[ROLL CALL]
[00:00:05]
GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE FOR JOINING US, UH, FOR TONIGHT'S PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING.
UH, AT THIS TIME, WE WILL HAVE THE ROLL CALL, MR. HOLCOMB, VICE, VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
FIRST ITEM, UH, ON THE AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE JULY 15TH MEETING? I HAVE.
UH, OH, I HAVE, UH, I HAVE A, UH, A I HAVE A, A, EXCUSE ME, I, I HAVE A MOTION FROM, UH, UH, LET ME SEE.
COMMISSIONER BOYD AND SECOND BY COMMISSIONER SCROGGS.
IS THERE ANY OPPOSITION TO THESE MINUTES? SEEING NONE OF THOSE ITEMS HAVE BEEN APPROVED,
[COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE]
MOVE ON TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE.GIVE US A FEW MINUTES ON UPDATE ON FUTURE BR.
SO THE PLANNING COMMISSION IS CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT, UH, FUTURE BR UM, ACTION ITEM 3.4 0.2 STATES CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT THE CITY PARISH BROWNFIELD'S PROGRAM TO IMPLEMENT PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT OF BROWNFIELD SITES.
SO THE PLANNING COMMISSIONING, ALONG WITH BILL BATON ROUGE, SORRY, BATON ROUGE NORTH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, UH, WILL HOST THE BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT SUMMIT ON AUGUST 27TH AT THE BROWN ROUGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTER.
DENELL SITE IS LOCATED AT 2 1 1 5 NORTH KNOB DALE BOULEVARD.
THE SUMMIT WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT, STRATEGIES, AND SUCCESS STORIES, OUR REDEVELOPMENT OF DISTRESS AREAS THROUGH TO BROWNFIELD'S PROGRAM, INSTEAD OF ADVISING DEVELOPERS, PROPERTY OWNERS, AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM.
AND LASTLY, WE'LL BEGIN WORKING ON THE ANNUAL REPORT AND PROGRESS REPORT, AND WE'LL CONDUCT INTERNAL REVIEWS OF OUR OWN ACTION ITEMS AND BEGIN CONTACTING OUR LEAD AGENCIES TO PROVIDE UPDATES ON THEIR ACTION ITEMS. THAT'S ALL I HAVE.
[RULES FOR CONDUCTING PUBLIC HEARINGS]
WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO THE RULES FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS.AND I'LL JUST READ, READ THE RULES IN DIRECTLY.
ANY INTERESTED MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISHES TO COMMENT ON AN ITEM FROM AN AGENDA, MAKE, MAKE COMMENT IN PERSON AT CITY HALL.
LOUIS STREET, THIRD FLOOR, ROOM 3 48.
DURING THE MEETING, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC DESIRING TO SPEAK ON A PARTICULAR ITEM SHOULD REFER TO A MEETING AGENDA AND COMPLETE THE NECESSARY INFORMATION PRIOR TO THE MEETING BY FILLING OUT A REQUEST TO SPEAK CARD INDICATING, UH, WHICH ITEM YOU WISH TO SPEAK AND PLACE IT IN A DESIGNATED AREA PRIOR TO THE MEETING.
APPLICANT AND APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE PROPOSAL WILL SPEAK FIRST FOR A TOTAL, FOR CO, FOR A TOTAL FOR COM, OR COMBINED PERIOD.
PROPONENTS WILL SPEAK THEN THE OPPONENTS, EACH SPEAKER WILL NOT BE ALLOWED MORE THAN THREE MINUTES.
SPEAKERS ARE REQUESTED TO LIMIT THEIR REMARKS BY AVOIDING DUPLICATION IN THEIR PRESENTATIONS.
APPLICANT WILL BE ALLOWED A TOTAL OF FIVE MINUTES FOR REBUTTAL.
OPPONENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO REBUT ITEMS PLACED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
STAFF WILL NOT HAVE TIME ALLOCATED FOR SPEAKING UNLESS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AT THE MEETING WHO WISHES TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM.
IN SUCH CASES, THE PROPOSAL WILL FOLLOW THE STANDARD PROCEDURE.
[CONSENT AGENDA]
CAN NOW MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.ITEM 11 SS 5 24 ROBERTS TRACK PROPOSED COMMERCIAL SUBDIVISION WITH A PRIVATE STREET LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF RIEGER ROAD NORTH OF INTERSTATE 10.
THERE ARE NO ITEMS FOR CONSENT FOR DEFERRAL.
70 JEFFERSON HIGHWAY TO REZONE PROPERTY FROM LIGHT COMMERCIAL C ONE TO LIGHT COMMERCIAL.
THREE LC THREE LOCATED AT THE NORTHWEST INTERSECTION OF JEFFERSON HIGHWAY IN CORPORATE BOULEVARD.
O'NEILL LANE TO REZONE PROPERTY FROM LIGHT COMMERCIAL C ONE TO HEAVY COMMERCIAL ONE HC ONE LOCATED AT THE SOUTHEAST INTERSECTION OF O'NEIL LANE IN BRISTOW AVENUE.
2 24 NORTH 40TH STREET TO WILLIE CHASE, SENIOR DRIVE, PROPOSED STREET NAME CHANGE FOR NORTH 40TH STREET TO WILLIE CHASE.
SENIOR DRIVE LOCATED NORTH OF ODELL STREET, SOUTH OF JEFFERSON AVENUE AND EAST OF NORTH 39TH STREET.
ITEM SEVEN, SPUD 1 0 1 CARDINAL HILL REVISION THREE.
PROPOSED REVISION TO PARKING COUNT AND LAYOUT REDUCTION TO COMMERCIAL BUILDING SQUARE FOOTAGE AND INCREASE IN BUILDING HEIGHT ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF JEFFERSON HIGHWAY EAST OF INTERSTATE 12.
ITEM EIGHT, PUT 2 0 0 STARBUCKS BURBANK UNIVERSITY FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
PROPOSED RESTAURANT WITH DRIVE THROUGH ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF WESLEY DRIVE WEST OF BURBANK DRIVE.
[00:05:01]
10 S 6 21 CYPRESS AT ARDEN DALE SUBDIVISION REVISION TWO.PROPOSED REVISION TO A MAJOR SUBDIVISION WITH PUBLIC STREETS ON PROPERTY LOCATED WEST OF NORTH DENWOOD.
DRIVE SOUTH OF GREENWELL SPRINGS ROAD.
ITEM 12, PUT 5 0 7 OCHSNER HEALTH GROVE CENTER OR OCHSNER HEALTH CENTER, THE GROVE FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN, REVISION TWO.
THIS IS A REQUEST FOR A ONE YEAR EXTENSION ON THE VALIDITY OF THE FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
STAFF CERTIFIES THAT ALL OF THE ITEMS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE.
MR. CHAIRMAN, WE'VE HAD A REQUEST FROM A CITIZEN TO PULL ITEM FIVE, CASE 37 24 23 27 O'NEILL LANE FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.
THIS ITEM WILL BE PULLED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND HEARD IN THE REGULAR AGENDA ORDER.
UH, YOU HAVE HEARD ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND WILL BE TAKEN WITH ONE VOTE.
ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION WHO HAVE AN ITEM THEY WOULD LIKE PULLED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND HEARD AS PART OF THE REGULAR AGENDA? ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA? SIR? YES, SIR.
WHICH ITEM ARE YOU HERE FOR? WHICH ITEM? YEAH, CASE NUMBER, AGENDA OR DISPUTE? IT'S CASE NUMBER 37 24.
YOU WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THAT ITEM.
IT'S MY FIRST TIME TO THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC PRESENT WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON AN ITEM FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA? NO, MA'AM.
IT WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING ITEM AND YOU UNDERSTOOD.
IS THERE A, IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER SCROGGS? UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ELLEN.
UM, ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS TO ACCEPTING THE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? SEEING NONE, THOSE ITEMS HAVE BEEN APPROVED.
WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO THE REGULAR
[2. TA-2-24 Chapter 4, Site Plans and Plats]
AGENDA.MR. CHAIRMAN, ITEM TWO, TA 2 24, CHAPTER FOUR, SITE PLAN AND PLANS.
THIS IS A PROPOSED TEXT AMENDMENT.
THIS WAS INITIATED AT YOUR LAST PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING.
THIS IS A MINOR MODIFICATION TO THE UNIT UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE SECTION 4.23 DEALING WITH MANUFACTURED HOME PARKS AND SECTION 4.2 0.4 RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARKS PERTAINING TO MINIMUM FRONTAGE AND AREA REQUIREMENTS.
THIS AMENDMENT MODIFIES THE MINIMUM DIMENSIONAL AND ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS.
MINIMUM ACREAGE WOULD BE REDUCED WITH THIS AMENDMENT FROM THREE ACRES TO TWO ACRES TO MAKE IT CONSISTENT WITH THE EXISTING LANGUAGE IN THE CODE FOR RV PARKS.
LOT FRONTAGE REQUIREMENTS FOR BOTH WOULD BE REDUCED FROM A MINIMUM WIDTH OF 200 FEET TO 100 FEET.
ALL OTHER REQUIREMENTS AND PROCESSES WOULD REMAIN THE SAME FOR THESE DEVELOPMENT TYPES AND WOULD REQUIRE A SITE PLAN APPROVAL AT A PUBLIC HEARING FOR FUTURE PLANNING COMMISSION APPROVALS.
THIS ITEM WAS REVIEWED WITH THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE BUILDING OFFICIAL, AND IT WAS SENT TO THE FEDERATION OF CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS AND THE GROWTH COALITION FOR REVIEW.
WE HAVE NO OPPOSITION AND NO ONE, UH, HAS VOICED ANY OPPOSITION.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
WELL, IN THAT CASE, WE CAN OPEN AND CLOSE PUBLIC HEARING AND WE CAN, UH, ASK FOR ANY, UH, MOTIONS.
MOTION TO APPROVE FROM COMMISSIONER SCROGGS.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? UH, WE HAVE A, UH, A SECOND FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER BOYD.
ARE THERE ANY OPPOSITION OR ANY, UH, OTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE THAT IS APPROVED.
[3. PA-6-24 Florida Corridor Small Area Plan]
ITEM THREE.ITEM THREE, PA 6 24 FLORIDA COURT CORRIDOR, SMALL AREA PLAN.
THIS ITEM TITLED FLORIDA CORRIDOR SMALL AREA PLAN AS A REQUEST FROM BILL BATON ROUGE TO ADOPT THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR SMALL AREA PLAN.
THIS PLAN WAS DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CONSULTING TEAM LED BY PERKINS AND WILL.
IT FOCUSES ON THE 12 MILE STRETCH OF FLORIDA STREET AND FLORIDA BOULEVARD EXTENDING FROM DOWNTOWN TO THE PARISH LINE.
THIS PLAN IS THE RESULT OF EXTENSIVE
[00:10:01]
PUBLIC OUTREACH INVOLVING RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS ALONG THE FLORIDA BOULEVARD CORRIDOR.BY ADOPTING THIS PLAN, WE WILL AMEND THE COMMUNITY DESIGN AND NEIGHBORHOOD ELEMENT OF FUTURE B TO OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE IT AS A SMALL AREA PLAN.
THIS MEANS THAT ALL FUTURE DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS WITHIN THESE BOUNDARIES WILL BE REVIEWED FOR CONSISTENCY WITH THE PLAN.
MOVING FORWARD, THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR SMALL AREA PLAN OUTLINES RECOMMENDED ACTIONS FOR LAND USE, TRANSPORTATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CULTURAL INITIATIVES, HEALTH AND SAFETY TO ENHANCE THE AREA'S CHARACTER.
THE TEAM PRESENTED AN UPDATE AND OVERVIEW OF THE PLAN IN APRIL AT A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE PLAN, NOTING ITS ALIGNMENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AND THROUGH THOROUGH PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, CONDUCTED AND LED BY BILL BATON ROUGE PERKINS AND WILL, AND THE LOCAL CONSULTANT TEAM THROUGHOUT 2023 AND 2024, WE'VE RECEIVED NON LETTERS OF SUPPORT, WHICH YOU WERE COPIED ON FOR THIS ITEM.
I'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE THE APPLICANT, I BELIEVE, UH, GRETCHEN FROM BILL BATON ROUGE.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR 15 MINUTES.
UH, GRETCHEN SEAMERS, VICE PRESIDENT, BILL BATON ROUGE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US BACK TODAY.
WE ARE EXCITED TO SHARE OUR, OUR FINAL PRODUCT WITH YOU.
BEFORE I INTRODUCE OUR CONSULTANT TO GO OVER, UM, THE, UH, SUBSTANTIAL PRODUCT OF THE PLAN, I'D LIKE TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE IMPETUS FOR WHY WE'RE DOING THIS PROJECT.
NOW, THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR HAS LONG BEEN A DIVIDING LINE IN THE CITY PARISH.
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, ALONG WITH PHIL BATON ROUGE, THE BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER AND OTHER CITY LEADERSHIP HAVE MADE THE CORRIDOR A PRIORITY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.
ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION, SAFETY OF PEOPLE MOVING THROUGH THE CORRIDOR AND URBAN DESIGN HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE MAJOR CONCERNS.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AMAZON FACILITY AT THE FORMER CORTANA MALL SITE ALLOWED BILL BATON ROUGE TO CREATE A NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND TAX INCREMENT FINANCE DISTRICT.
WHEN WE ESTABLISHED THE DISTRICT, WE WERE WORKING WITH THE METRO COUNCIL, UH, THE BATON ROUGE AREA CHAMBER AND THE MAYOR'S OFFICE TO ESTABLISH THE PRIORITIES FOR THE DISTRICT.
AND THE LENGTH OF THE FLORIDA, UM, CORRIDOR FROM THE RIVER TO THE PARISH LINE WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE TOP PRIORITY.
THE OTHER PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE TAX INCREMENT FINANCE DISTRICT INCLUDE A COMMUNITY CENTER FOR COUNCIL DISTRICT SIX, UH, PUBLIC PRIVATE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS ALONG THE CORRIDOR AND STREET SCAPE AND FACADE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
I SHOULD MENTION THAT PURSUANT TO THE ENABLING LEGISLATION FOR THE EAST BATON ROUGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, WE ARE REQUIRED TO GET ANY REDEVELOPMENT PLAN WITH LAND USE IMPLICATIONS ADOPTED BY YOUR COMMISSION.
IN THIS CASE, WE ARE ENDEAVORING TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER AND WE WILL BE ASKING THE METRO COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE PROJECT AS A PART OF FUTURE BR SO THAT ALL RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS CAN AID IN IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN.
UH, WHILE I'M UP HERE, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF FOR ALL THEIR INPUT AND THOUGHTFUL FEEDBACK THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
WE REALLY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THIS DONE IN SUCH A SHORT TIME, RELATIVELY, UH, WITHOUT, UM, THE STAFF'S ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT.
AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE SARAH KELLERMAN.
SHE IS ONE OF OUR ESTEEMED CONSULTANTS FROM PERKINS.
AND WILL, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US A CHANCE TO SPEAK ON THIS THIS EVENING.
UM, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE PROJECT TEAM THAT INCLUDED PERKINS AND WILL NE NELSON NYGARD, HRNA ADVISORS AND FORTON TABATA, AS WELL AS JOINED TODAY WITH BY JONATHAN HILL FROM FRANKLIN ASSOCIATES, CRITICAL PARTNERS IN THIS ENDEAVOR.
UM, WE BEGAN THIS PROJECT, UH, WITH THE GOAL OF ANSWERING A SINGLE CHALLENGING QUESTION, WHICH WAS, HOW CAN THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR BECOME A MORE RESILIENT PLACE WHERE CURRENT AND FUTURE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSETS, RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES AS WELL AS VISITORS, CAN REALLY TRULY THRIVE.
AT PRESENT, WE'RE SEEKING YOUR APPROVAL.
UM, WE BRING WITH US LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM MANY OF THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS IN AND AROUND BATON ROUGE, UM, THE CITY PARISH AND, UH, ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT FROM BBR AND THE C-C-E-D-D BOARDS.
WE'RE ALSO PLEASED TO SHARE THAT THERE'S ALREADY, UM, IMPACT ALREADY WAVES BEING MADE AROUND THIS SCRAPE PLAN.
SOME NEWS ARTICLES SHARED HERE.
UM, THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR IS 12 MILES OF RETAIL OFFICE MAJOR INSTITUTIONS, AND IT TRAVERSES 17 OF THE CITY PARISH NEIGHBORHOODS.
THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR STORY IS THE STORY OF SO MANY FA FAMILIAR PLACES, UH, RETAIL CORRIDORS THAT ARE FALLING BEHIND TRANSPORTATION
[00:15:01]
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S CREATING BOUNDARIES INSTEAD OF BRIDGES BETWEEN NEIGHBORHOODS.THE PLAN UNFOLDED OVER TWO YEARS.
UH, IT WAS STRUCTURED SUCH THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND GUIDANCE FROM CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS, INFORMED DESIGN DECISIONS ALONG THE WAY, AND THEN CONFIRMED PLAN DIRECTION AT EVERY MAJOR MILESTONE.
UM, I'LL JUST PIGGYBACK ON WHAT GRETCHEN SAID.
WE HAD A REALLY AMAZING GROUP OF, UM, ADVISORS, OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN THIS WORK, UM, PROVIDING STEERING AND TECHNICAL GUIDANCE INCLUDED, UH, BRAC, BRAFF KATZ, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, UM, ALL OF THE ACRONYMS. AND, UM, WE ALSO ATTRIBUTE OUR SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THIS PLAN TO OUR PHENOMENAL LOCAL PARTNER, MANY LOCAL PARTNERS.
UM, CORRIDOR STUDIES ARE A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT KIND OF PLANNING PROCESS TO GET ENGAGEMENT TRACTION AND IN THESE TYPES OF PLANS, SO MANY PEOPLE USE AND INTERACT WITH STREETS LIKE THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR, BUT, UM, PEOPLE DON'T FEEL THE SAME SENSE OF OWNERSHIP AND, AND THAT MOTIVATES PARTICIPATION IN A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN OR A DOWNTOWN PLANNING EFFORT.
AND SO IT'S REALLY BEEN AMAZING TO SEE THAT OUR TEAM WAS ABLE TO HOST PUBLIC OPEN HOUSES ALL ALONG THE CORRIDOR, POP UP AT EXISTING COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ENGAGE VIRTUAL PLATFORMS TO REACH OVER 4,000 PEOPLE.
SO WE REALLY FEEL LIKE THIS IS A COMMUNITY BACKED PLAN.
THE PLAN ITSELF IS PRESENTED IN SECTIONS.
THIS IS, UH, THE TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE, BUT BASICALLY FIRST FEW SECTIONS ARE BACKGROUND AND DOCUMENTATION OF THE PROCESS OVERALL AND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF EXISTING CONDITIONS IN THIS DISCOVERY NEEDS, FOLLOWED BY A SECTION DISCUSSING CORRIDOR WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, AND THEN SECTIONS DISCUSSING EACH EACH OF SIX NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS THEMSELVES, I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A MOMENT, BUT THEY WERE DEFINED BY, UM, THE PROJECT PARTNERS AS WELL AS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF OUR ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
THE CORRIDOR WIDE STRATEGIES FALL INTO THREE PRIMARY CATEGORIES, UH, LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT PLACEMAKING.
SO THE WAYS TO ENLIVEN, UH, PUBLIC SPACES AND TRANSPORTATION.
THESE INCLUDED THINGS RELATED TO PARKING, SIDE, STREET TRAFFIC, CALMING.
I SHOULD MENTION THAT OUR CHARGE WAS NOT TO REDESIGN FLORIDA CORRIDOR.
THE FLORIDA BOULEVARD, UM, ITSELF.
THAT WAS ALL, UM, UH, INITIATED AHEAD OF THIS EFFORT WITH THE MOVE BR AND PLANK NICHOLSON GATEWAY DESIGNS.
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE PRESENTED THE CORRIDOR STRATEGIES IN THE PLAN.
EVERY STRATEGY HAD ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, AND I THINK MOST IMPORTANTLY, AS PRESENTED WITH RESPONSIBILITIES ALREADY CALLED OUT FOR A LEAD ORGANIZATION IN CRITICAL PARTNERS.
I HAVE ONE EXAMPLE HERE ON THE NEXT SLIDE THAT IS ILLUSTRATING A CRITICAL RECOMMENDATION COMING FROM THE PLAN, WHICH IS TO CREATE A NEW UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE DESIGN DISTRICT OVERLAY CALLED FLORIDA CORRIDOR WEST, POPPING UP RIGHT NOW, WHICH COVERS SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WERE NOT COVERED BY EXISTING OVERLAY ZONES.
AND I CAN, UM, POINT TO THE HELP OF DIRECTOR HOLCOMB IN A PHRASING AND FRAMING THAT RECOMMENDATION.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, UH, IN ORDER TO TACKLE A 12 MILE CORRIDOR, WE REALLY NEEDED TO BREAK IT INTO SMALLER SUB AREAS.
WE CALLED THESE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS.
THE SIX NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS ARE CALLED OUT HERE FROM WEST TO EAST, THE STITCH, MID CITY FOSTER, AND FLORIDA, BON RAY, ANA, AND SHERWOOD.
UM, EACH OF THESE WAS DEFINED IN PART BECAUSE IT HAS A CENTRAL NOTE OF ACTIVITY.
IT'S GOT SOME THERE, THERE, IT HAD AN INSTITUTIONAL ANCHOR IN SOME CASES.
AND THE BOUNDARIES WERE SHAPED AND CONFIRMED BY OUR VARIOUS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS WITHIN EACH OF THESE AREAS.
WE THEN DID A REALLY DEEP DIVE INTO, UM, IDENTIFYING THE PLACES AND SPACES THAT SET EACH APART, DEFINE THE PERSONALITY WITHIN EACH, AND THEN ACROSS ALL SIX OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AREAS, WE IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITY SITES BASED ON THE METRICS THAT ARE ON THE SCREEN ABOVE YOU.
UM, SO ACCESS, PROXIMITY, LOCATION, AND SIZE, COMPLEXITY OF THE EXISTING OWNERS OR OWNERSHIP, UM, AS WELL AS UNDER UTILIZATION, MEANING IS IT VACANT? IS IT UNDEVELOPED? IS IT ADJUDICATED? SO LOOKING FOR THE PROPERTIES THAT MAYBE HAVE THE BEST POTENTIAL TO CHANGE IN THE COMING YEARS.
SO OF ACROSS ALL OF THE SIX NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS, THERE WERE 47 SITES THAT WE IDENTIFIED.
UM, AND FOR EACH OF THEM, WE DID A PRETTY DEEP, UM, A DEEP DIVE.
WELL, I HAVE A, A SLIDE, UM, PAGE FROM THAT SECTION IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT WHERE WE TOOK EACH OF THOSE OPPORTUNITY SITES, WE LOOKED AT ALL OF THE SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENCES, POTENTIAL AND IDENTIFIED, UM, AND CATEGORI EVALUATED AND CATEGORIZED THEM INTO NEAR TERM MIDTERM OR LONG-TERM OPPORTUNITIES.
NEAR TERM MEANING CATALYST, CATALYTIC OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE HIGHEST PRIORITY SITES, THE LOWEST HANGING FRUIT
[00:20:01]
FOR, UH, POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT.AND THESE DETERMINATIONS WERE MADE BASED ON ANALYSIS BY PERKINS AND WILL AND HRNA.
AND THEY WERE INFORMED BY PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TOUCHPOINTS, UM, WITH THE VARIOUS CORRIDOR COMMUNITIES.
SO EACH AREA WAS PRESENTED IN AXON.
THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE, BUT EACH OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS HAS AN AXONOMETRIC DRAWING, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE VARIOUS OPPORTUNITY, UM, OPPORTUNITY SITES.
SO ALL 47 SITES ARE IDENTIFIED ALONGSIDE CALLING ATTENTION TO, UM, SOME OF THE DETAIL THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT CHANGE IN THESE PLACES.
SO AGAIN, THOSE METRICS OF OWNERSHIP, WHAT'S THE ACTUAL SIZE OF A SITE OR COMBINED PARCELS THAT WE'RE DESCRIBING AS A SITE.
ALL OF THOSE METRICS ARE IN THE PLAN.
UM, AND THEN FOR THE SITES THAT WE IDENTIFIED AS CATALYTIC, OF WHICH THERE WERE THREE, THAT MEAN THEY REALLY, TRULY DID SEEM TO HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE THE SOONEST.
UM, EACH OF THESE WERE TAKEN THROUGH A DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT, AMASSING STUDY, AND PAIRED WITH MARKET FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT.
AND SO FOR THE CATALYTIC SITES, WE REALLY WANTED TO GIVE BUILD BATON ROUGE AND PARTNERS A REAL LINE OF SIGHT TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION, TOWARDS ACQUISITION, TOWARDS PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT.
SO THOSE THREE SITES WERE ON THE SCREEN JUST NOW, BUT I'M GONNA KIND OF GO THROUGH THEM.
UM, THE CATALYTIC SITES INCLUDED ONE IN THE STITCH, WHICH WAS THE FURTHEST WEST NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER.
IT IS THE SURFACE PARKING LOT IN FRONT OF THE RENAISSANCE PARK, UM, OFFICE PARK BUILDING
UM, IT IS ADJACENT TO THE PLANNED, UM, PLANK NICHOLSON BRT STATIONS PLANNED FOR SORT OF RIGHT UP FRONT.
UH, AND WE ENVISIONED IT AS A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT WITH RETAIL MIXED INCOME RESIDENTIAL.
HERE WE ILLUSTRATE WHAT SOME OF THAT CHANGE COULD MEAN.
OUR GOAL THROUGH SOME OF THESE ILLUSTRATIONS WAS TO SHOW HOW INVESTMENT IN THE STREETSCAPE THROUGH MOVE VR AND THROUGH THE PLANT NICHOLSON BRT, COULD BE INTERWOVEN WITH A FUTURE VISION FOR DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE OF THE CURB.
UM, THE NEXT ONE IS IN MID-CITY.
OUR CATALYTIC SITE IS ALSO A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, UH, SORT OF SURROUNDING THE BRIDGE CENTER FOR HOPE.
IT'S A SMALLER SCALE AND IT, AND IT'S SHOWN AND DESCRIBED IN MULTIPLE PHASES.
THE GOAL HERE WAS TO REALLY HOLD THE CORNER AT ACADIAN THROUGHWAY, UM, AND TO CREATE A LITTLE PUBLIC SPACE AMENITY AND ACTIVATE THAT CORNER.
YOU CAN SEE TUCKED BEHIND THE, THE RETAIL PAD WOULD BE KIND OF A PUBLIC SPACE, AND THEN A NEW ENTRANCE INTO THE PARKING LOT THAT SERVES THE BRIDGE CENTER.
THE LAST, UH, DEEP DIVE, THE LAST CATALYTIC SITE WE DID THE FULL MARKET ANALYSIS FEASIBILITY STUDY OF WAS AT THE INTERSECTION OF FOSTER AND FLORIDA MIXED INCOME RESIDENTIAL AT THE CORNER OF THE FORMER JERRY LANE FORD DEALERSHIP SITE.
MIXED INCOME RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH GROUND FLOOR RESTAURANT NEAR BRCC.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, ALL OF THESE VISIONS ARE REALLY ABOUT ACTIVATING THE STREET SCAPE AND, AND BUILDING ON THE MOMENTUM OF THE INVESTMENT THAT'S ALREADY PLANNED FOR THIS CORRIDOR.
UM, WHAT WE WANTED TO GIVE, UM, BUILD BATON ROUGE AND THE PARTNERS WAS A REAL, UH, IMPLEMENTABLE STRATEGY TO BRING SOMETHING TO REALIZE DEVELOPMENT ON SOME OF THESE LOW HANGING FRUIT SITES.
SO FOR, IN ADDITION TO THESE THREE CATALYTIC SITES, WE, UM, CHOSE ONE LOCATION OR ONE IDEA FROM EACH OF THE SIX NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS, UM, FROM ALL OF THE IDEAS THAT WERE SORT OF PRESENTED IN THOSE AXONOMETRIC DRAWINGS.
AND, UH, WE WANTED TO PRODUCE ONE VISION RENDERING THAT KIND OF ENCAPSULATED THE POTENTIAL OF AN OPPORTUNITY IN THAT AREA.
AND SO HERE YOU SEE ALSO IN THE STITCH, UM, AN ACTIVATION UNDERNEATH THE I ONE 10 HIGHWAY STRUCTURE, LOOKING AT WHAT IS THIS FORGOTTEN SPACE, HOW IS IT CREATING A BARRIER BETWEEN AREAS TO THE EAST AND DOWNTOWN? AND WHAT COULD IT BE IN THE FUTURE IF IT WERE INVESTED IN AND AND REIMAGINED, UM, IN THE SHERWOOD AREA, UM, OH NO, I'M SORRY.
UM, THIS IS, UH, A VACANT RETAIL STRIP CENTER JUST EAST OF THE AMAZON FULFILLMENT CENTER.
AND WE'RE IMAGINING THIS AS AN EMPLOYEE AMENITY ZONE.
SO THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE REASONS THAT EMPLOYEES OF THE AMAZON FULFILLMENT CENTER AND OTHER AREAS, BUSINESSES WOULD STAY IN THE AREA LONGER? SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE VISIBLE FROM THE STREET, LIKE A POP-UP SOCCER PITCH, UM, OUTDOOR FOOD TRUCK PARK.
AND THE LAST EXAMPLE IS IN THE SHERWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, TRYING TO BUILD ON ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE ASSETS HERE, WHICH IS A VERY MULTICULTURAL, VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITY.
UM, HOW DO WE REALLY CELEBRATE ONE OF THE AREA ANCHORS TODAY, WHICH IS ONE OF THESE ETHNIC GROCERY STORES BY
[00:25:01]
CREATING A GATEWAY AND REALLY INVESTING IN A PLAZA SPACE THAT SERVES THE COMMUNITY SO VERY DIFFERENT.YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THESE ARE MORE LIGHTER TOUCH.
UM, SOME OF THEM ARE MORE GEARED TOWARDS PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE MIXED, MIXED, UM, MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT THAT WE SHOW ON THE CATALYTIC SITE.
SO A REAL SPECTRUM OF, OF PROPOSALS HERE.
SO ALONGSIDE ALL OF THESE BEAUTIFUL A SYMMETRIC DRAWINGS AND ALL OF THE ANALYSIS AND ALL OF THESE LOVELY RENDERINGS, UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT BUILD BATON ROUGE AND PARTNERS ARE ARMED WITH IMPLEMENTATION.
AND SO WE, IN ADDITION TO THE PLAN ITSELF, UH, AS AN APPENDIX MATERIAL CREATED A POTENTIAL FUNDING SOURCES MEMO.
THIS IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE, YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE IT HERE, BUT BASICALLY WE DID A STACK ACROSS ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, HRA NELSON NYGARD.
UM, THEY ALL WEIGHED IN ON EXISTING GRANT PROGRAMS THAT COULD FUND THE EXACT TYPE OF PROJECTS THAT WERE PROPOSING FOR EACH OF THESE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS.
UH, WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE OF APPLICATION? WHAT IS THE ENTITY THAT NEEDS TO APPLY? WHAT IS IT INTENDED TO BE USED FOR? AND SO WE REALLY WANTED TO PROVIDE A RESOURCE AND A REFERENCE TO MAKE IT THAT MUCH EASIER TO GO AND GET THE FUNDING THAT'S NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT.
AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, WE WANTED TO LEAVE OUR ADVISORY GROUP WITH AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE, WHICH IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST BUILD BATON ROUGE, BUT EVERYONE HAS A ROLE THAT THEY CAN PLAY ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT WONDERFUL ORGANIZATIONS AND ENTITIES CAN PLAY A ROLE IN GETTING THESE GRANTS AND GETTING THIS FUNDING FOR THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR.
SO WE HAD A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT COALITION BUILDING AND HOW THERE ARE SOME OF THESE GRANT PROGRAMS THAT ARE ACTUALLY, YOU CAN MAKE A STRONGER BID IF YOU HAVE A COALITION OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS PUTTING IN FOR THOSE DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES.
WE'RE HOPING THAT YOU, UM, AGREE AND RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THIS PLAN, AND WE WILL TAKE IT TO METRO COUNCIL FOR, FOR APPROVAL FROM HERE.
BUT IN THE BACKGROUND, UM, BILL BATON ROUGE IS ALREADY WORKING HARD TO, UH, START LAND CONTROL DISCUSSIONS, TALK TO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY, AND, UM, TRY TO REALLY REALIZE SOME OF THE, THE GREAT IDEAS IN THIS PLAN.
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF CARDS IN SUPPORT, UH, JONATHAN HILL WISHES TO SPEAK FOR THREE MINUTES.
UH, PAUL HIGGINS, DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR THREE MINUTES? UH, MY NAME'S PAUL HIGGINS.
I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF BATON ROUGE.
I LIVE IN, UH, OLD GOODWOOD SUBDIVISION.
I GRADUATED, UH, FROM HIGH SCHOOL FROM ESMA.
I'VE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE AND I'M NOT IN OPPOSITION TO THIS.
BUT, UH, STEVE VEYS GRAND PLANS BE PUT OUT AND, UH, THINGS SHOW UP LATER ON THAT, UH, THERE'S NOT ADEQUATELY ADDRESSED.
AND I'M GONNA GIVE AN EXAMPLE IS GOVERNMENT STREET.
I LIKE THE CONCEPT, BUT THE LIGHTING ON THAT STREET IS HORRIBLE.
THEY PUT ALL THIS MONEY INTO A STREET AND PEOPLE RUN OVER THE CURBS.
INTERSECTIONS ARE NOT WELL LIT.
THEY DAMAGED THE MEDIANS THAT THEY'VE BEEN PUT IN AND NOBODY IN THIS CITY WILL ADDRESS THAT SITUATION WITH ENTERGY.
TO HAVE THEM FIX THE LIGHTS THAT ARE ALREADY THERE, EITHER FIX 'EM, REPLACE 'EM, OR UPDATE 'EM.
LET'S MOVE TO FLORIDA BOULEVARD.
IF YOU DRIVE DOWN FLORIDA BOULEVARD, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOUR PEOPLE DRIVE AT NIGHT IN THIS TOWN, BUT IF YOU DRIVE FROM THE RIVER OUT EAST, THE AMOUNT OF LIGHTS THAT ARE OUT.
SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO DEVELOP THIS AREA, YOU BETTER INCLUDE SOME LIGHTING IN GET WITH ENTERGY.
ENERGY WILL NOT DO AN AUDIT OF THEIR STREETLIGHTS.
THEY WILL AUDIT THE POLES AND WHAT'S ON THE POLES AND BUILD THE PEOPLE FOR WHAT UTILITIES ARE ON THE POLES.
BUT THE CITY WILL NOT HOLD ENTERGY UP TO THAT STANDARD TO AUDIT THE STREETLIGHTS TO HAVE 'EM REPAIRED.
THEY DON'T GO OUT AND LOOK FOR 'EM.
THE CITIZENS GOTTA CALL IT IN.
SO YOU, YOU DO THIS GREAT DEVELOPMENT, BUT YOU DON'T CAN'T SEE IT AT NIGHT.
PEOPLE ARE NOT GONNA COME TO IT.
THE OTHER THING IS, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS CITY HAS ANY STREET SWEEPERS THAT WORK OTHER THAN MARDI GRAS.
I, I LIKE TO KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE SEES A, HAVE SEEN A STREET SWEEPER ON THIS CITY IN THE PAST SIX WEEKS OR MONTHS? DO THIS DEVELOPMENT.
[00:30:01]
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HELPS KEEP IT CLEAN AND I REALLY HOPE IT WORKS.BUT I ALSO SEE THAT YOU GOTTA INVOLVE THE CITY AND GET THE LEADERS IN THIS CITY TO OBLIGATE THEMSELVES TO DO WHAT THEY'VE BEEN HIRED TO DO AND ELECTED TO DO.
AND WITH DPW, YOU'VE GOTTA GET THEM INVOLVED TO HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE HELP KEEPING IT CLEAN BECAUSE YOU GETTING READY TO INVEST A LOT OF MONEY.
AND IF IT STAGNATES AND YOU JUST LOOK AT GOVERNMENT STREET RIGHT NOW, DRIVE DOWN IT, YOU SEE THE DERELICT POLES, THE DERELICT SIGNS, LIGHTS, NOT WORKING, STREET LIGHTS THAT HAS THE RED LIGHTS, BUT THE POLES HAD THE LIGHTS ON TOP OF 'EM.
OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR, UH, SUZANNE TURNER, WHO DOES NOT WISH TO SPEAK.
AND WE HAVE AN OPPOSITION CARD FROM RENIE MAY LANDRY.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR THREE MINUTES.
I AM IN OPPOSITION TO THIS PLAN.
UM, THE 2019 PROJECT CONCEPT REPORT, UH, GAVE THE ESTIMATED COST AT 48 MILLION WITH FUNDED FROM THE PROPOSITION 24 MILLION.
THAT IS NOT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION INFLATION.
AND WHILE THESE LADIES DID A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION, THE COST, THE CURRENT COSTS WERE NOT SHARED.
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE CURRENT COSTS ARE? NO.
UM, WE ALSO ALLOCATED THROUGH MOVIE VR $22 MILLION FOR AN AIRLINE HIGHWAY WIDENING PROJECT.
THE TRAFFIC ISSUES IN THIS CITY DEMAND THAT WE DEAL WITH AIRLINE HIGHWAY BEFORE FLORIDA BOULEVARD.
THESE CONCEPT PICTURES ARE BEAUTIFUL AND THEN IT TURNS INTO WHAT WE HAVE ON GOVERNMENT STREET.
THE OTHER THING THAT IS NOT ADDRESSED IN THIS PLAN IS THAT IT'S A HIGH CRIME CORRIDOR.
I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING IN THE CONCEPT ABOUT SECURITY CAMERAS OR ADDRESSING THE SECURITY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH PEOPLE, PEDESTRIANS, BICYCLISTS BEING ON FLORIDA BOULEVARD.
I USE FLORIDA BOULEVARD REGULARLY TO AVOID I 10.
THE MOST I EVER SEE IS ONE OR TWO CYCLISTS.
WAS THERE A STUDY DONE OF THE NUMBER OF CYCLISTS IN THE CORRIDOR? THE NUMBER OF PEDESTRIANS? THERE'S ALSO RAMPS IN THE PLAN FOR, UM, DISABLED PEOPLE.
WHAT IF INSTEAD OF BUILDING DISABLED RAMPS, WE GOT A CENSUS OF THE NUMBER OF DISABLED PEOPLE WHO WOULD NEED AND THEIR ADDRESSES TO BE ABLE TO CROSS FLORIDA.
AND THEN WE HAD A SMALL CAT BUS.
MOST OF THE CAT BUSES DRIVING UP AND DOWN OR EMPTY, YOU CAN'T REALLY SEE IT BECAUSE THE WINDOWS ARE BLACKED OUT.
HOWEVER, I THINK THIS PLAN NEEDS TO BE TOTALLY RETHOUGHT FOR HOW MONEY SHOULD BE SPENT IN BATON ROUGE RIGHT NOW FOR TRANSPORTATION.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS $35 TRILLION IN DEBT.
THE ODDS OF ANY FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION MONIES COMING TO BATON ROUGE NEXT YEAR ARE SLIM TO NONE.
SO I THINK THAT THIS ENTIRE PLAN BEFORE IT GOES TO THE METRO COUNCIL, NEEDS TO BE SERIOUSLY CON RECONSIDERED AS TO THE BENEFIT FOR ALL EAST BATON ROUGE CITIZENS.
NOW I ASK THE APPLICANT COME FORWARD FOR REBUTTAL.
I'M SURE WE'LL ALL HAVE, UH, POINTS TO MAKE.
UM, SO JUST TO CLARIFY THE SCOPE OF THIS PLAN, THIS IS TO BE, UM, A BUILD BATON ROUGE AND CORTANA CORRIDOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN.
AND SO REALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE ARE FOCUSING ON,
[00:35:01]
UM, UH, REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, PRIMARILY IN THE, UM, PRIVATE REALM ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.WE ALSO WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR PARTNERS IN CITY DEPARTMENTS TO HELP, UH, MAKE THE STREETS MORE IMPROVED IN TERMS OF THE LIGHTING, UM, THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, ET CETERA.
BUT, UM, THE PRIMARY SCOPE IS HOW WE CAN INFLUENCE PRIVATE PROPERTY TO REDUCE BLIGHT, TO INCREASE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AND ECONOMIC INCLUSION FOR, UH, VARIOUS SECTORS IN THE COMMUNITY.
DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THAT? YEAH, SURE.
I CAN ADD TO JUST AROUND THE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLIST SAFETY.
THERE WERE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS FROM THAT COMMUNITY WHO ATTENDED NUMEROUS OF OUR PUBLIC MEETINGS, WHO SHARED THEIR INPUT ABOUT HOW THEY TRAVERSED THE CORRIDOR AND ALSO WHAT THEY THOUGHT SOME IDEA CROSSINGS WOULD BE.
AND SOME OF THAT IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE MOVIE VR PROJECT THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE ON FLORIDA BOULEVARD AS WELL.
AND IN TERMS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION DOLLARS, UH, WE ARE ALREADY SEEKING, UM, SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, GRANT DOLLARS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND IT SEEMS AT THIS POINT THAT WE DO HAVE A GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING SOME OF THAT, UM, POT, UH, FOR IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES.
AND THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON, UM, PEOPLE MOVING, UM, NOT ONLY CARS, BUT PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS TO, UM, RECONNECT COMMUNITIES THAT HAD BEEN DIVIDED IN THE PAST VIA, UM, FREEWAYS AND, AND OTHER TRANSPORTATION, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
THIS TIME I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND, UH, ASK FOR ANY COMMENTS OR MOTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS IF EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE QUIET.
I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA OPEN, I'M, I'M GONNA JUST SAY SOMETHING VERY QUICKLY.
I LIVE IN BROADMOOR, WHICH IS RIGHT ALONG THE FLORIDA CORRIDOR, AND I ATTENDED SEVERAL OF THE MEETINGS AND I'VE GOT TO SAY THAT YOU ALL DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF PRESENTING YOUR, UM, UH, YOUR PROPOSALS, UH, AND YOUR IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND YOUR OUTREACH.
I THOUGHT YOU ALL DID A VERY GOOD JOB.
SO FROM THE CHAIR, UH, THAT'S THAT.
AND ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? I NOBODY ELSE WILL.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
UH, A SECOND FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER SCROGGS.
DO I HEAR ANY OBJECTIONS? NO OBJECTIONS.
[5. Case 37-24 2327 O’Neal Lane]
MR. CHAIRMAN.WE NOW CAN MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE, CASE 37 24, 23 27 O'NEILL LANE CASE 37 24 2 3 2 7 O'NEILL LANE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT THE SOUTHEAST INTERSECTION OF O'NEILL LANE IN BRISTOW AVENUE COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE HUDSON.
APPLICANT IS HOWARD R HICKS, JR.
FEATURE BR LAND USE DESIGNATION IS MIXED USE.
THE EXISTING ZONING IS, IS LIKE COMMERCIAL C ONE WITH A REQUESTED ZONING OF HEAVY COMMERCIAL ONE HC ONE CASE 37 24 2 3 2 7 O'NEILL LANE.
STAFF CERTIFIES THAT THE PROPOSED REQUEST MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR A CHANGE OF ZONING BEING CONSISTENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, COMPATIBLE WITH SURROUNDING USES AND CONFORMING TO UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE REQUIREMENTS.
EXCUSE ME, I'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ASK THE APPLICANT TO COME FORWARD FOR A PERIOD OF NOT TO EXCEED 15 MINUTES.
UH, 94 20 OLD HAMMOND HIGHWAY.
UH, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT.
WE ARE REQUESTING A REZONING FROM C ONE TO HC ONE TO ALLOW FOR DEVELOPMENT, UH, OF A TIRE RETAILER, SUN AUTO PARTS, SUN AUTO TIRES AND SERVICE.
UM, IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THE P COMMISSION STAFF, THE HC ONE WAS THE APPROPRIATE REZONING, UH, FOR MOTOR MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR.
I WOULD NOTE YOU COULD SEE IN THE PICTURES THAT THIS IS A VACANT HARDEE'S ORIGINALLY BUILT AS A BURGER KING.
IT'S BEEN VACANT FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS, UH, AND IS IN A PRETTY POOR STATE OF DISREPAIR.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS NOTED IN THE STAFF REPORT, WE THINK THAT THIS REQUEST, UM, IS CONSISTENT WITH THE CHANGE OF USE OF ZONING AND, UH, WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOU APPROVE THIS ITEM.
[00:40:01]
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY, ANY QUESTIONS.WE HAVE NO OTHER CARDS IN SUPPORT.
WE HAVE SEVERAL CARDS IN OPPOSITION.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR THREE MINUTES.
I'M A RESIDENT IN O'NEILL PLACE.
AND, UH, IF THEY START BUILDING ALL WHAT THEY WANT TO, THAT'S GONNA DESTROY THE SUBDIVISION, WE CAN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE SUBDIVISION BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC THAT THE ZONING PERMITTED, UH, TO GO NORTH.
UH, THEY'RE USING ALL THAT TRAFFIC AND THEY DON'T EVEN STOP.
THEY, THEY PULL UP AND STOP AT THE RED LIGHT AND SIT THROUGH IT.
THEY DON'T HONOR THE LIGHTS AT ALL.
OUR SUBDIVISION, IF THEY START BUILDING, IT'S GONNA DESTROY THE SUBDIVISION BECAUSE OF THE ENTRANCE.
AND THEY'RE WANTING TO TAKE THE PROPERTY AND PUT IN AUTO PARTS AND WHAT HAVE YOU.
O'NEILL'S FULL OF THOSE AND THEY HAVE EMPTY LOTS DOWN O'NEILL TOWARD HAROLD'S FERRY.
THEY'VE GOT A, A CHANGE OIL AND THEY'VE GOT AN EMPTY LOT THAT HAS, UH, IPODS THAT PEOPLE RENT.
IT'S JUST EMPTY AND THEY, WHY DON'T THEY GO SOUTH AND USE THOSE LOTS? IF THEY APPROVE THIS, IT'S GOING TO DESTROY THE SUBDIVISION.
NOT ONLY IS THAT IN THE 48 YEARS I'VE BEEN THERE, THEY THE, THEY HAVE A ST.
JANE VENET APARTMENTS AND THEY TRY, THEY KEEP KNOCKING DOWN THE FENCE ON GODFREY AND THEY'LL WANT TO USE THAT ROAD TO MAKE A CIRCLE.
IF THOSE, THERE'S NO, ACTUALLY, IT WILL DESTROY THE SUBDIVISION.
SECOND CARD IS FOR CARL CRANE.
MY NAME IS CARL CRANE OR CARL RAY CRANE.
I LIVE AT 1 6 4 2 8 ABSHIRE O'NEILL PLACE SUBDIVISION.
UM, UM, DIG YOUR INDULGENCE AGAIN.
'CAUSE I'M, THIS IS NEW TO ME.
UM, WE GOT THIS, WE GOT THE NOTICE ABOUT THEM, UH, ABOUT Y'ALL REZONING IT.
AND SO WE DID A LITTLE RESEARCH AND WHAT WE COULD COME UP WITH WAS THE, UH, THERE WAS A FEW PARTS THAT BOTHERED US.
ONE WAS THE CHANGING IT FROM LIGHT COMMERCIAL TO HEAVY COMMERCIAL.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT LIMITATIONS THERE IS ON HEAVY COMMERCIAL.
NOW, THERE IS A COUPLE LOTS DOWN THE STREET ON O'NEILL THAT, OR I'M SORRY, A COUPLE OF BUSINESSES IS TAR AND OIL CHANGED AND THEY'RE HC ONE, THEY'VE WORKED OUT OKAY.
HOWEVER, ON O'NEILL LANE, WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT YOU COULD IMAGINE.
NOBODY COULD NOT FIND THEIR NECESSITIES ON O'NEILL LANE.
IT'S CROWDED THE TRAFFIC IN THE, I KNOW.
WELL, THE TRAFFIC IS CONSTANT.
THE PARTS WE WERE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT WAS WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESSES IS GONNA BE, UH, HC ONE, UH, IS THE, THE GENTLEMAN MENTIONED IT IS GONNA BE A, UH, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, IT'S GONNA BE A AUTO MECHANIC SHOP, UH, IF I UNDERSTOOD HIM RIGHT.
AND WHAT IT SHOWS ON THE FILING FOR THE ZONE CHANGE THE APPLICATION, IT STATES IT'S A MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR, AND IT ALSO STATES THAT THE LOT SIZE ON IT IS 60 BY 1 55.
IF YOU'RE GONNA PUT A MECHANIC SHOP ON, A LOT SMALLER THAN THE LOT MY HOUSE IS ON.
[00:45:01]
I'VE BEEN IN O'NEILL LANE AND O'NEILL PLACE FOR 46 YEARS.AND IF YOU'RE GONNA PUT A MECHANIC SHOP ON A LOT THAT SMALL, THERE IS NO WAY IT CAN BE ANY BENEFIT TO ANYBODY OTHER THAN MAYBE THE OWNER OF THE SHOP BECAUSE THERE'S NO PLACE FOR PARKING, THERE'S NO WAY OF, UH, CONTROLLING THE, THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND IT.
AND SO THAT'S ONE REASON WE'RE AGAINST IT.
I'M SORRY? I SAID YOU HAVE ABOUT 10 SECONDS OR 20.
ANYWAY, THAT'S, WE ARE, WE'RE OPPOSED TO THAT BECAUSE IT'S GONNA DESTROY, FINISH DESTROYING THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE O'NEILL LANE, IT'S GONNA RESEMBLE PLANK ROAD IF YOU KEEP ALLOWING THEM JUST ANYTHING AND EVERYBODY TO COME IN AND BUILD IT THERE.
AND O'NEILL PLACE IS A GOOD, QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT HAS SOME PROBLEMS, BUT WE'RE UNABLE TO MANAGE 'EM.
OKAY, WE HAVE ONE OTHER CARD, UH, IN OPPOSITION.
TIFFANY BRUMFIELD, WHO DID NOT WISH TO SPEAK.
UH, IT SAYS DID NOT, CAN SHE? YEAH, YEAH, YOU CAN.
AM TIFFANY BROMFIELD AND I ALSO LIVE IN THE O'NEILL PLAIN O'NEILL PLACE SUBDIVISION.
I'VE BEEN THERE SEVEN YEARS AND I AM OPPOSING THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP AS WELL, BECAUSE WE GOTTA THINK, WE HAVE WALMART THAT DOES THAT.
WE HAVE THE TIRE SHOP THAT'S RIGHT AS WE COME OUT OF THE SUBDIVISION.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE, THE, AND THEY ALSO DO 10 MINUTE OIL CHANGES.
THEN WHEN YOU GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, YOU HAVE THE FIVE MINUTE OIL CHANGE PLACE.
SO I THINK WE HAVE ENOUGH OF THOSE TYPE OF BUSINESSES IN THAT AREA.
UM, I KNOW THAT ONCE YOU START THAT THEY'RE GONNA START HAVING, COLLECTING THOSE CARS THAT NEED REPAIR, THAT THEY COULDN'T FINISH THE JOB ON THAT DAY.
SO THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO SIT THERE AND THEN MAYBE THEY MAY DRIFT OVER INTO THE LOT BECAUSE YOU'RE DEALING WITH A SMALL AREA.
SO I AM NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS MOVING FORWARD AS WELL.
I BELIEVE THAT'S THE LAST OF THE CARDS WE HAVE.
UH, THE APPLICANT WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD FOR A FIVE MINUTE REBUTTAL.
UH, JUST TO ADDRESS A COUPLE OF THE KIND OF COMMENTS, UM, IT'S NOT AN OIL CHANGE AND BODY REPAIR ENGINE REPAIR.
THIS IS STRICTLY A TIRE AND TIRE RELATED SERVICES, SO INSTALLATION, BALANCE AND ROTATION, THOSE TYPE OF ITEMS. AND THERE WASN'T ANYTHING IN THE UDC OTHER THAN MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR, WHICH IS WHY THAT REQUEST, UH, WAS MADE TO SPEAK TO THE TRAFFIC CONCERN.
I CERTAINLY, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND THEIR ISSUES, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER BATON ROUGE.
CERTAINLY TODAY, UH, THEY WERE ON FULL DISPLAY GETTING DOWN HERE.
UH, BUT THE LOTS CURRENTLY ZONED HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN USED FOR A QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANT, WHICH I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF IT WAS PUT BACK INTO THAT USE WOULD GENERATE, YOU KNOW, A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC, UH, WHICH WOULD ALREADY BE ALLOWED UNDER THE CURRENT ZONING.
UM, IN TERMS OF, UM, PARKING, WE'LL GO THROUGH THE ORDINARY PERMITTING PROCESS AND MEET ALL, YOU KNOW, ALL REQUIRED, UH, REQUIREMENTS THERE.
UM, AND THEN JUST LASTLY ON, ON COMPETITION, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND, UH, IF THAT RESIDENTS FEEL THAT WAY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR CLIENT IN THIS, UH, IS LOOKING TO TO GROW AND IT'S, IT WOULD BE HARD TO FIND AN AREA, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY THAT DOESN'T HAVE, UH, COMPETITION.
SO THIS IS THE SITE THAT THEY HAD IDENTIFIED AND ARE PURSUING.
UH, AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, UH, THAT THE COMMISSION HAS.
REAL QUICK, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT THE WAY I READ IT, YOUR LOT WHIPPED IS 1 55, NOT 60, IS THAT CORRECT? UH, ONE SECOND.
IT'S JUST OVER 40,000 SQUARE FEET.
IT SAYS YOUR EXISTING LOT WIDTH IS 1 55, MINIMUM REQUIREMENT IS 60 FEET.
I THINK THAT'S WHERE THE MIS MAYBE MISUNDERSTANDING CAME IN.
THAT, THAT I DON'T HAVE THE SURVEY IN FRONT, IN FRONT OF IT, BUT THAT SOUNDS CORRECT.
AND THE STAFF REPORT, THE STAFF ACKNOWLEDGED THE, UH, APPROXIMATE
[00:50:01]
DIMENSIONS OF THE LOT ARE 1 55 IN FRONTAGE AND 200 APPROXIMATELY 250 FEET DEEP.AT THIS TIME I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND, UH, ASK FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS FROM THE, UH, FROM, UH, COMMISSIONERS.
UH, COMMISSIONER BANKS, YOU HAVE A QUESTION? UM, THE ONE OF THE RESIDENTS PLEASE.
I HAVE A COMMON QUESTION THAT I ASK IN THESE SITUATIONS.
HAVE YOU ALL SPOKE WITH YOUR COUNCILMAN? UH, WE'VE CALLED HIS OFFICE FEDERAL
WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS I I'M SORRY.
I WAS JUST ASKING, I ASSUME YOU WERE, YOU SPOKE WITH HIM REGARDING YOUR OPPOSITION? NO, NOT, UH, NOT SINCE WE, WE ONLY BECAME AWARE OF IT WHEN THE PRESIDENT ASSOCIATION
CALLED THE OFFICE FROM WHAT? FROM DWIGHT.
UM, BECAUSE WHAT USUALLY, A LOT OF TIMES IN THESE CASES PRIOR TO THAT, THERE WOULD BE A MEETING, UM, THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBER CAN HOLD WITH, UH, THE RESIDENTS AND THE APPLICANT TO TRY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES.
WE'D BE GLAD TO MEET, WE'D BE GLAD TO MEET WITH HIM.
BUT, YOU KNOW, OUR, THERE'S NO ROOM FOR THAT TYPE OF BUSINESS.
AND WAY THE BUSINESS TO STACK UP AND DOWN O' LANE.
HEAVY TRAFFIC THAT COME SUBDIVISION I UNDERSTAND.
I, I'M GONNA GET THE APPLICANT TO COME UP.
HAVE YOU SPOKE TO COUNCILMAN HUDSON? WE HAVE NOT SPOKEN WITH HIM.
WE, UH, EMAILED HIM AND LEFT A MESSAGE AT HIS OFFICE, BUT HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM HIM.
UM, THERE ARE SOME REALLY LEGITIMATE, UM, CONCERNS THAT THEY HA THAT THE RESIDENTS HAVE.
UH, I WOULD THINK FIRST OF ALL, THAT WE NEED TO DEFER THIS, UM, TO GIVE YOU ALL A CHANCE TO VOTE SINCE NEITHER OF YOU HAVE MET WITH THE COUNCILMAN, UM, TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE OR COME BACK.
UM, THAT'S ONE RECOMMENDATION.
UH, NUMBER TWO IS, UM, THERE IS OTHER, THERE ARE OTHER LOCATIONS WHERE WE NEED A TIRE SHOP.
UM, FOR INSTANCE, IN MY DISTRICT, WHICH IS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE PARISH.
UM, SO I, I THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M GLAD TO MEET WITH YOU ALL AS WELL.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, UH, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE DEFER THIS ITEM AND ALLOW COUNCILMAN HUDSON TO WORK WITH BOTH THE RESIDENTS AND, UM, THE APPLICANT TO COME TO SOME RESOLVE.
IT'S UNUSUAL THAT THERE'S BEEN NO CONTACT WITH THE COUNCILMAN AND THERE'S STILL ISSUES, BUT I THINK, UH, WE SHOULD GIVE YOU ALL A CHANCE TO GET THAT TOGETHER.
COMMISSIONER BANKS, YOU ARE MOTIONING YOU'RE MAKING A MOTION TO DEFER.
I THINK WE SHOULD DEFER FOR 60 DAYS.
IS IT SIX OR 30? 30, 30 DAYS? YEAH.
MAKING A MOTION TO DEFER FOR 30 DAYS.
SO IT'D BE, WE HEARD IT THE NEXT MEETING.
THAT'S THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ADDISON? DO WE HAVE ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION OR OPPOSITION? SEEING NONE, THAT ITEM IS DEFERRED.
I'LL, MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE
[9. CUP-2-24 Chabad Community Center ]
COMMISSION, WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM NINE.SHABBAT COMMUNITY CENTER PROPERTY IS LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF OLD HAMMOND HIGHWAY WEST OF SHIRLEY AVENUE COUNCIL DISTRICT 11 ADAMS. THE APPLICANT IS SCOTT HALE.
THE APPLICANT IS PROPOSING A RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION, FUTURE BR LAND USE DESIGNATION IS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD CUP 2 24.
STAFF CERTIFIES THE PROPOSED REQUEST MEETS A MINIMUM CRITERIA FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT BEING CONSISTENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, COMPATIBLE WITH SURROUNDING USES AND CONFORMING TO UDC REQUIREMENTS.
PLANNING COMMISSION OFFICE HAS RECEIVED SIX MESSAGES IN OPPOSITION IN THIS ITEM.
UH, AT THIS TIME I'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND
[00:55:01]
ASK FOR THE APPLICANT, UH, COME FORWARD.UH, STATE YOUR NAME AND YOU HAVE 15 MINUTES.
I WORK FOR FOX NESBIT ENGINEERING.
I'M THE CIVIL ENGINEERING CONSULTANT FOR THE PROJECT.
UM, AS MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, COMMUNITY CENTER, THIS WILL BE A, UM, JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER THAT'LL BE TAKING PLACE ON LOTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY OCCUPIED BY RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES.
UH, THERE'S ONE IN THE FRONT THAT'S GONNA BE REMOVED.
THERE WILL BE ONE THAT REMAINS IN THE BACK.
UH, THAT ONE IS GOING TO BE RENOVATED AND EXPANDED.
UM, WE WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PARKING IN THE FRONT TO MEET THE PARKING MINIMUMS AS WELL AS THE SHARED PARKING AGREEMENT IN AN ADJACENT SITE THAT WILL MAKE STORMWATER IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BACK OF THE SITE TO DETAIN PEAK FLOWS OF RUNOFF FROM THE REDEVELOPED SITE.
ALSO PROVIDED LANDSCAPING AND OTHER OUTDOOR AMENITIES.
UM, IT IS IN, IN CURRENTLY ZONED A ONE RESIDENTIAL AS ARE ALL ADJACENT LOTS.
UH, SO I THINK I BELIEVE EVERY TEMP WILL BE MADE TO, FOR THIS BUILDING TO MESH WITH THE SURROUNDINGS, UM, AND TO, TO FIT WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT WILL BE SET BACK PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE ROAD SO AS NOT TO CHANGE ANYTHING SIGNIFICANTLY FROM PUBLIC VIEW COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME'S KEN TIPTON WITH TIPTON ASSOCIATES.
WE, WE ARE THE ARCHITECTS FOR THE PROJECT.
PRIVILEGED TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY.
IF, UM, I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN INFORMATION IN YOUR PACKET.
UM, THIS PROJECT IS CURRENTLY VACANT.
UM, IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT RETURNING THAT PROPERTY TO A VITAL AND ACTIVE, UH, COMMUNITY USE.
UH, WE'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS TO WORK WITH, UH, RABBI KAZEN, HIS WIFE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, ONE OF WHICH YOU WILL HEAR FROM.
I CAN SPEAK PERSONALLY TO THEIR PASSION FOR SERVICE AND THEIR DEDICATION TO THEIR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO THAT YOU KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THERE.
THE EXISTING BUILDING, AS YOU SEE IT IN THAT PACKET, UH, IS IN DISREPAIR.
IT WILL BE REPAIRED AND THERE WILL BE AN ADDITION TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF THAT BUILDING.
UH, THE USE OF THAT BUILDING WILL BECOME COMMUNITY FOCUSED, UH, SPACES FOR YOUTH, SPACES FOR STUDENTS, SPACES FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, AND ON THE SOUTH SIDE, A SANCTUARY SOCIAL HALL.
AND THEN TO THE SOUTH OF THAT, AN OPEN LAWN FOR COMMUNITY YOUTH.
UH, SO THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
IT OFFERS, UH, SOME UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE IT IS BORDERED ON THREE SIDES BY RESIDENTIAL USE.
AND YOU WILL NOTE IN THAT THE INFORMATION THAT WAS SHARED WITH YOU, UH, BUFFER ZONE, UH, BOTH LANDSCAPED AND FENCED IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE APPROPRIATE VISUAL, UM, SCREENING AND SOUND PROTECTION FROM YOUR NEIGHBORS.
WE DO HAVE PARKING ACCOMMODATED FOR, UH, ONSITE AND BY VIRTUE OF AN AGREEMENT WITH THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, WHICH IS WALKING DISTANCE WITHIN THE UDC LIMIT TO THE WEST.
UM, AND WE ARE MAINTAINING THE SCALE OF ADDITION, UH, WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE EXISTING BUILDING.
SO NOTHING IS GOING TO LOOK OUTTA SCALE OVER AND ABOVE WHAT MIGHT BE THERE, UH, ALREADY.
UM, I, I THINK IT'S BEST THAT YOU MIGHT HEAR FROM ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS THOSE.
I'M A RESIDENT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF, OF THAT, UH, PROPOSED FACILITY.
UH, I LIVE AT 2146 ELWOOD COURT, WHICH IS TWO BLOCKS EAST OF THE, UH, PROPOSED FACILITY.
UH, UH, MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS AND MYSELF HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE EMPTY BUILDING.
IT'S BEEN EMPTY FOR, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AND IT'S NOT PARTICULARLY ATTRACTIVE.
UH, THE HABAD, UH, CONGREGATION, UH, WOULD BE A BEAUTIFUL, UH, ADDITION, UH, TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UH, WE CERTAINLY, UH, ARE, UH, WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAVE, UH, THE BUILDING, UH, BUILT.
NEXT, UH, SPEAKER IS, UH, BRENDA PEARSON.
[01:00:01]
GOOD EVENING.YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR THREE MINUTES.
I LIVE BACKING UP TO THE PROPERTY AT THE CORNER OF SHIRLEY.
UH, MOST OF OUR CONCERNS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS THE TRAFFIC IN AND OUT ON OLD HAMMOND HIGHWAY.
YOU HAVE SOME BUSY TIMES OF THE DAY, THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
UH, YOU HAVE A WEDDING, YOU HAVE A BAR MITZVAH, YOU HAVE WHATEVER IT'S GONNA BE, CARS IN AND OUT, WALKING FROM THE CHURCH TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER AS IT IS NOW.
NOW WE ARE HAVING PEOPLE TAKE THINGS OFF OF OUR CARPORTS.
THEY'RE THROWING TRASH IN OUR NE IN OUR YARDS.
YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND PICK IT UP.
HOW IS THAT GOING TO BE ADDRESSED? UH, THE NOISE LEVEL IS A CONCERN FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, I AM NOT AGAINST, TO BE HONEST OR IN FAVOR.
I HAVE CONCERNS THAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO BE ADDRESSED.
UH, THE, THE ENTRY AND EXIT AS ONE ENTRYWAY, ONE EXIT.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE EVEN 50 CARS? WE ALL BACK UP HOMES.
THE NOISE WILL NOT BE AS BOTHERSOME TO, TO ME AS IT WILL BE THE HOMES ON BRENTWOOD.
BUT I WOULD, BEFORE THIS IS PASSED, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ANSWERS TO SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS.
OTHER THAN THAT, I WELCOME A CENTER THAT CAN INCREASE THE, THE BEAUTY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE'VE HAD HOMELESS LIVING THERE.
UH, THE WHOLE AREA HAS BEEN FACING PROBLEMS SINCE THAT HAS BEEN VACANT SO LONG.
WE HAVE TWO OTHER CARDS IN SUPPORT, UH, WHO DO NOT WISH TO SPEAK.
AND BEFORE I STATE THESE NAMES, UH, PLEASE PARDON MY PRONUNCIATIONS, BUT, UH, PEREZ KAIN KATZEN BURTON.
AND MUSH KAAN, I, I DON'T KNOW IF I GOT THAT RIGHT OR NOT.
ALRIGHT, I'LL NOW ASK THE, THE, WE HAVE NO CARDS IN OPPOSITION, SO I'LL ASK THE APPLICANT IF THEY WISH TO COME BACK FOR, UH, REBUTTAL AT ALL.
UH, IF YOU WANT TO DISCUSS, UH, DISCUSS ANY FURTHER POINTS.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS, UH, THE TRAFFIC ISSUE.
UM, FIRST AND FOREMOST THAT THE, AND I, I'LL LET, UH, MR. TIPTON KIND OF CLARIFY OR EXPAND ON IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT'S NOT EXPECTED TO GENERATE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC, AT LEAST NOT A REGULAR INTERVALS IN INTERVALS, EXCUSE ME.
UH, THE PARKING LOT IS NOT EXPECTED TO FILL UP.
UM, BUT EVERY SO OFTEN THIS ONE BE A DAILY OR EVEN A WEEKLY OR MONTHLY EVENT.
ALSO, UM, OLD HAMMOND HIGHWAY ON THE MAJOR STREET PLAN, IT'S FOUR LANE ROAD.
IT DOES HAVE PEDESTRIAN ACCESS AS WAS ALLUDED TO.
UM, THERE REALLY ISN'T A LOT THAT CAN BE DONE NECESSARILY TO THIS OR TO IMPROVE THOSE CONDITIONS.
THAT BEING SAID, I DON'T EXPECT THIS DEVELOPMENT TO HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON SAFETY OR VOLUME OF THAT IMMEDIATE AREA.
UH, AS MR. MR. HOWELL MENTIONED, THIS HAS BEEN COORDINATED.
UM, THERE IS A IN AND OUT LANE, SO WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT A SINGLE DRIVE.
WE'RE CONTROLLING BOTH, UH, TRAFFIC AND VISIBILITY ORDERS AS PEOPLE ENTER AND EXIT THE SITE.
UM, IT, IT IS A FASCINATING CONVERSATION AS YOU THINK ABOUT THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE MANY OF THE EVENTS THAT THEY HOLD WILL BE HELD ON THE SABBATH.
UM, AND THAT WILL GENERATE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT DRIVING, BUT WALKING.
AND SO WE HAVE ENERGY COMING TO THE SITE, PEOPLE WITH EYES ON THE SITE ACTIVITY.
UH, THINGS OF CONCERN THAT MIGHT BE AUTOMOBILE BASED WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT HERE.
UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE AN AMBULATORY, UH, COMMUNITY THAT WILL BE COMING.
AND JUST TO REINFORCE AWARENESS OF THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY, UM, THAT BORDERS ON THREE SITES, UH, THAT BUFFER IS, UM, STRUCTURED WITH BOTH A FENCE, UH, AND LANDSCAPING TO PROVIDE BOTH VISUAL AND
[01:05:01]
ACOUSTICAL, UM, BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE PROPERTY.UM, ALL OF THOSE IN STRICT ACCORDANCE WITH THE UUDC GUIDELINE.
UH, MR. DIRECTOR, CAN YOU KIND OF TALK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS? I KNOW THAT, UH, THERE WERE SEVERAL RAISED, I THINK SOME OF THOSE WILL BE ANSWERED, UH, LATER ON IN THE, IN THE, IN THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT AND PERMITTING PROCESS, CORRECT? CORRECT.
THIS IS, UH, JUST A PRELIMINARY STAGE ASKING FOR A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT.
IT'S NOT A CHANGE OF ZONING IN ANY WAY.
UH, IF THIS WERE TO BE APPROVED TONIGHT BY THIS BODY, UH, THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO MOVE, MOVE ON AND APPLY FOR PERMITS AND PLAN REVIEW WITH THE PERMIT OFFICE.
AND THEY'LL TAKE A MUCH DEEPER LOOK AT THE SITE, UH, ENSURING THAT IT MEETS ALL THE TECHNICAL AND CODE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT, THAT TRANSPORTATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT HAVE REVIEWED THE LAYOUT, THE CIRCULATION OF THE PARKING AND THE ACCESS.
AND THERE WERE NO INITIAL, UM, CONCERNS GIVEN TRAFFIC GENERATION ON THIS SITE WITH THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE.
THERE WERE SOME CONCERNS REGARDING NOISE AND TRASH OR LITTER THAT WERE BROUGHT UP TONIGHT.
THIS BODY AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION OFFICE DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADDRESS THAT.
IT'S NOT ADDRESSED IN THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE, BUT THERE ARE OTHER CITY CODE ORDINANCES, UH, THAT, THAT ARE IN PLACE THAT SPEAK TO THAT.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE TO, UH, TO DOWNLOAD THE 3 1 1 APP.
AND ALSO, UM, IF THERE ARE CONCERNS ON THE SITE THAT ARE LEGITIMATE, CALL THEM INTO THE CITY PARISH.
UH, AND THE CITY DOES TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY AND CAN SEND OUT CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO, UM, VERIFY IF THERE IS A POTENTIAL VIOLATION.
WE DID GET SOME EMAILS EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT DEALT WITH CONCERNS REGARDING MAINTENANCE OF THE REAR DETENTION AND RETENTION, UH, HAVING TO DO WITH, WITH GRASS CUTTING AND, AND PROPERLY MAINTAINING THAT AREA THAT IS WRITTEN INTO THE OFFICIAL STIPULATIONS OF THIS ITEM TONIGHT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO STATE THAT PUBLICLY THAT THAT WILL BE A, A REQUIREMENT THAT IS ENFORCEABLE BY THE CITY PARISH.
UM, DO I HAVE ANY, UH, DISCUSSION OR ANY, UH, MOTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION? I, I'D LIKE TO, UM, MOTION TO APPROVE, BUT I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION.
IS THERE ANOTHER COMMUNITY CENTER? UH, ASSUMING THIS, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BE CULTURALLY.
CULTURALLY IT, SO THIS IS A JEWISH SYNAGOGUE THREAT.
IT IT IS A JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, YES.
UM, SO THERE WILL BE BOTH, UH, COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES AND, UM, RELIGIOUS, UM, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT? UH, RABBI.
SO ACTIVITIES WILL HAPPEN BOTH IN TERMS OF A FORMAL AND AN INFORMAL WAY, UH, FOR ALL AGES HERE.
CAN ANYONE RENT THE COMMUNITY CENTER FOR USAGE? UM, THIS IS A COMMUNITY CENTER FOR HABAD, THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER.
I DON'T BELIEVE THE FACILITY IS ANTICIPATED FOR RENTAL USE AT ALL.
WELL, CAN ANYBODY USE IT? I'LL JUST, I, I'M THINKING 'CAUSE WE HAVE COMMUNITY CENTERS, UM, OH, I, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT AND YWCA AND BRICK CENTERS.
I DON'T, I'LL JUST THAT, UH, GOOD EVENING.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AND HAPPY TO ADDRESS THE QUESTION.
SO IN TERMS OF BEING A COMMUNITY CENTER, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE CORE CONSTITUENCY WHO WE SERVE IS THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.
THAT'S NOT, GOD FORBID TO THE EXCLUSION OF ANYBODY, IT'S JUST WHERE WE PUT OUR PRIMARY FOCUS AND EMPHASIS AS A MINORITY COMMUNITY.
THE CURRENT PROGRAMMING THAT WE DO IS OPEN TO ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE.
AND IN TERMS OF THE FACILITY BEING AVAILABLE FOR RENT OR FOR OTHER, UH, KINDS OF USES, THERE ARE PRECEDENT FOR THAT AMONGST JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTERS.
UH, THERE ARE ALSO SOME THAT ARE MORE SELECTIVE OR EXCLUSIVE AND LIKE TO JUST MAINTAIN THEIR OWN PROGRAMMING.
UH, WE HAVE NOT COME TO A DECISION IF THIS WOULD BE A FACILITY THAT WOULD BE HAVING, UH, A LOT OF EVENTS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, FROM THE BROADER COMMUNITY OR IF WOULD BE MORE NARROW.
BUT IN TERMS OF THE PROGRAMMING THAT WE PUT ON, THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT EXCLUSIVE.
LIKE I SAID, IT'S WITH A FOCUS ON IT.
UH, BUT DEFINITELY PEOPLE ARE WELCOME AND WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, CITYWIDE EVENTS AND MANY CELEBRATIONS AND OTHER THINGS THAT, UH, HAVE ATTRACTED PEOPLE FROM THE BROADER COMMUNITY AS WELL.
AND, UH, JUST ONE OTHER QUESTION I HAD WITH, UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER JEWISH COMMUNITY
[01:10:01]
CENTERS IN EAST BATON ROUGE? GREAT QUESTION.SO THERE IS A SYNAGOGUE THAT WAS, UH, RE RECENTLY REDEVELOPED AND ENHANCED ON KLEIN ART, UH, NEAR ST.
UH, THAT ONE HAS AN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER AND, UH, A SANCTUARY AND SOME OTHER, UH, SOCIAL ACTIVITY SPACES.
UM, SO THERE IS A SPACE FOR, UH, RITUAL GATHERING, UM, OF ONE KIND.
AND, AND THIS ONE WILL OFFER ANOTHER KIND OF SPACE, UH, AND A UNIQUE SET OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.
ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS? MOTIONS.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ADDISON.
DO WE HAVE ANY OBJECTION? SEEING NONE THAT, THAT MOTION CARRIES.
[DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS]
TO COMMUNICATIONS AND DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS.AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WISH COMMISSIONER ADDISON, I BELIEVE A BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY AT THIS POINT.
WEDNESDAY UPCOMING, MR. BIKO DAY.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COMMISSIONER ADDISON.
THE ONLY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENT I NEED TO MAKE IS, UH, JUST A REMINDER, YOUR NEXT PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 16TH.
AT THIS TIME, UH, I WOULD LIKE
[COMMISSIONERS' COMMENTS]
TO TAKE, TAKE THIS TIME TO, UM, RECOGNIZE DON ARIANA.PLANNER IN THE CURRENT DIVISION WAS SELECTED AS EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH.
DON REVIEWS PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS, CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS.
REZONINGS COLLAB, COLLABORATING WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND USING HIS BACKGROUND IN PLANNING TO EFFICIENTLY REVIEW APPLICATION SUBMITTALS.
DON HAS READILY ACCEPTED ANY TASK.
HE HAS BEEN ASSIGNED ASSISTED WITH SUBDIVISION APPLICATIONS AND KEEPS THE REVIEW PROCESS RUNNING SMOOTHLY IN ALL HIS ASSIGNMENTS.
DON ENSURES THAT WORK TASKS ARE COMPLETED ON TIME.
HE'S A VALUABLE EMPLOYEE BECAUSE OF HIS ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST OTHERS.
FOR THESE REASONS, HE'S BEING RECOGNIZED AS THE OUT FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TEAM.
DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER COMMENTS? IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION FROM, UH, COMMISSIONER SCROGGS SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LANDER.