- Phase 3 of SetterPointe's construction and infrastructure was approved at the latest Lowndes County Commissioner's meeting.
- Housing demand in the Lowndes/Valdosta area is 5 times greater than supply.
- Watch the video to hear from neighbors concerned about the location of development.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
A new subdivision development in Lowndes County will tackle housing, but neighbors are worried about another issue: urban development seeping into rural areas.
“There’s no way a subdivision like this is going to produce enough in taxes to pay for all that.”
I’m Malia Thomas, your neighborhood reporter in Valdosta, and I’m taking a look at how these developments will impact those moving in, and those living nearby.
This is John Quarterman, a neighbor who lives near subdivision developments like SetterPointe.
He tells me he's not against housing development, but he feels the location of these houses are not ideal.
"This is not where subdivision belongs. subdivisions belong close by existing services so A) they don't cost the county taxpayers more than this they're bringing in taxes and B) so they're not adversely affecting the forestry and agriculture regions out here."
Phase 3 of SetterPointe's development was approved at the last County Commissioners' meeting, and John says he noticed the budget impact section was listed as "N/A".
He tells me he believes the trickle down costs of these lots, like fire department services, sewer inspections, and road will come down on his fellow neighbors.
"There's no way a subdivision like this is going to produce enough in taxes to pay for all that."
I looked into any study's the county may have done for further insight into the impact of sprawl.
I was directed to the county's latest 2007 study indicating that residential development does not pay for its services directly in Lowndes County, but it is very close. Residents pay $0.99 for every $1.00 they receive in services from the county government; when schools are included the deficit grows bigger ($0.74 revenue per dollar of services).
However, the need for housing in Valdosta is 4-5x greater than supply, and the rent has increased from $833-$1,110 in the past year.
While mortgage and rental payments do depend on a variety of factors, realtor.com indicates the rent for the general area is a healthy medium at an average of $950.
The county is in support of the development, having approved all of its phases, approving the residential streets as county maintained with a speed limit of 25 mph, meaning that neighbors there will now have the county maintain the roads, water, and sewer.
Still, John isn't sure if more subdivisions is the solution.
"There's still other places where there's vacant lots or they still haven't sold, so what's the need for all that new housing?"
SetterPointe has already started constructing several homes, and plans on starting Phase 3 shortly. In Valdosta, I’m Malia Thomas, ABC27.
