St. Tammany Parish Council Delays Moratorium on Residential Rezoning

 St. Tammany Parish Council will have a proposed moratorium that will ban rezoning that will increase subdivision density. The proposal will not appear on the agenda until late spring. Parish President Mark Cooper believes the moratorium will help with accurate planning and assessing for growth in St. Tammany.

"The reality in St. Tammany Parish is that development is outpacing infrastructure improvements and has been for years,” said Cooper.

Originally the moratorium was to be put on the agenda for the March 3rd vote but was delayed. Jerry Binder explained that the agenda for March 3rd's meeting already had nine zoning appeals and thirty proposed ordinances. Five of the agenda items were to overturn Zoning Commission denials of rezonings for Timber Branch II, a controversial development.

The moratorium would not affect any commercial-zoned properties and would not apply to any development of any property under its current zoning. The purpose is for the moratorium to halt any rezoning or resubdivision of residential properties that would allow density greater than one house per acre.

Many residents are concerned and want the moratorium to pass. They are frustrated with the overdevelopment in their community that is negatively affecting the roads, drainage, water, and sewage. In fact, a group called the Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany has suggested to the council to not allow any high-density appeals to be approved until the moratorium is voted on.

"The time has come when we should stop codling developers seeking discretionary rezoning," says Rick Franzo, a member of the Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany.

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Another Economic Corridor For St. Tammany

Wadsworth Estate and another adjacent property might just be the next economic corridor in St. Tammany. Wadsworth Estates, north of Mandeville, was sold last week at auction to Mandeville developer John Crosby for $9-million. The 65 acres adjacent to the property is owned by Azby Fund. St. Tammany Parish economic development agency's CEO Chris Masingill and St. Tammany Parish President Michael Cooper are talking with both parties about using the land for an economic corridor.

"We plan on really leaning in on this site development," said Masingill. "We see it as a significant step in a much bigger initiative.

All three parties are in agreement to develop the 160-acres into a commercial hub. The development would include some combination of advanced manufacturing, transportation and distribution, which they say would create hundreds of new high-paying jobs for the area.  The development will more than likely be eligible for tax breaks and other incentives. Masingill hopes that the tax breaks and incentives will entice manufacturers and distribution facilities.

"That is the largest ... development tract in south Louisiana that has wetlands and zoning approval," said Beau Box, a commercial real estate broker who is advising the Azby Fund. "There is a lot of positive momentum behind development there now that there is a new owner for Wadsworth."

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Rezoning Moratoriums in St. Tammany Parish Will Stay the Same for the Time Being

 

December 2020 began a debate among the St. Tammany council whether to proceed with an amendment that would have fewer restraints on establishing or extending a moratorium. The St. Tammany Parish Council has decided to table the amendment that would change how rezoning moratoriums are adopted and extended.

In April 2021, council members narrowly voted to introduce a version that would remove the requirement that the council member requesting a moratorium present a written justification and a timeline and process for addressing the reasons for applying it, and an account of any progress being made toward addressing the issues when requesting that the moratorium be renewed.  It was again set aside on May 6th’s meeting, and another version of the amendment was moved by District 11 Councilman Steve Stefancik and seconded by District 14 Councilman T.J. Smith.

This newer version would change the requirement for written justification regarding the enacting moratorium. The time for which a member would have to update the council regarding a new moratorium would be pushed back from three months to six months. Among them were several council members, District 7’s Jimmie Davis, who did not agree with changing the time frame from three months to six months.

District 13 Councilman Jake Airey moved to remove the amendment from the table completely. “What’s existing in law will stay there. If people then want to make changes, so be it, but this alphabet soup is just too hard to follow,” Airey commented. This motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

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