Warner Robins Council approves new curfew, denies potential development

WARNER ROBINS — Youth violence and development near the Harper’s Ridge subdivision have been hot topics among the community as of late, and the city of Warner Robins officially made moves in response for citizens during their most recent meeting Monday night.

In the realm of public safety, council passed an amendment to city code modifying curfew. City ordinance previously stated children under 17 are forbidden to walk, loiter or be present in public streets and places between midnight and 5 a.m.

During pre-council, mayor and council decided which time to dial it back to. Previously, the city of Centerville modified its curfew to take effect at 10 p.m. nightly. Mayor LaRhonda Patrick said the police department also suggested 10 p.m.

At first, Councilman Larry Curtis agreed with the 10 p.m. timeframe, as well as Councilman Keith Lauritsen, who said he trusts the police to make solid judgments and the curfew sets a standard for youth to return home by.

“If the kid’s walking home from somewhere, I would think they would definitely assist the child and make sure they got home safely. I have no doubt that they will do that,” Lauritsen said.

Councilman Derek Mack then vouched for a later time, saying many activities and businesses attracting teens operate past 10 p.m., including school-sanctioned events and businesses like Rigby’s Entertainment Complex, Olympia Skate Center and the movie theaters.

Councilman Charlie Bibb said Rigby’s is closed to teenagers after 10 p.m. He also warned council against making a knee-jerk reaction to what he called a “terrible situation,” adding the curfew may give police more liberty to stop adults who look young after hours.

“That’s going to affect everybody else in the city of Warner Robins, especially parents that actually watch after their kids and are having their own kids’ curfew where they have to come back in,” he said.

Bibb later added he is for making a change, but urged council to choose a more sensible time, also citing teens who work late as an example. Council eventually agreed on 11:30 p.m. for an effective curfew time.

“We decided to do something later, and that later is 11:30 p.m. It’s something that will work not just during the summer months, but through the entire school year, through the entire year,” Patrick said. “[We’re] being realistic when it comes to sporting events, working, restaurants closing. All of these things we are considering when it comes to that. So I believe council got it right.”

The process gained momentum after a shooting in February near Galleria Mall, where a 14-year-old lost his life, leading to public outcry. Patrick said this shooting followed dangerous statistics about teen crime.

“It stems from crime that’s happening in our community. If you pay attention to different crimes we’re hearing about now, they’re typically going to be by kids, people who go to our schools, who are in our school system,” she said.

As a mother, and among city staff who are also parents, Patrick stressed the curfew is not to punish the community, but a proactive measure to reduce crime.

“This is a way to proactively prevent crimes, also to protect the community at large. We think it’s reasonable, 11:30, so kids aren’t just roaming out with no kind of restrictions. That’s what’s causing some of the issues we’re seeing right now,” she said. “It may not be your child, but it could be someone you know’s child, who could fall victim to a crime because of late gatherings past 11:30. So, we’re trying our best; this is our attempt at doing this. I hope they see this as a positive and not as a negative.” 

Another topic among citizens at the meeting was a potential rezoning at Houston Lake Road and Corder Road. According to city documents, the almost 17.5-acre property would be changed from residential to a Planned Urban Development.

Planning and Zoning manager Darin Curtis said the property would have commercial spaces, apartments and townhomes. However, several citizens were against the potential development, including many residents from Harper’s Ridge, a nearby subdivision.

Many residents cited traffic concerns, saying more traffic in the area could make leaving the subdivision more difficult than it already is. Local Girl Scouts also spoke at the meeting, citing environmental concerns.

Ultimately, council denied the development’s rezoning request during the meeting, despite recommendation from Planning and Zoning. This was met with uproarious applause from Harper’s Ridge residents.

Alex Leie-Pierre, president of the Harper’s Ridge II Homeowners Association, said residents making their opinions known during the meeting was paramount. He added that he is for business and development, but a balance must be obtained between development and residents.

“We’d like to balance adding that many cars to the place. That affects so many people in the area. The man is going to build his development, make his money and move on with his life. The rest of us are gonna be in that neighborhood suffering the consequences,” he said.

He said while Monday is a victory for Harper’s Ridge, he worries they’ll be in the same boat again.

“We’re happy that the council was a little bit more open and listening to reason, but we’re worried. And I know I’m not unique in this concern that six months from now we’re going to be right back here again,” he said.

In the meantime, Leie-Pierre suggested widening Houston Lake Road to accommodate daily traffic.

“I understand geography is a certain limitation in certain areas. But perhaps we bring in the proper professionals to overlook the entire situation and offer ideas that we have not been able to think of on our own. I’m sure there is a way out of this so that everybody walks away happy and safe and that’s all we’re looking for,” he said.

Patrick said while the city is for business and growth, she and council believe in making wise decisions when it comes to development; she added Monday night was a testament to the fact the city also listens to citizens.

“The landowners have a right to sell, but this particular occurrence was different, because we’ve gotten so many complaints about the traffic there,” she said. “We know that developments are going to come, regardless of what we do. But at least this gives us more time to get the traffic patterns underway, and it gives more time for the landowners to do more consideration into what they’re putting in those areas to make sure it’s good for the entire community.”

A full look at the meeting’s agenda can be found here.

A livestream of the meeting can be found here.

The next meeting will take place Monday, June 3, at City Hall, 700 Watson Blvd. Pre-council will start at 4:30 p.m., council meeting immediately following.