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GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE A SEAT IF YOU'RE HERE FOR OUR PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING, GET IT GOING IN FIVE SECONDS? YES, MA'AM.
GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND WELCOME TO THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED METROPOLITAN COUNSELING ZONING MEETING ON THIS WEDNESDAY, MAY 17TH, 2023, 4:00 PM I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
ASHLEY, DO WE HAVE A QUORUM? WE HAVE A QUORUM.
[Items 1 & 2]
PA 6 2 3 8 4 3 9 8 4 8 3 8 4 0 0 AND 85 0 AND 85 0 1 HIGHLAND ROAD TO AMEND A COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN FROM RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD TO NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER ON PROPERTY, LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF HIGHLAND ROAD, EAST OF MAGNOLIA WOODS AVENUE, DISTRICT 12.MOTION TO APPROVE IS SEVEN ZERO BY THE COMMISSION.
AND THEN ITEM TWO, PUT ONE DASH 23, THE VILLAGE AT MAGNOLIA WOODS TO REZONE FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL TO PLAN UNIT DEVELOPMENT, A PROPOSED MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT WITH LOW AND MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL OFFICE USES ON PROPERTY.
LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF HOLLAND ROAD, EASTERN MAGNOLIA WOOD AVENUE COUNCIL, DISTRICT 12 COMMISSION ACTION 70.
IS ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEMS ONE AND TWO? ANYONE HERE PRO? YES SIR.
PRESS THE BUTTON AT THE VERY BASE OF THE MIC.
MR. PROTO MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL, WALTER MONSOUR, UH, C S R S 85 55 UNITED PLAZA BOULEVARD, REPRESENTING THE DEVELOPER HERE FOR THIS, UH, THESE TWO ITEMS, UH, AS YOU SEE AT PASSED THE, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION IN THE UNANIMOUS, UH, VOTE.
WE'RE HERE TODAY, UH, FOR THE SAME PURPOSE.
AND THAT IS FOR THE PRELIMINARY, UH, DRAFT OF THE, UM, DEVELOPMENT.
WE'VE HAD SEVERAL POSITIVE MEETINGS WITH THE HOA DIRECTOR OF MAGNOLIA WOODS.
WE'VE HAD AT LEAST TWO MEETINGS WITH THE HOA AND ONE TOWN HALL MEETING WITH THE MAGNOLIA WOODS POA BACK IN DECEMBER, AND WE BROUGHT THE STORMWATER EXPERTS THAT WE ARE USING AS WELL AS THE TRAFFIC EXPERTS, UH, THAT WE ARE USING TO THOSE MEETINGS TO ADDRESS ANY ISSUES THAT WERE OF CONCERN.
UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT COUNCILWOMAN RAA, UH, IS, UM, IF NOT FAVORABLE, SHE'S NOT OBJECTIONABLE, UH, TO THIS, UM, DEVELOPMENT.
WE THINK IT'S A PRIME EXAMPLE OF GOOD INFILL DEVELOPMENT.
UH, IT'S BEEN ENGINEERED FOR A 100 YEAR STORM, AS YOU WELL KNOW, 25 YEARS, THE STANDARD, BUT WE'VE GONE PAST THAT.
UH, WE ALSO INTEND TO DO, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S NOT REQUIRED FOR, UH, JUST OUR SUBDIVISION OR OUR, OUR NEW DEVELOPMENT.
AND THAT IS TO JACK AND BOAR, UH, FOR MORE DRAINAGE CAPACITY UNDER HIGHLAND ROAD TO ALLEVIATE THE CURRENT DRAINAGE ISSUES IN THAT AREA.
IT'S CURRENTLY ZONED A ONE, UH, WHICH ALLOWS FOR 82 LOTS, BUT THE DEVELOPMENT IS 75.
UH, WE'VE MET ALL FUTURE BR ZONING ACROSS THE BOARD.
THE DIRECT NEIGHBORS ARE SIGNING A PETITION IN FAVOR OF THE PROJECT, AND THE PROJECT ITSELF WILL HAVE SIX TOWN HOMES AND 69 SINGLE FAMILY LOW DENSITY, APPROXIMATELY 29,400 IN COMMERCIAL ON THE FRONT.
AND AS I SAID, WE, UH, WERE SUCCESSFUL AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION, UNANIMOUS, UH, VOTE.
AND WE ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE.
ANYONE ELSE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEMS ONE AND TWO? BENTON? I WOULD BE MYSELF.
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, APPEAR, UH, MR. UH, PRO TIM AND ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UH, THANKS FOR THIS PRIVILEGE.
UH, I DON'T SEE MY NEIGHBORS, BUT I, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, UH, ALL OF US, UH, WOULD AGREE THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO KEEP THAT PROPERTY AS JUST A GIANT GREEN SPACE.
IT SURROUNDS ME ON THREE SIDES, AND I LOVE IT LIKE THAT, BUT THAT'S NOT REALITY.
AND, UH, BEFORE THIS DEVELOPMENT GROUP WAS CHOSEN, UM, THE, UH, UH, FOLKS WHO WERE MAKING A DECISION ON WHERE TO GO WITH THIS PROPERTY AND HOW TO DEVELOP IT AND WHO WAS
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GONNA DO IT, WENT THROUGH MANY, MANY DEVELOPERS UNTIL WE RAN INTO THIS GROUP.AND I'VE GOTTA SAY, I'VE GOT TO COMPLIMENT THESE FELLOWS.
UM, THEY MET WITH US OR THE NEIGHBORS.
UH, AND LET ME TELL YOU, MY NEIGHBORS COME WITH FIREPOWER AND THEY MEAN WHAT THEY SAY, AND THEY'VE GOT DIFFERENT OPINIONS, AND I HAVE BEEN IMPRESSED WITH A CONSISTENT, SOLID, RESPECTFUL ATTITUDE.
WE CAN'T EXPECT TO GET EVERYTHING WE WANT, BUT THEY SURE HAVE BEEN OVER BACKWARDS TO LISTEN TO THE NEIGHBORS, AND THAT GETS YOU HALFWAY HOME IN MOST DISAGREEMENTS.
UH, OTHER THAN THAT, UM, UH, I AM FAMILIAR WITH ALL THE DRAINAGE, UH, WITH A FLOODING.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE A FLOODING PROBLEM.
WE DO HAVE A DRAINAGE ISSUE ON OCCASION, BUT HONESTLY, IF WE DON'T HAVE A 16 INCH RAIN COME DOWN ON US IN FOUR HOURS, WE DON'T HAVE A FLOOD PROBLEM.
AND I'VE BEEN THERE TO WATCH THAT.
UH, I HAVE WALKED THE DITCHES IN THE MIDDLE OF RAINSTORMS TO SEE WHERE THE WATER WAS.
I SHARED THAT INFORMATION WITH THESE FOLKS.
AND NOT ONLY DID THEY LISTEN, THEY HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO GO OFFSITE, SPEND SOME MONEY, I DON'T THINK A LOT OF THESE OTHER DEVELOPERS WOULD HAVE, AND THEY'RE GOING TO IMPROVE, UH, THAT DRAINAGE EXACTLY WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
I'VE BEEN THERE SINCE, UM, THERE WASN'T A HOUSE THERE.
UM, SO EVERYBO, EVERY CHANGE I SEE OUT THERE IS A CHANGE FOR ME.
AND AS I SAID, I'M SURROUNDED ON THREE SIDES.
AND, UM, TO CORRECT ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS WHO INCORRECTLY STATED THAT, WELL, MR. BENTON WAS TAKING CARE OF HIMSELF.
HE'S GOT SOMETHING IN HIS BACKYARD, UH, GUN, A GREEN AREA THAT WAS INCORRECT.
I DID NOT TAKE CARE OF MYSELF.
I'M GONNA BE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL MY NEIGHBORS AND THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE BEING MY NEIGHBORS, AND I'M GONNA LOVE 'EM EVEN IF WE DISAGREE AND I'M GONNA SUPPORT 'EM.
BUT, UM, I WOULD, UH, ASK THAT YOU GIVE, UH, THESE FOLKS A FAVORABLE REPLY.
THEY'RE DOING EVERYTHING THEY POSSIBLY CAN, AND I'M KIND OF LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, A, THE DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING, B, TAKING SOME OF MY OPPOSING NEIGHBORS DOWN THERE TO HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE.
WAS THERE ANYONE ELSE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEMS ONE AND TWO? WE NOW GO TO COUNCIL.
SO, UM, I GUESS, I SUPPOSE THIS IS MORE FOR THE PUBLIC AT HOME RATHER THAN PEOPLE OUT HERE, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE THE OPPOSITION THAT WE SAW COME THROUGH OUR EMAIL ACCOUNTS, UM, NOT OFTEN.
UM, TIMES THE PUBLIC DOESN'T SEE WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE COUNCIL CHA, OUTSIDE OF THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, UM, WITH EMAILS, WITH REAL ESTATE AGENTS, WITH DEVELOPERS THAT COME IN AND PROPOSE DEVELOPMENTS TO US.
AND IN THIS CASE, THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE.
I CAN TELL YOU FOR THE PAST 18 MONTHS, I'VE HAD AGENTS, REAL ESTATE AGENTS APPROACH ME AND SAY, HEY, WHAT ABOUT THIS LOT ON THE CORNER OF HIGHLAND AND MAG WOODS? AND THE PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN SO EXTREME TO THE EXTENT WHERE WE'VE HAD, UH, FOLKS ASK, WELL, I WANNA DO DUPLEXES THERE.
AND MY RESPONSE TO THEM IS, I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, BUT YOU SHOULD TALK TO THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION.
UM, I ALSO HAD SOMEONE WHO CAME IN VERY QUICKLY AND LEFT VERY QUICKLY WHENEVER THEY MENTIONED MULTI-FAMILY.
AND, UM, THAT WAS JUST SHOCKING TO ME THAT THAT WAS EVEN SOMETHING THAT THEY WOULD PRESUME COULD GO THERE AND WOULD BE ACCEPTED BY THE NEIGHBORS ON HIGHLAND ROAD.
UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THIS DEVELOPER HAS COME IN, UM, THEY HAVE TALKED TO THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION, THEY'VE HOSTED MEETINGS, NONE OF WHICH I ATTENDED BECAUSE FROM MY IMPRESSION EARLY ON, THERE WAS NO CONTROVERSY LATER.
UM, I RECEIVED CALLS PRIOR TO THIS GOING TO PLANNING AND PEOPLE ARE UPSET UPON SPEAKING TO THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION, I LEARNED THAT THERE WAS NO OPPOSITION FROM THE CIVIC ASSOCIATION, BUT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO TAKE A POSITION.
I ALSO LEARNED SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT I THINK EVERYONE NEEDS TO HEAR ABOUT DEVELOPMENT IN BATON ROUGE AND SMART DEVELOPMENT MOVING FORWARD.
SO, UM, MR. MONZO OR WHOMEVER THAT CAN ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS IN DETAIL, UM, AND I KNOW THAT YOU MENTIONED A COUPLE OF THEM, BUT FOR THE PEOPLE AT HOME, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THIS.
WE HEIGHTEN FLOOD REQUIREMENTS AND WE HEIGHTEN REQUIREMENTS FOR BUILDING IN AND AROUND BATON ROUGE.
AND YOU GUYS SURPASSED THE FLOOD REQUIREMENTS AND YOU PREPARED FOR A HUNDRED YEAR STORM? CORRECT.
ALSO, UM, AND I KNOW YOU MENTIONED IT, BUT THERE ARE SOME INFRASTRUCTURE DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE VERY NECESSARY AND NEEDED A LONG HIGHLAND ROAD, UM, THAT THE CITY HAS NOT DONE THAT THE CITY HAS NOT SPENT MONEY ON DOING.
THEY'RE NOT, THEY DON'T HAVE A PLAN OR
[00:10:01]
A FUTURE PLAN TO CORRECT SOME OF THESE ISSUES, BUT YOUR DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO CORRECT, THEY ARE GOING TO CORRECT THESE ISSUES FOR THE CITY AND USE THEIR MONEY TO CORRECT THIS, THIS DRAINAGE ISSUE.WE, UM, WE HAVE NOT ASKED FOR ANY ACCOMMODATIONS FROM THE CITY IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
AND AS I'VE SAID, AND AS YOU JUST STATED, THE, UH, THE DRAINAGE WORK THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING ON HIGHLAND ROAD JACKING, UNDER JACKING AND BORING UNDER ISLAND ROAD, UH, WILL WE THINK RESOLVE A BIG ISSUE THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR YEARS.
SO IT, IT CERTAINLY, FROM A SELFISH STANDPOINT, IT HELPS OUR DEVELOPMENT, BUT IT'S GOING TO HELP THE, UH, THE ENTIRE AREA.
AND IT'S, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED, UH, FOR OUR DEVELOPMENT.
SO WE ARE GOING THAT EXTRA STEP, UH, AS A GOOD CITIZEN, AS A, AS A GOOD, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE IN MY OPINION.
AND THEN I HAVE A COUPLE MORE PIECES THAT I THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO NOTE.
UM, WHENEVER YOU GUYS CAME IN, YOU TALKED ABOUT POTENTIALLY MAKING EXTERIOR LOTS THAT TOUCH MAGWOOD RESIDENTS.
YOU MADE THOSE DIFFERENT, RIGHT? THO WHAT DO THOSE EXTERIOR LOTS LOOK LIKE? THAT MIGHT BE A MARKER I QUESTION.
THOSE EXTERIOR LOTS ARE A ONE LOTS THAT ARE MORE IN LINE ARE IN KEEPING WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OR THE MAG WOODS NEIGHBORHOOD AS A WHOLE.
SO THE EXTERIOR LOTS FACE OUTWARD.
THERE'S NOT A FENCE ALONG MAG WOODS OR MENLO THAT'S GONNA BLOCK THIS DEVELOPMENT FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S REALLY ENGAGING FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, THERE'S ALSO INGRESS AND EGRESS INTO YOUR DEVELOPMENT TO THE CURRENT MAG WOODS WHERE CURRENT RESIDENTS FROM MAG WOODS CAN ENJOY THE AMENITIES THAT YOU PLAN TO PUT IN PLACE.
WE HAVE TWO WALKING PATHS, ONE FROM MENLO, ONE FROM MAG WOODS, AND WE HAVE A PARK, UH, WITH SIDEWALKS THAT THEY CAN COME IN AND UTILIZE.
CURRENTLY, THERE'S NOT MANY SIDEWALKS IN MAGNOLIA WOODS.
AND YOU MENTIONED, UM, OR MR. MONSO MENTIONED A TOWN HOME, OR A, WHAT DID YOU SAY? A THERE'S SIX, UH, ROW HOUSES, ROW HOUSES ON THE CORNER OF HIGHLAND AND MAGNOLIA WOODS THAT WE'RE PLANNING, THAT WE'RE GONNA SUBMIT FOR THE FTP.
IT'S, IT CREATES A GREAT, AN APPROXIMATE PRICE POINT OF WHAT THAT ROW HOUSE MAY START AT.
AND THEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EXTERIOR LOTS AGAIN, I THINK THAT WE SPOKE, UM, ABOUT THE, THE DRAINAGE MM-HMM.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? CORRECT.
THERE'S CONCERN THAT THE, UH, SURFACE WATER COMING OFF THOSE ROOF LINES WILL GO INTO NEIGHBORS PROPERTIES.
SO WE'RE GONNA MANDATE IN OUR RESTRICTIONS THAT THERE'S GUTTERS THAT ARE UTILIZED AND FLOW BACK INTO THE PROJECT, INTO A CATCH, UH, LINE AND, AND RUN TO OUR DETENTION POND, OUR A HUNDRED YEAR DETENTION POND.
I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR BOTH OF YOU GUYS.
UM, WITH THAT BEING SAID, I SAID AT THE BEGINNING, WHENEVER I INITIALLY STARTED SPEAKING, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT DEVELOPMENT IN BATON ROUGE IN DISTRICT 12, WE HAVE LITTLE TO NO GREEN SPACE LEFT AND THE GREEN SPACE THAT IS LEFT.
I'M HOPING THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS THIS THAT IS SMART PLANNING.
THEY ADD TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.
THEY'RE ACCOMMODATING TO THE NEIGHBORS.
UM, LIKE MR. BENTON SAID, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE GREEN PARKS ALONG HIGHLAND ROAD, BUT IN DISTRICT 12, IT'S JUST NOT FORESEEABLE.
UM, WITH THE HOUSING CRISIS AND SHORTAGE THAT WE HAVE WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO GET AS CLOSE AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN TO THE UNIVERSITY, UM, IT'S SOMEWHAT IMPOSSIBLE UNLESS FOLKS WANT TO GO AND BUY THE LOTS OF THEMSELVES AND MAKE PARKS OUT OF THEM.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THE DEVELOPER.
UM, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME MEETING TY WITH THIS PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT FOR TALKING TO THE COMMUNITY HOSTING MEETINGS, UM, BEING VERY UPFRONT AND PROACTIVE WITH MAKING SURE THAT THEY COULD MEET AS MANY, UH, NEIGHBORS WISHES AS POSSIBLE.
AND I WOULD ASK ALL OF YOU TO PLEASE APPROVE THIS DEVELOPMENT.
IS THAT A MOTION? MOTION BY ROCKER? SECONDED BY COLEMAN.
ANY OBJECTIONS? ITEM TWO AND ONE HAVE BEEN
[3. 23-00508 TA-2-23 Chapter 16, Signs]
APPROVED.WE NOW GO TO ITEM THREE, TA TWO DASH 23, CHAPTER 16, SIGNS UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENT TO REVISE SECTION 16 2 4, DESIGN CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE PERTAINING TO ABANDONED SIGNS COMMISSION ACT.
ACTION WAS TO APPROVE CARRIE 90.
IS THERE ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM? WE HAVE CHAD MORROW.
[00:15:06]
DANIEL GRAVES OR CHAD MORROW? YOU, YOU, CHAD.UH, COUNSEL, I THINK WE BOTH HAD SIGNED UP FOR ITEM SEVEN.
AND IF WE, IF WE MISHANDLED THE TECHNOLOGY, WE APOLOGIZE.
I'M GETTING NO MISS, UH, ANYONE TO SPEAK ON ITEM THREE.
WE NOW GO TO COUNCIL MOTION AND, AND COUNCIL, MA'AM.
SO MO, SO MOVED BY, CO SECONDED BY MS. AMAROSA.
ANY OBJECTIONS? ITEM THREE HAS
[4. 23-00509 Case 14-23 1500-1600 Brightside Drive]
BEEN APPROVED.WE GO NOW TO ITEM FOUR 14 DASH 2300 5000.
THAT'S ONE SIX BRIGHTSIDE DRIVE THERE FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL LIGHT COMMERCIAL TWO PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF BRIGHTSIDE DRIVE, WEST OF NICHOLSON DRIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE.
MOTION CARRIED TO APPROVE 70 BODY COMMISSION.
ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM FOUR, COUNCIL MEMBER MADAY.
A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCIL MEMBER MAGORE, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN AMAROSA.
[5. 23-00510 Case 15-23 11275 Honore Lane]
BEEN APPROVED CASE 15 DASH 23 IS ITEM 5 11 20 75 HONORE LANE.THERE ZONE FROM RURAL TO LIGHT INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF MONTEREY LANE, EAST OF FIELDSTONE, DISTRICT 11 COMMISSION ACTION.
IS THERE ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM FIVE? COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS. MOTION TO APPROVE.
SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER COLEMAN.
[6. 23-00511 Case 16-23 12181 Airline Highway]
TO ITEM SIX K 16 DASH 23 1 21 81 AIRLINE HIGHWAY.THERE ZONE FROM RURAL TO LIGHT, INDUSTRIAL AND PROPERTY.
LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF AIRLINE HIGHWAY, WEST OF PICU LANE, DISTRICT 11, COMMISSION ACTION.
ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM SIX? COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS. SO MOVED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ADAM SECONDED BY COUNCIL
[7. 23-00512 Case 17-23 2575 and 2595 O’Neal Lane ]
MEMBER NO.ANY OBJECTIONS REGARD TO ITEM SEVEN? CASE 1 7 2 3 2 75 AND 5 95 O' LANE TO REZONE FROM LIGHT COMMERCIAL TO HEAVY COMMERCIAL, ONE ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF O'NEAL LANE, SOUTH OF NORTH LAROCHE DRIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE COMMISSION ACTION.
IS ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM SEVEN? CHAD MORROW.
CHAD, I GAVE YOU A CHANCE ON ITEM THREE, SO I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU SPEAK ON NO, I'M JUST JOKING.
MY COMMENTS WOULD BE VERY OUT OF CONTEXT ON THE OTHER ITEM.
UM, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS.
I'M AN ATTORNEY REPRESENTING CAMDEN LAKES LLC, WHICH IS THE OWNER OF THE, I'M SORRY.
EXCUSE ME, LET ME INTERRUPT YOU ONE SECOND.
THE DEVELOPER IS HERE, SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK FIRST, YOU CAN OH, YES, SIR.
BECAUSE YOU'LL GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO REBUT ONCE THE OPPOSITION IS SPOKEN.
UH, PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND SPEAK IN FRONT OF YOU.
UM, PEOPLE YOU FIND PEOPLE TODAY.
UM, I'M NOT AS POLISHED AS, UM, OUR ATTORNEY IN THE BACK.
UH, BUT BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE PURCHASED A PROPERTY ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
UH, THE PROPERTY WAS DORMANT FOR ABOUT A DECADE, AND WITH THE EXISTING ZONING, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO LEASE IT.
SO WE NEED TO CHANGE THE ZONING SO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, MAKE OUR RETURN ON OUR INVESTMENT.
SO, UH, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE, THAT'S WHY WE'RE APPLYING FOR IT.
WE PASSED, UM, THE, UH, THE, UM, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT? THE PLANNING COMMISSIONS.
UH, THE PLANNING COMMISSION WITH, UH, FLYING COLORS.
SO, UH, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
WHAT'S YOUR NAME, SIR? YOUR ADDRESS? I'M SORRY.
SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT FIRST.
MY FIRST, MY, MY FIRST NAME IS MONISH AND MY LAST NAME IS STANKEY.
AND NOW WE'RE GOING MR. MORROW, THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM.
UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR YOUR TIME.
AS I SAID, MY NAME IS CHAD MORROW.
I'M AN ATTORNEY REPRESENTING CAMDEN LAKE LLC, WHICH IS THE OWNER OF THE CAN LAKE APARTMENTS LOCATED, UH, JUST NORTH OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY HERE.
UM, WE, WE'VE ALREADY EXPRESSED TO THE, TO THE COMMISSION AND TO THE COUNCIL OUR, OUR ARGUMENTS, I THINK, AGAINST THIS.
BUT JUST TO SORT OF HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS, UM, THIS PROPERTY IS, IS CURRENTLY ZONED, UM, CURRENTLY ZONED LIGHT COMMERCIAL.
AND IN, IN DESIGNATING THIS PROPERTY WITH THAT ZONING DESIGNATION, THE COUNCIL KNEW WHAT IT WAS DOING.
UM, THIS PROPERTY, UH, JUST DOESN'T FIT TO BE A HEAVY COMMERCIAL, UM, PROPERTY WHERE IT IS LOCATED.
NOW, I RECALL THAT, UH, ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS FOR REZONING THIS
[00:20:01]
PROPERTY TO HEAVY COMMERCIAL ONE WAS THAT THERE IS A HEAVY COMMERCIAL ONE PROPERTY LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF, OF THE SUBJECT PROPERTY.AND I DON'T KNOW IF, IF, UM, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE THE STAFF REPORT IN FRONT OF THEM, BUT JUST AS, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, THIS IS THE SUBJECT PROPERTY.
THE OTHER, THE ONLY OTHER HC ONE PROPERTY IN THIS ENTIRE PHOTOGRAPH IS RIGHT HERE.
AND WHAT IT IS, IS AN HC ONE PROPERTY THAT REALLY ISN'T A, A HC ONE PROPERTY THAT FRONTS ON THE STREET.
THIS IS THE O'REILLY AUTO PARTS STORE THAT IS A C ONE ZONING DESIGNATION.
THE HC ONE PROPERTY REALLY ISN'T A, A, A PUBLIC SERVING, UH, BUSINESS, IF YOU WILL.
IT'S NOT ONE THAT'S GONNA CREATE THE TRAFFIC THAT A NORMAL THAT, THAT I THINK THE NORMAL HC ONE PROPERTY WOULD.
AND SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S FAIR TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THAT HC ONE PROPERTY AS, OH, WELL, THERE'S HC PROPERTIES ALL UP AND DOWN O'NEILL, OR THERE'S ONE RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
IT'S, LIKE I SAID, THAT'S THE ONLY ONE IN THIS ENTIRE PHOTOGRAPH.
AND IT, AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S ONE THAT IS SET BACK FROM THE STREET, UM, PRETTY PROMINENTLY.
AND SO I, I THINK THAT'S OUR BIGGEST ISSUE IS THAT THAT PROPERTY IS GOING TO, TO INCREASE TRAFFIC ON A, A STREET THAT IS ALREADY BURDENED BY VERY HEAVY TRAFFIC.
IT'S A STREET THAT IS HOME TO A NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL COMPLEXES OR RESIDENTIAL HOUSING THAT IS RIGHT OFF THE STREET.
AND WE JUST DON'T FEEL FOR THAT REASON AND FOR THE REASON THAT THE COUNCIL HAS, UH, THAT THIS PROPERTY HAS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE COMMERCIAL.
WE DON'T FEEL THAT IT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS AND, AND FITS AS AN HC ONE PROPERTY.
UM, AND I THINK ONE OF OUR CLIENTS, UH, MR. MICHAEL POLSON WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS AS WELL.
I AM THE PROPERTY MANAGER AT CAMDEN LAKE APARTMENTS.
UM, OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS THE TRAFFIC FLOW, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS COMING UP ON O'NEAL LANE.
UM, WE ONLY HAD A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO LET OUR RESIDENTS KNOW OF THIS POSSIBLE CHANGE, AND WE ARE GETTING A LOT OF PUSHBACK FROM THE RESIDENTS.
UM, IF NOTHING ELSE, JUST MORE TIME TO LET THE RESIDENTS BE ABLE TO VOICE THEIR OPINION.
NEXT WILL HAVE MICHAEL PARSON, PON PUSAN.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK IN FRONT OF YOU TODAY ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
UH, I'M WITH THE BURGER COMPANY OUTTA NEW ORLEANS, AND, UM, WE'VE BEEN LONG-TERM INVESTORS IN BATON ROUGE.
UM, WE'VE OWNED CAMDEN LAKE APARTMENTS FOR OVER 15 YEARS.
WE WERE INVOLVED IN THE ORIGINAL DEVELOPMENT OF IT BACK IN, UH, 2008 AND, UH, HAVE A, UH, A VERY BULLISH OPINION OF THE BATON ROUGE MARKET.
AND WE, UM, WE APPRECIATE THAT, UH, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA.
AND WHAT WE WOULD REQUEST IS THAT IT BE ACCRETIVE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED TODAY IN OUR ESTIMATION, UH, NOT ONLY, UM, IS A DETRIMENT TO OUR 30 PLUS MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, BUT ALSO HARMS, UH, AND CREATES A, UH, UH, IT DETRACTS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WOULD, HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF DETRACTING FROM THE, UM, THE OVERALL RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE, UH, THAT OUR RESIDENTS ENJOY.
AND SO, UM, CURRENTLY IN A, UH, UH, LIGHT COMMERCIAL, UH, ZONING DISTRICT, ONE, THERE'S A REQUIREMENT OF A 300 FOOT, UH, BUFFER, UH, FOR THE PROPOSED USE FOR THE SITE.
AND WE, UH, WE THINK THAT OBVIOUSLY THIS COUNCIL HAD LEGITIMATE REASONS TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE ZONING CODE, UH, WHEN THAT WAS APPROVED.
AND, UH, THAT IS THAT IN ADDITION TO, UH, SOME OF THE OTHER ANCILLARY, UH, CONCERNS FROM RESIDENTS, WHETHER IT BE TRAFFIC AND NOISE ARE, UH, ARE THE REASONS WHY WE WOULD REQUEST THIS COUNCIL TO, UH, OPPOSE THE PROPOSED USE.
[00:25:01]
CERTAINLY APPRECIATE THAT THE, UH, DEVELOPER, UH, HAS NEEDS TO MAKE A RETURN ON INVESTMENT.HOWEVER, WE DON'T FEEL THAT THE CURRENT USE IS APPROPRIATE AND, UM, THAT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, UH, ADDRESSED IN THE DUE DILIGENCE PROCESS.
AND, UH, WE WOULD, UH, REQUEST THAT, UM, THAT THE DEVELOPER MEET WITH OUR RESIDENTS.
THERE HAS BEEN NO COLLABORATION TO DATE, NO INDICATION SINCE THE, UH, UH, UH, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OR ANY EFFORT ON THE, UH, BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT TO MEET WITH OUR RESIDENTS OR OUR OWNERSHIP GROUP.
AND FOR THOSE REASONS, I REQUEST THAT, UH, THE COUNCIL, UH, OPPOSE THIS, UH, APPLICATION.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND, MANISH? CAN I GIVE MY ATTORNEY A QUICK SURE.
HE, HE'S, HE'S GOT THREE MINUTES.
ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK? GOT THREE MINUTES.
WHAT'S THE MUSIC THEY PLAY ON THE GAME SHOW? THEY CAN BOTH SPEAK, RIGHT? HMM.
THEY CAN BOTH SPEAK, RIGHT? YOU BOTH HAVE THREE MINUTES.
YOU GOTTA, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY REBUT.
SO, UM, I'M, I'M GONNA LET, I'M GONNA LET HIM TALK AND THEN I'LL TALK.
STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE.
UM, LOOK, O'NEILL LANE HAS GOT ALL KINDS OF COMMERCIAL STUFF UP AND DOWN.
IT, THERE'S A WALMART RIGHT JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM THIS.
THERE'S CAR REPAIR PLACE, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS.
THIS IS TOTALLY IN KEEPING WITH WHAT'S THERE ON O'NEILL LANE, AND IT MEETS ALL THE CRITERIA THAT JUMP THROUGH ALL THE HOOPS THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
AND I DON'T, THERE'S NO REASON NOT TO APPROVE THIS.
UM, YEAH, JUST, JUST KIND OF REITERATE WHAT, WHAT, UH, MY ATTORNEY SAID.
WE, WE OWN PROPERTY ALL OVER SOUTH LOUISIANA.
UM, IT'S OUR INTENTION TO BE AN ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WE DON'T WANNA HURT THEM AND WE DON'T WANNA HURT OURSELVES.
UM, IF THERE'S A NUISANCE, WE WILL TAKE CARE OF IT.
THAT'S WHAT WE DO IN ALL OUR PROPERTIES.
SO, UM, WE'VE NEVER KNOWN TO BE A NUISANCE TO ANYBODY.
IS ANYONE ELSE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM SEVEN? WE NOW GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER.
NO, YOU WANNA SPEAK? I'LL LET YOU SPEAK LAST.
UH, I WAS JUST CURIOUS, UM, I, I'M LOOKING ON THE MAP AND I'M SEEING THE, THE PROPERTY, UM, THERE'S A BUILDING THERE NOW, CORRECT? IS THAT YES, SIR.
IS THE INTENT TO REMOVE THE BUILDING? NO.
YEAH, SO, SO THE REASON WHY WE HAD A CHAIN OF ZONING IS WE HAD A, UH, A CAR DEALERSHIP THAT WANTED TO USE A SPACE AND THEY COULDN'T DO THE CAR DEALERSHIP WITH THE EXISTING ZONING.
AND SO THAT'S, SO, SO YOU'RE, SO THAT, THAT, UH, LOOKING WHERE THIS IS AS COMPARED TO THE APARTMENTS, UM, IT'S, IT'S IN FRONT OF THEM, WHICH YOU HAVE.
SO ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE APARTMENTS IS AN AUTO ZONE THAT TAKES UP A BIGGER SPACE AND ACTUALLY, UH, IS MORE IN LINE WITH THE APARTMENTS.
THIS WOULD BE FURTHER IN FRONT OF IT.
UM, THE BUILDING ITSELF IS ALREADY THERE, SO IT'S FROM A, AN APPEARANCE STANDPOINT, IT WON'T LOOK ANY DIFFERENT.
UM, FROM RESIDENCE IN THE APARTMENTS, IS THAT ACCURATE? THAT THAT'S CORRECT.
AND THEN NEXT TO IT, UM, IN FRONT OF ALL OF THE APARTMENTS IS, UH, A SHOPPING CENTER.
AND THIS IS, THE IMAGES I'M LOOKING AT ARE FROM 21, SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S STILL ACCURATE, BUT JAMBALAYA SHOP.
SO, SO WHAT YOU'RE TALK, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND THERE, THERE'S TWO PARCELS BEHIND THIS, CORRECT? RIGHT.
SO NONE OF THESE ARE GOING TO BE, UM, THAT'S NOT, BUT THIS BUILDING, THE BUILDING HERE JUST SITS ON THE ONE PARCEL.
UM, RYAN OR, OR GIL, I, I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WAS ANY, UH, DISCUSSION THAT'S, UH, WORTH NOTING FROM? I I SEE IT WAS PAST SEVEN ZERO AT PLANNING.
WAS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON OPPOSITION AT PLANNING THAT'S, UH, NOTEWORTHY? THERE
[00:30:01]
WAS A VERY SIMILAR DISCUSSION AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION HALL, UH, PLANNING, COMMISSION MEETING.THE SAME OPPOSITION SHOWED UP.
THERE WAS CONCERNS REGARDING THE PROXIMITY TO THE EXISTING MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL IN THE AREA.
UH, I, I BELIEVE THAT'S THE REASON THE APPLICANT IS ASKING FOR HEAVY COMMERCIAL ONE.
HE CURRENTLY HAS LIGHT COMMERCIAL WHERE THIS PROPOSED USE IS NOT ALLOWED.
WE HAVE NEWER LIGHT COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS, LC ONE, TWO, AND THREE.
AND ALL THOSE NEWER LIGHT COMMERCIAL DIS DISTRICTS AS, UH, THE OPPOSITION MADE YOU AWARE OF HAVE A, AN ADDITIONAL SETBACK DISTANCE REQUIREMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
UH, HC ONE IS THE FIRST ZONING CATEGORY WHERE YOU CAN DO MOTOR VEHICLES, UH, SALES AND REPAIR THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE DISTANCE REQUIREMENT.
SO THE GENTLEMAN WANTS TO PUT IN A USED CAR LOT AND IN FORESEEABLE FUTURE IF SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH THE CAR LOT AND THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY, UH, UH, DISBAND THEIR BUSINESS OR WHATEVER, SINCE IT IS HEAVY COMMERCIAL OR IF IT GOES HEAVY, WHAT ELSE CAN BE PUT IN THERE AFTER THAT? WHAT'S THE POSSIBILITIES? SO OTHER USES THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED IN HEAVY COMMERCIAL ONE IF THIS WERE TO BE APPROVED WOULD BE BUILDING MATERIAL SALES, CABINET MAKING AND MILLWORK, HEAVY EQUIPMENT, SALES, RENTAL AND SERVICE, LAWN MAINTENANCE FACILITY AND STORAGE, A MICRO BREWERY OR MICRO DISTILLERY,
COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, MEMBERS, I WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE HISTORY ON THIS CASE.
AND THEN, UH, ULTIMATELY I'M GONNA ASK THAT WE DEFER THIS FOR 30 DAYS FOR US TO GIVE A CHANCE FOR THE DEVELOPER AND THEN THE FOLKS FROM THE APARTMENT AND THE NEIGHBORING BUSINESSES TO MEET AND, AND HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT.
UM, THE DEVELOPER DID WELL FIRST THEY, THEY DID AN APPLICATION, I THINK IT WAS AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.
IS THAT RIGHT? UM, AUGUST, AUGUST OF LAST YEAR FOR C A TWO HERE.
UM, WHICH JUST WAS FAR TOO INTENSE FOR THE AREA AND, AND REALLY FAR TOO BIG OF A BUILDING FOR C A B TWO.
UM, THEY REACHED OUT TO ME, I THINK IT WAS IN FEBRUARY, UH, TO TALK ABOUT THE IDEA OF REZONING THIS.
AND I EXPRESSED SOME CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, PROXIMITY TO OTHER C ONE AND LC ONE BUSINESSES.
AND THEN, UH, JUST SORT OF THE, THE ZONING PATTERN THAT WE'VE TRIED TO START ESTABLISHING ON, ON ELAINE OVER THE YEARS.
UM, SO I DO STILL SHARE SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS, UH, BUT I DO WANT TO GIVE THE DEVELOPER, UH, A CHANCE TO MEET AND SEE IF HE CAN, UH, WORK ON SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS.
SO AGAIN, I'M GONNA ASK THAT WE DEFER FOR 30 DAYS.
MOTION TO DEFER FOR 30 DAYS, SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN MEMBER.
ANY OBJECTIONS TO DEFERRAL? ITEM SEVEN HAS BEEN DEFERRED
[8. 23-00513 Case 19-23 17240 Perkins Road]
FOR 30 DAYS.WE NOW GO TO ITEM EIGHT, CASE 19 DASH 23 17 24 PERKINS ROAD TO REZONE FROM RURAL TO GENERAL OFFICE, LOW RISES ON PROPERTY, LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF PERKINS ROAD, NORTH OF HIGHLAND ROAD COMMISSION.
AND COUNCIL MEMBER AND COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE.
IS THERE ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE.
I'M WITH LANIS DESIGN GROUP, 90 15 BLUE BONNET BOULEVARD, BATON ROUGE.
UM, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT THIS APPLICATION.
IS THERE ANYONE ELSE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS? COUNCIL MEMBER HUDSON.
MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCIL MEMBER HUDSON.
SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS. ITEM EIGHT
[9. 23-00514 Case 20-23 12181 Airline Highway]
HAS BEEN APPROVED.WE NOW GO TO ITEM NINE, CASE 20 DASH 23 1 21 81 AIRLINE HIGHWAY TO REZONE FROM RURAL TO LIGHT INDUSTRIAL ON PROPERTY, LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF AIRLINE HIGHWAY WEST OF TWO LANE COUNCIL DISTRICT 11.
MOTION TO APPROVE 70 WAS THE COMMISSION'S ACTIONS.
IS ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ITEM NINE? COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS. MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS SECONDED BY THE CHAIR.
[10. 23-00515 Case 21-23 5621 Government Street]
WE GO TO? ITEM 10 56 21, GOVERNMENT STREET CASE, 21 DASH 23 TO REZONE FROM LIGHT COMMERCIAL TO COMMERCIAL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE RESTAURANT, C A B ONE ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF GOVERNMENT STREET, WEST OF CLOUD DRIVE COUNCIL, DISTRICT SEVEN COMMISSION ACTION.I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ADAMS. ANY OBJECTIONS? IT PASSES COUNCIL MEMBER.
[00:35:02]
OH YEAH, I DID.ANYONE WANT TO SPEAK ON ITEM 10? GREAT.
MOTION TO ADJOURN BY COUNCILMAN AMAROSA.
SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN COUNCIL MEMBER COLEMAN MEETING IS ADJOURNED.