News
Dear Members,
Councilmember Denise Amoroso has proposed a cut-off for construction noise at 5:00 PM on weekdays and Saturdays. At present, the law allows for work from 7:00 AM until sunset.This change will be considered at the council meeting on January 8, 2020. Let your council members know your thoughts and concerns.Please see the link below to the news article in the Baton Rouge Advocate, and contact information for all council members.
Dear Members,
Baton Rouge Growth Coalition has determined that there is a need to expand its involvement outside of Baton Rouge. The Board has authorized the establishment of sub-committees in Ascension, Livingston, and Central/Zachary areas. The members will act as a resource to decision-makers and assist in evaluating potential changing in laws and ordinances. A member of the Board will chair the sub-committee. We are seeking members that are interested in serving on one of these committees.
If you have any interest in participating in one of these sub-committees, please respond to this email by providing which area you are interested in.
A fillable form is provided in the link below. Please select the area of interest with an "X," along with your name and contact information. Please save the pdf file with your last name, and then email it back to our office. office@growthcoalition.com
Dear Members,
Please find attached information from the Planning Commission related to proposed amendments to the UDC. The Planning Commission initiated changes to Chapter 13 dealing with the street addresses. These revisions were requested by the Department of Information Services to facilitate their assignment of street numbers; most of this language simply reinstate language that was deleted at the request of the previous department handling street addressing. It is scheduled for a public hearing on November 16.
We want your feedback as to these changes. Please email Frank Duke directly by close of business on Friday, November 8, 2019. Please copy our office on any comments concerning these proposed changes. office@growthcoalition.com
You may respond directly to Frank Duke by this link.
Link provided below for the proposed amendments to the Unified Development Code provided by Frank Duke, Planning Commission Director for your review.
POTENTIAL UDC REVISIONS
Dear Members,
Attached are two potential revisions to the Unified Development Code provided by Frank Duke, Planning Commission Director for your review.
Section 4.2.4 - This is a proposed new section of the UDC establishing standards for RV parks. The draft standards were developed based on the requirements of jurisdictions in other states with modifications based on the requirements for manufactured home parks. RV parks would be limited to commercial and Rural zoned property of at least two acres within the Suburban and Rural Character Areas if these standards were adopted. These provisions were developed at the request of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the Baton Rouge Health District. The ordinance is anticipated to be formally initiated by Council on October 9 with a tentative Planning Commission public hearing on November 18.
Chapter 16, Signs - These are a number of changes to the sign regulations that have been requested by either the Department of Development or representatives of the industry. The changes include:
Re-inserting language regarding permit requirements that were deleted in the Fregonese-developed ordinance
Clarifying distinctions between changeable copy signs and electronic message centers;
Making provisions for nonconforming signs consistent with adopted provisions of Chapter 7, Nonconformities;
Clarifying provisions for moveable signs on sidewalks;
Making provisions for signs on Rural-zoned property consistent with adopted provisions of Chapter 8 dealing with Rural zoning;
Modifying height standards for monument signs in non-residential zoning districts;
Increasing the size of subdivision entry signs;
Simplifying tables throughout the chapter;
Establishing a time period for temporary signs; and,
Making provisions for billboards consistent with adopted provisions of Chapter 10, Overlays.
We anticipate this ordinance to be formally initiated by the Planning Commission on October 21 with a tentative Planning Commission public hearing on November 18.
We want your feedback as to these changes. Please email Frank Duke directly by close of business on Friday, November 1, 2019. Please copy our office on any comments concerning these proposed changes. office@growthcoalition.com
You may respond directly to Frank Duke by this link.
City of Zachary Unified Development Code
Dear Members,
The City of Zachary is in the process of updating the Unified Development Code. A public meeting was held on Monday, August 5th for discussion purposes only, no official action was taken. City leaders are asking for your input as they move forward, revising and updating regulations. This first draft updates focuses on commercial uses and standards. The city recently hired Villavaso & Associates, a professional planning firm, which will work with the city's Planning Department during the revision of the UDC.
"Once completed, the new unified development code will modernize existing regulations, including zoning and subdivision regulations, along with other desired city regulations, such as design guidelines, sign guidelines, and floodplain and stormwater management," says Mayor David Amrhein.
Should you have any suggestions or comments during this process, please contact the City of Zachary Planning and Zoning Department at 225-654-1935 or email Marlon Lemond,Planning and Zoning Director,marlon.lemond@cityofzachary.org; or Villavaso and Associates, Stephen Villavaso, svillavaso1@cox.net or Fred Neal, Jr., frednealjr@gmail.com.
Please copy our office concerning issues that you raise with Zachary Planning and Zoning at office@growthcoalition.com
ASCENSION PARISH PROPOSED DRAINAGE ORDINANCE
Dear Members,
Ascension Parish considers changes to its Drainage Ordinances. Attached
is a draft that will be considered in the near future.
We would like your feedback as to these changes. Please feel free to email
our office. You may respond directly to our office by this link.
OPEN LETTER TO COUNCIL MEMBERS
Dear Members,
The Baton Rouge Growth Coalition Board of Directors would like to share information on the City-Parish administration's proposed $1.9 million increase in permitting fees.
Contact your council member and express your opinion. A link for contact information is provided below.
Dear Members,
If you are considering developing a new subdivision in Ascension Parish, please be aware of this substantial change in the process. The Parish adopted in January 2019, an Infrastructure Development District ordinance requiring all streets and roads of any size new subdivisions to either remain private or taxed in a newly created district.
The process for the taxing district
Ascension Parish will use the approved Preliminary Plat(s) for a description of the boundary of the development, which will determine the boundary of the district. The Parish will also ask that the developer produce legal metes and bounds description of each filing. Although the development may have multiple filings, each filing must be submitted and approved, as a separate project so there will be separate districts. If the development has multiple filings, the overall boundary will determine the district boundary, but the Parish will also need the legal description of the boundary of each filing. This will allow the assessment in each filing. The petition requires the linear feet of streets, bridges, culverts, and street lights, which will help determine the assessed millage. The assessment will also be based on the number of lots and anticipated home values (which will come from the developer). Ascension DPW/Streets Department will then determine the anticipated schedule and cost of maintenance over the life cycle of the infrastructure. Once the Parish has all of that information, a packet will be put together for submission to the Parish Council. The process requires two public hearings. Once the final 'District Document/Ordinance' is created, approved, recorded, and the Final Plat is recorded, this information will be sent to the assessor's office to set up the assessment on the tax rolls for each lot. We have attached the state statute, parish ordinance, and sample petition to create the taxing district.
Dear Members,
The City-Parish will introduce an ordinance to increase permitting fees. Attached is a comparison of revenues generated from the current EBR fee schedule, Jefferson, Orleans, Livingston Parishes and the City of Central.
City-Parish intends to propose a revenue increase to the levels found in Jefferson Parish. According to the City-Parish, the present fee structure fails to cover the actual cost of the permitting department to the tune of $1.2 million.
EBR estimates that by duplicating the Jefferson Parish fee schedule there would be an estimated increase of fees by $1.9 million. This proposal assumes that the third party provider will receive a portion of the fees. This is described in the proposal as a "margin of error."
City-Parish has also provided a Draft Implementation Action Plan describing proposal improvements in the permitting process. The Growth Coalition received the attached information on Friday. We are requesting members to provide this office with your input concerning these proposed changes.
The Metro Council in its July meeting will consider this proposal.
Please provide to our office any comments concerning these proposed changes.
You may respond directly to our office by this link.
Dear Members,
There are many items that cause concern on tonight's Ascension Parish Council Agenda. No final action will take place in tonight's discussion; however, highlighted below are a few things that I feel will affect development the most in Ascension Parish. Links are provided below.
Drainage Impact Study Procedure:
Pre-Development Map: This will now require an existing topographic survey to go along with the Drainage Impact Study.
Section 4. f.: This section requires that you get fill mitigation credits from the peak 100-year water surface to the Base Flood Elevation. The pond sizes in some cases are increased greatly, as you are basically providing fill mitigation for two 100 year storms.
Appendix V:
Section 17-507: Limitation of fill to 3 feet maximum. This does not matter if you are in a flood zone or not. This is total fill above and below the Base Flood Elevation, you will essentially be only able to fill 2' below the Base Flood Elevation.
Section 17-509: This section requires the HOA or developer to post a bond in perpetuity for the maintenance of all privately owned stormwater items and the amount will be arbitrarily set by the Parish. Please let your questions and concerns be known to the council members.
