For those of you outside Louisiana: Livingston Parish grew by 4% in just 2.5 years, which is not sustainable given the current state of their infrastructure. It's location between Hammond and Baton Rouge has drawn a lot of suburban development from retail and residential builders.

The parish has a reputation for being the Florida of the Baton Rouge metro, with a lot of rednecks, plenty of crazy stories involving meth, an astounding number of lifted F-250s, etc. In the past 30 years, that trailer park style is being cramped by rapid suburban sprawl. There growing anger over new development changing the character of what was once a rural parish.

quote:
In fight over 2,000-lot Deer Run development, Livingston could suspend zoning commission

TheAdvocate

In the wake of a federal lawsuit over Livingston Parish's zoning laws filed by the developer of the Deer Run subdivision, the parish council has called a special session to discuss suspending their planning and zoning commission's activity after the board approved a second plan for the contentious project.

Planning and zoning had approved a second map for the Deer Run subdivision last Thursday, despite resident fury over the development.

The special meeting will be held Thursday, May 11, at 5 p.m. — an hour before the regularly scheduled council meeting — and will discuss suspending the planning and zoning commission's activity pending an "investigation into possible improprieties or conduct in violation of the law," according to a public notice.

The looming liklihood of Deer Run, a large 2,000-lot subdivision slated for 4-H Club Road across from Hillon Hood Road, has cast a shadow over zoning discussions and mounting development anxieties in the past year. Residents have pushed back against the proposal for months, fearing building so many homes in an area already facing infrastructure challenges would worsen flooding and traffic problems.

Tensions increased over several months after councilwoman Erin Sandefur introduced a zoning map that would set new restrictions on building in her District 5 — which is where Deer Run will be built. However, according to an attorney with the Taylor Porter law firm, the property slated for Deer Run was zoned in a way that differed from the original approval of the subdivision's preliminary plat, potentially jeopardizing the project.

Zoning has been touted by some on the parish council as a way to rein in development and allow for controlled, responsible growth. Residents have generally supported zoning regulations, though increasingly frustrated developers have expressed discontent with the rapidly changing building laws in the parish that have hemmed in their efforts to move forward with some construction.

There's probably dozens of articles on this exact topic in The Advocate. None of them include a proposed site plan or map that could illustrate why people might be outraged. The Advocate really is a terrible paper sometimes.

I understand the traffic concerns, but mostly because it's already a shite show right there.

I believe the development proposed is somewhere around here:

This post was edited on 5/10/23 at 3:14 pm