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Valdosta staff requests work sessions, council postpones action on landscape buffers chapter
Summary
City staff asked for more time to revise proposed deletion of Chapter 3-28 (landscape buffers and screening) in the Land Development Regulations; council agreed to continue discussion in a work session and set the item to return to council on April 24 for further consideration.
VALDOSTA, Ga. — City staff asked the Valdosta Mayor and Council for more time and structured work sessions to revise proposed changes to Chapter 3-28 (landscape buffers and screening) of the Land Development Regulations, and council agreed to return the item for additional consideration at an April work session.
City staff explained they had received redline comments and wanted to refine language on topics such as the proximity of plantings to utilities, mature tree heights, and prohibitions on tree topping. Ben O'Dowd and other staff said they wanted to incorporate mature-tree heights into code text and to consult the city arborist and the Georgia Forestry Commission’s review before returning a final proposal.
Why it matters: The chapter governs where and what kinds of trees and plantings are required on development sites, and council members raised concerns about conflict with utilities, hurricane resilience, and incentivizing native and storm-resilient species. Recordings show Councilmember Catherine Gibbs and others asked for more stakeholder engagement, including use of the existing Tree Commission and public meetings conducted by the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Public comment and next steps: A citizen, Steve Ramos (612 Second Avenue), spoke during Citizens Be Heard raising tree and storm concerns and urging the city to help residents trim or otherwise mitigate risk from large trees near homes. Staff also noted a public canopy meeting scheduled by GFC and recommended two work sessions: one in March (information-only) and a second in April if needed. Council agreed to continue the item and to bring it back on April 24 for further work-session consideration.
Action: The council effectively postponed final action and scheduled further work-session review with a second meeting targeted in April; a motion to continue the matter until the council’s discretion passed by voice/show of hands.
