. 175, and that should give you enough for all your new additions and et cetera.

Yes, ma'am, and a couple extra in case we do have to send them off for repair. Yes, ma'am, thank you. Thank you.

Council, any further questions?

How long did these last, the last ones?

The last one we've had, a little over 13 years.

Okay. Council, further questions? All right. Chief, thank you. Council, it's yours for action.

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to approve this request as stated by our chief.

Second.

Motion and a second. All in favor, show of hands. Council, thank you. Thank you. Chief, your cheapest ask, item C. Yes. Consideration of request to purchase and lease to own new in-car camera systems.

Yes, sir. This too is from Motorola. Our current in-car camera system was purchased out of the last eight for a five-year lease to own purchase in 2021. They no longer fall under maintenance agreements or warranties, so they're no longer supported. So Motorola is the sole manufacturer of the M500 in-car camera system. And it does all three of these items do work together. They'll have the same storage area. So that's going to save us money in the long run when it comes to storing videos. So the lease to own proposal for this is 130 M. M500 in-car systems, which includes a five-year warranty, all the hardware, ALPR access, five-year warranty, and five years of video storage. So the total cost of this project is $844,375. Again, this is a SPLOST 9 project. FY27, the cost would be $160,000, and for the next four fiscal years, it would be $171,093.75. Any question?

Council, any questions for the Chief? Yes, so in total, over the course of five years, this is about a total of $4 million?

Yes, sir.

I'm going through it in my head, but about around $4 million.

You're a lot smarter than me and you're faster than me, because I'd say close to that.

Okay, thanks, Chief. Council, any further questions? the clerk reflected no Christmas presents and no birthday presents for the chief for five years council it's yours for action mr. mayor I make a motion to approve this item as presented second motion in a second all in favor show of hands cheap it was a good night for you thank you thank you Move on to item D, consideration of an agreement for professional admin service. The Southern Georgia Regional Commission for Drainage Improvements to Browns Canal. Ben O'Dowd, our city engineer, to present. How you doing, Ben?

Doing well. Thank you all for having me. First item is CDBG grant administration. Y'all have seen, I believe, three agenda items to date for this same grant application. This is our CDBG disaster relief grant application for the Browns Canal project that we're seeking to get funding for. This is the approval of a contingent professional services agreement with SGRC staff for them to perform all of the necessary CDBG administrative effort associated with the project if we were to receive funds. Their services will be funded out of the grant disbursement through the CDBG DR grant program Any questions on this outside of questions on this item?

Cheers for action mayor make a motion to approve the request as presented Second motion in a second all in favor show of hands Council, thank you and good luck on that one I to be a consideration of our quest to approve the actual cost utility agreement

the georgia department of transportation for the relocation of utilities on country club drive am i correct yes sir so this is associated with the country club uh tia project that is scheduled for letting this fall um associated with the project there will be storm piping uh road widening sidewalk installation things of that nature The new roadway improvements and drainage improvements associated with the work are the city's existing water main along Country Club is in conflict in several locations. GDOT is willing to participate in the cost of that utility relocation in the amount of $1,029,300, which is elaborated upon in the actual agreement which council would be approving the signature of. Any questions on this one?

It's not a question of what your presentation is. Yes, ma'am. But my question is, do you have an idea how much time it's going to take to complete that project?

The total project or just the utility relocation?

The total project in that area because the traffic is backed up, you know.

On Country Club, I would say several years, a few years at least, yeah. And they may beat that number, I hope they do, but I would say two years.

So what about Jarrah Jones?

That, I believe, at the outset was anticipated to take three to five years. The wide range and variability in schedule on that one is due to utility relocations and the complexity of that element of any roadway construction project.

Thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Council, any other questions for Ben? All right, Council, it's yours for action. Mayor, I make a motion we approve the cost utility agreement.

Second.

Motion and a second. All in favor, show of hands. Thank you, Ben. Don't go too far. Go to item 4A, consideration of a resolution of support for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Downtown Development Revolving Loan Fund for redevelopment of a property located at 119 West Central Avenue. Cameron Harris. Our Main Street Program Coordinator, Cameron. First time to the mic.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, City Manager. Good evening. This is a request for a letter of support for a completed project done by Mr. Jamie Phelps. He's on our CBDA board and he's a local property owner. It is located at 119 West Central Avenue. This is just needed to complete his revolving loan application through the Department of Community Affairs.

Council, any questions? Questions?

on camera thank you council yours for action may i make a motion that we approve the resolution second motion in a second all in favor show of hands council thank you cameron thank you move on to item b consideration of a resolution for the adoption of the georgia department of transportation local delivery agreement for the barack obama boulevard widening project

Yes, sir. As I kind of elaborated upon on Tuesday, items 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4D are effectively identical to one another. These are local resolutions in support of local delivery applications for TIA projects. The first one is Barack Obama Boulevard. which was originally proposed to be a TIA-LET project. The TIA program is willing to delegate the responsibility and effort for the delivery of that project to the City of Valdosta staff. We're desirous of this outcome because we believe it'll lead to greater project success. As I explained on Tuesday, the nature of the construction of this project being split between you know north side drive and inner perimeter and then subsequently the tia portion being from us-84 to north side drive we're hopeful that if we bid the two projects in tandem with one another that we'll be able to select one bidder for the two independent projects um but that's not a guaranteed outcome our desire is to see that happen so that we can have one contractor working on the project any questions on this one any questions on item b council

i do i still got that question about i know it was the design bill is what more that they were talking about what you was telling me last time but i know when we started with this whole project it was all going to be one it eventually got separated to from perimeter to north side and what i'm looking at and trying to get clear in my head i thought that portion and everything that was needed for north side to perimeter was already taken care and you know was just not going to be part of what we do from north side to 84. but that's not what you're seeing now it is going to be part of then it's going to be all the way from perimeter to 84.

yes yes and that was you know the the intent of originally the the project scope was to go from all the way from us 84 to inter perimeter road and the tia scope had to be withdrawn to north side drive um due to budget constraints and then the city of aldosta is delivering the portion of the project from north side drive to uh in a perimeter road and the City Council, you have approved the design proposals for the roadway construction design for that portion of the project, as well as the utility relocation portion of the project.

For which portion, the north side to perimeter?

Yes, ma'am. And that element of the project is under design currently. The plans have not been completed yet. The plans are complete for the portion of the TIA project, which runs from US 84 to Northside. And that project is currently, that portion of the project is currently in the right-of-way acquisition phase, which means that the right-of-way acquisition team is working through parcel acquisition with each of the effective property owners that are adjacent to the project. So, but eventually the plans will be complete, right-of-way acquisition will be complete, and we'll bid the two projects independently of one another, and we're hopeful that we can, that one contractor will be low bidder on both. But again, this agenda item is just to shift it from city management to City of Valdosta.

Council, any additional questions for Ben on this very important project? All right, Ben, thank you. Council, it's yours for action.

Mayor, make a motion to approve this request as presented.

second i have a motion and second all in favor show of hands council thank you ben thank you same resolution but for the north side drive extension project yes sir this is the local delivery agreement for the uh again i believe that's the park avenues 4d maybe incorrect um or am i one ahead of myself you went ahead of yourself should be i should be item c north side drive extension

you i appreciate that this is the local delivery resolution supported local delivery agreement for northside drive extension which is a voter approved tia 2 project which runs from jc shack to park avenue any questions on this one council yes ma'am all right ben thank you council yours for action

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to approve this request as stated.

Second. I have a motion and a second. All in favor, show of hands. Council, thank you. Item D, same sort of resolution, but for the Park Avenue Road Widening Project.

Yes, sir. This is same exact thing, but for the Park Avenue Road Widening Project for TIA 2. Any questions on this one?

Yes. Why don't you take 30 seconds and explain what they're going to do to that road?

uh we don't know the you know in-depth specifics yet but the general intent is to provide pedestrian multimodal improvements as well as a general road widening to provide additional lane capacity or park avenue you know right now we're looking at the the range from i believe barack obama boulevard to interparameter road is the general scope of work It's currently a two-lane rural ditch section with some at-grade pedestrian improvements, and the goal is to provide a eight-foot multipurpose trail on one side of the roadway and a five-foot pedestrian sidewalk on the other. So there's a lot of benefit to this. It will interconnect very nicely with the eight-foot multipurpose trail that we're proposing to install along Barack Obama all the way from Inter Perimeter to US 84. We have a heavy volume of cyclist traffic as well as pedestrian movement on Barack Obama Boulevard as well as Park Avenue with the schools and all the residential adjacent commercial. It's a high value project that's gonna drastically improve the flow of traffic as well as the safety for our vulnerable road users. Any other questions on this?

No, brilliant. Thank you, Ben. Council, it's yours for action.

Mr. Mayor, I make a motion to approve this request as presented. Second.

Motion to second. All in favor, show of hands. Council, thank you. Ben, thank you. Item E, same. Melody Lane, Lankford Drive, surface maintenance and pedestrian improvements.

Yep, so this is the last one. This is Melody and Lankford from St. Augustine Road to Baytree. And we will be doing capital maintenance on this. It's a very straightforward project. We're milling and overlaying the existing asphalt that's in deteriorating condition on that roadway. re-striping it. The road section is not changing. We're gonna go back with a three lane with the bike lanes. And then we're gonna try and provide some pedestrian infill on this, which is basically us identifying gaps in sidewalk interconnectivity and filling those gaps with pedestrian improvements. So. Awesome.

Questions, council?

Yes, sir.

Are they gonna finally take care of that dip?

That dip, if you're referring to the one near the apartments at the bottom, so that dip is actually going to get resolved as part of the reamer trunk line rehab project that's under design currently. There's a large diameter sanitary sewer gravity line that runs through there. And that's settlement around that due to the gradual compaction and this upgrade.

Good deal.

So, but yes, not as part of this project, but as part of another project.

Well, in that case, I'll make a motion to approve this request as presented.

Second. Motion and a second. All in favor, show of hands. Council, thank you. Ben, thank you. Exciting night. We'll move on to the citizens to be heard portion of the evening. It's the portion where we ask you to come forward and state your name and address so that we may have it for the record. Our policy requires you stay under three minutes so that others have time to be heard. Please direct all comments to council as a whole. Do not attempt to engage individual members of council and debate. It is our policy to follow through with you and your concern almost immediately. We ask that any groups that want to address the council designate one spokesperson also in the interest in time. With that being said, is there anybody that would like to come forward and speak at this time?

Good evening.

My name is Gracie Bacon. I live at 708 Holly Drive. On Harley coming out onto Lee, we got a problem with cars parking on the sidewalk. That forces me to pull out too far from the stop sign. You got to pull out way out or the front end of your car could be easily hit because you're pulling out too far. But they are parking on the sidewalk of only street. They park on the sidewalk. and they're parking on the road yesterday i had to back up because there's so many cars at 7018 holly drive there's so many cars and and i promise you all those people don't live at 7018 holly drive they don't live there they may pretend they live there that's the boarding house that you all haven't checked on another thing we have in people selling goods on Saturday and Sunday on Holly Drive, selling food from my house on Holly Drive. Also, I know you all made this new rule about the garbage, which I love. I love the rule, but it doesn't apply to everybody. We have a whole lot of garbage right now. Garbage on Holly Drive is picked up on Tuesday morning. your your dump trucks are coming out maybe Tuesday late Tuesday or Wednesday morning for one house for garbage it is not in the garbage can it's not in the garbage bag it blows over everybody's yard and we spent our time picking up other people's garbage and some of that garbage i won't explain to you because we don't need to see it but uh that garbage is not in a bag it's not in a can it's in nothing it's there now garbage is picked up tuesday it won't be picked up again until tuesday So from now until Tuesday, that garbage is gonna be on that road, and it's gonna blow everywhere. And it stays there every week, and how anybody can afford to pay Valdosta City that much money to come out every week, an extra big dumpster coming out every week, I don't know. But they pick it up Wednesday, and Thursday it's back again, and it'll be back there to Tuesday. It's not in the can, it's in nothing. It's just there, everything, all kind of garbage, boxes, everything. The police department has done a good job, but the police, I'm gonna tell them they got another problem. They got prostitution, and it's not exclusive to women. It's women and men. They are walking all night to that one house in their backyard. So you got to deal with prostitution, selling food, and cars. Thank you.

Ms. Bacon, thank you. Are there any other citizens wishing to be heard at this time? Like, name an address.

My name is Kenneth Chabot. I live on VSU on Georgia Hall. I think that I can speak for a lot of people here in Valdosta when I say that it's hot. And I know it may seem like a silly issue that we can't do anything about, but I think we could do a lot more than we actually think to handle this South Georgia heat. Some time ago, I don't remember the date off the top of my head, but there was a study done in the University of New Hampshire, where they came to the conclusion that, with heavily treed areas, it can reduce heat by 20 to 45 degrees. That's a really big deal, especially when we're facing over 90 degree heat, when it feels like 105. Now, I understand that Helene has knocked down a lot of our trees locally around Valdosta. My proposal is we should start trying to plant more trees. We get the city more trees that provide more natural shade. and it makes it easier to walk around the city, easier to go out, easier to go to work, more bearable to just go outside in general. I know it takes a long time for trees to grow. There's also a procedure where you can replant fully grown trees. It is expensive, I understand that, but that's more for if you're more of a an urgent solution rather than a long-term one, because planting saplings takes a long time, but I feel like this is something we should consider as a city, because everyone's hot, and I feel like regardless of your views, Anyone would appreciate going outside and not melting due to the weather and the humidity, right? Maybe we can't do anything about humidity, but if there's two sides to a coin and one side can be fixed but not the other, it feels kind of silly to not try to fix the portions that we can as a city. Thank you.

Thank you. Are there any other citizens wishing to be heard at this time? Seeing none, I'll close out this portion of the, oh, I apologize, come forward.

My name is John Perez Hernandez. I live in Ado, Georgia, so 30 minutes away from here. I drive here every day for university, of course. And I see a lot of cyclists on the road. Sometimes they have an option to go on the sidewalk if there's not many people walking. But around the university, there's people walking, and so it can be dangerous. I've cycled there, and I almost hit someone. as well i don't have an option to get it on the road for a bike because there's no bike lanes so i wouldn't i would appreciate if you guys think about that around dsu or specific areas where people cycle okay um appreciate you thank you are there any other citizens wishing to be heard at this time

All right, again, I'll close out this portion and move on to the city manager's report.

Good evening. I have some wonderful events upcoming with Valdosta. First off, this Friday, the city of Valdosta will join Lowndes County in commemorating the 25th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, with a memorial ceremony at 10 a.m. at the historic Lowndes County Courthouse. The ceremony will provide an opportunity for our community to remember the lives lost on September 11th, honor the courage and sacrifice of first responders, and reflect on the significance of this historic day. On Tuesday, September 15th at 930, the City of Valdosta Engineering Department will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the Mud Creek project. The ceremony will mark an important milestone for the project and provide an opportunity to recognize the work and partnerships involved in moving the project forward. On Wednesday, September 16th at 10 a.m., the City of Valdosta will present a proclamation recognizing Attendance Awareness Month to Valdosta City Schools at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium. The proclamation will recognize the importance of consistent school attendance and its role in supporting student achievement and success. Final event I have is Valdosta Main Street and the Valdosta Latino Association will host the annual Expo Latino on Saturday, September 19th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Unity Park. The festival will feature live entertainment, authentic food, local vendors, community organizations, family activities, and educational resources celebrating the rich diversity of Hispanic and Latino cultures. We hope to see you out at all of these events.

Jennifer, thank you. We'll now move on to council comments. Thomas, I'll look toward you. Ms. Tooley? Andy? Couple of quick things.

You've done enough, you've got to rest the vocal cords.

today something very exciting in our downtown happened at 10 a.m this morning we held a groundbreaking for the union a 15 million dollar investment in our downtown it will be four stories it'll be 51 apartment apartments um efficiency one and two bedroom apartments the ground floor will be 80 000 square feet of retail space about two-thirds of that will be occupied by lee office in its new home and Lee office in that same phase one will end up being redeveloped and redesigned for a quality of life for those residents, those young professionals that'll be living in those apartments. It'll be a retail and restaurant and bar and quality of life and loving restoration of that historic building that was Lee office as well. I'm exciting to have a young investor and investment group in our town. And it's the first major project in our downtown in how many years, Matt? at least all right and then just two quick notes and they might have to do with somebody that came up um we very much enjoy and take great pride in our tree city designation for the last 37 years and we take equal pride in the the tree campus designation usa designation that vsu has and and our tree commission is now planting a thousand trees a year for the next 10 years but that does not come anywhere close to replacing the 300 000 trees we lost during idalia and helene county-wide i mean in the city of aldosta but loud and clear that message was loud and clear

Council any other crop comments. Yes, so the you just touched on it downtown this morning. Show signs of growth we are growing we are growing we are growing uh you just heard ben talk about all these street and all these improvements i mean every side of our city is growing so they're going to be some changes it's going to be a little bit more traffic in areas there's going to be more people come in moody right now we have you know 2030 f-35s coming in where it's going to bring in thousands of other folks into our community we are growing people and uh so We just gotta get ready, and we're gonna keep moving, moving forward, and I'm excited about it. I don't know if you guys are, but I'm excited, and I think we are definitely headed in the right direction if we just keep on making it happen, y'all. That's it. Ms. Cody?

I want to announce our Chief Bellingham saw in, had three new officers sworn in this morning, and we have to applaud her. We have three male officers to protect our city of Valdosta. And that's a great honor for Chief to get three new officers for our protection, especially in District 1.

And a fourth that was sworn in a couple of weeks ago, a very, very large police officer. All right, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. Stand adjourned. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, staff.

I did second, Ms. Chief.

Yes, ma'am.

Andy. Andy. Yes, ma'am.

And I want to tell both of you

I have to be careful what I've done. Don't think I was against it. But I got a lot of them that live in that area. They people live in my district and they already done. So I had to be careful. That's what I had to cover. Not not going to.