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PROPOSED REZONING DEVELOPMENTS IN BAYOU PAQUET WATERSHED

On August 3, 2021, at 6:00 PM in the Parish Council Chambers, the Zoning Commission will hear two rezoning petitions for a new hyper-dense development named Rousseau Subdivision. The property is located north of Highway 190 and east of Tranquility Road. The rezoning case numbers are 2021-2438-ZC, which seeks to change the current A-2 Suburban District (one unit per acre- a maximum of 52 units) to A-4 Single Family Residential District (four units per acre - allowing the proposed 147 units). The related petition is 2021-2439-ZC which then adds a Planned Unit Development (PUD) overlay to the property. The PUD allowing reduced lot widths from 90 ft in A4 to 50 ft. in a PUD. Precisely 122 of the proposed 147 residential lots (83%) will be 50 or 60-foot lot frontages.

 

Zoning Staff estimates approximately 40% of the existing property is wetlands. The wetland acreage that will not be mitigated through the USACE, comprises approximately 99% (17.68 acres) of the proposed greenspace for the development. A mere 0.23 acres could become a playground or permanent open lawn area for the residents in this subdivision.

 

All traffic for both the commercial area and the proposed subdivision would enter and exit Highway 190 from a single roadway - proposed Cordgrass Drive. Based on data sets provided by the Trip Generation Manual, zoning staff projects an increase of 2,650 additional vehicle trips per day within the area. The trips are based on the residential portion of the project and could be significantly higher depending on what businesses are placed on the commercial tract of the property.  The proximity to Henry Mayfield Elementary School will complicate traffic issues, particularly during school phases.

Drainage will flow to on-site retention ponds, which according to the plot plan, displays inadequate access for future maintenance.   Retention ponds hold a finite amount of water – once they fill, the inevitable overflow causes flooding downstream.  Further, retention ponds require unwavering maintenance to remove accumulated silt and debris. Otherwise, they transform into useless mud puddles.

 

Proposed Drainage crosses under Highway 190, dumps into Bayou Paquet, and ultimately discharges into Lake Pontchartrain. Further, increased runoff occurs from deforestation of the property, and filling low areas to allow slab-on-grade homes. Concrete/asphalt materials for streets, slabs and driveways eliminate native-land’s natural absorption and filtration properties.  The resultant quagmire promotes flooding to not only nearby surrounding properties, but to the entire Bayou Paquet watershed.

 

Increased petrochemicals, sewage treatment effluent, and litter will further pollute already strained Bayou Paquet and Lake Pontchartrain.

 

Immediate action is imperative.  Please contact the Zoning Commission and District 11 Parish Councilperson, Steve Stefancik.  Convey your strong opposition to this ill-conceived and inappropriately located development.

 

Please be aware, we know of two other proposed cluster developments planned for this same area.  Honeybee Subdivision which proposes rezoning to allow for 1,002 additional homesites is scheduled to be heard by the Zoning Commission in September.  A third subdivision has yet to apply to the Parish for rezoning. It is located south of Highway 190 and slightly east of these two developments. It too will petition for rezoning to place 200 homesites on 50 acres. This endless insanity must be stopped.

DONNA MCDONALD