[00:00:04] GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR TONIGHT'S PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETING. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL HAVE THE ROLL CALL, MR. BALDWIN. [ROLL CALL] CHAIRMAN WASHINGTON. HERE. VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. HERE. COMMISSIONER ADDISON. HERE. COMMISSIONER BATTS. HERE. COMMISSIONER BOYD. HERE. COMMISSIONER COLEMAN. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER ELEANOR. HERE. COMMISSIONER FOWLER. COMMISSIONER MAXEY. HERE. WE HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU. [FORMALLY MOVE REGULARLY SCHEDULED JANUARY 26 MEETING TO FEBRUARY 2 ] AT THIS TIME, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM. TO FORMALLY MOVE THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING, IS THERE A MOTION TO FORMALLY RESCHEDULE THE JANUARY 26TH MEETING TO FEBRUARY 2ND DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER? THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM COMMISSIONER ELLENDER, SECOND FROM VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? SEEING NONE, THAT ITEM IS APPROVED. [SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS ] NOW WE'LL GO TO THE DIRECTOR HOLCOMB FOR A PRESENTATION TO THE EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR, DIRECTOR HOLCOMB. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. EACH YEAR, THE PLANNING DIRECTOR GETS TO SELECT 1 STAFF MEMBER WHOSE CONTRIBUTIONS OVER THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS HAS SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCED THE WORK OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR 2025. I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE GLENN HANNAH, PLANNING PROJECT COORDINATOR, HAS BEEN SELECTED AS THE RECIPIENT OF THIS AWARD. GLENN, I'D ASK YOU TO JOIN ME IF YOU CAN TAKE A MOMENT TO EMBARRASS YOU. GLENN HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR 17 YEARS. HE WORKS IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION. HE OVERSEES NUMEROUS PLANNING PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE OFFICE. THOSE STUDIES PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN RESEARCHING AND REVISING MANY CHAPTERS OF THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE, INCLUDING UPDATES TO LANDSCAPE SIGNS, ZONING DISTRICTS, AND VARIOUS LAND USES. HE ALSO COORDINATES CLOSELY WITH OTHER CITY PARISH DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT COMMENTS ARE ADDRESSED AND PROJECTS ARE EXPEDITED AND REVIEWED EFFICIENTLY ON TIME. IN ADDITION TO HIS CORE RESPONSIBILITIES, GLENN HAS CONSISTENTLY STEPPED IN TO ASSIST WITH TRAINING AND STAFF CRITICAL SUPPORT DURING TIMES OF SHORT STAFFING AND CONTRIBUTED TO PREPARING THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET. HIS PROFESSIONALISM, RELIABILITY HE'S OFTEN ONE OF THE FIRST ONES IN THE OFFICE EVERY DAY, AND COMMITMENT TO THE MISSION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS HAD A MEANINGFUL IMPACT ON OUR OPERATIONS AND OUR COMMUNITY AT LARGE. GLENN'S DEDICATION AND EXCEPTIONAL 17 YEARS OF SERVICE MERIT THIS RECOGNITION AND AWARD. CONGRATULATIONS, GLENN.[APPLAUSE] CONGRATULATIONS. CONGRATULATIONS, GLENN. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. AND IT'S JUST NOT ONE PERSON. IT'S THE WHOLE DEPARTMENT. AND I THINK I WORK FOR THE BEST DEPARTMENT IN CITY PARISH. THANK YOU. [APPLAUSE] WE APPRECIATE YOU, GLEN. I DO WANT TO SAY, I DO WANT TO SAY AS A CHAIRMAN, WHEN I GET HERE EVERY NIGHT, GLEN'S HERE. WHEN I LEAVE GLEN, GLEN'S MAKING SURE WE DON'T NEED ANYTHING ELSE FROM HIM THAT THAT EXTENDS PAST THESE FORMAL PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION MEETINGS, BUT ALSO THE ANCILLARY MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE TO SUPPORT THE THE GREAT WORK THAT THE STAFF DOES FOR THE CONSTITUENTS OF OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH. SO, GLEN, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE. [APPLAUSE] AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN THE FLOOR OVER TO DIRECTOR HOLCOMB. AT THIS TIME. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL HAVE ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN. [1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN ] AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR FOR NOMINATIONS. ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS REGARDING THE POSITION OF CHAIRMAN? WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ELEANOR. YEP. I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE CURRENT CHAIRMAN ROSSIE WASHINGTON. OKAY. IS THERE A SECOND? AND A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER COLEMAN. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? HEARING NONE. THE MOTION CARRIES. CONGRATULATIONS, CHAIRMAN. WASHINGTON. THANK YOU EVERYONE. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL MOVE TO MOTIONS REGARDING THE POSITION OF VICE CHAIR. IS THERE ANY MOTIONS MADE FOR THE VICE CHAIRMAN? WE HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER. BOYD. I'M SORRY. I'LL GET THAT RIGHT. ARE THERE ANY? IS THERE A SECOND? YOU DIDN'T. SECOND. WAS THE MOTION. THANK YOU. AND A SECOND BY COMMISSIONER BATTS. ANY OBJECTIONS? HEARING NONE. THAT MOTION PASSES. CONGRATULATIONS, VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. AT THIS TIME, WE CAN MOVE TO ITEM 2, APPROVAL OF THE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT. [2. APPROVAL OF 2025 ANNUAL REPORT ] WE DO THAT. BEFORE WE DO THAT, DIRECTOR HOLCOMB, JUST WANT TO TAKE A SECOND TO WELCOME SPENCER MAXEY TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION. [00:05:07] WE LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING WITH YOU ON THIS COMMISSION. WELCOME, BOARD. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 2. IS THERE A MOTION TO ACCEPT AND APPROVE THE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT? MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ADDISON, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLENDER. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? SEEING NONE, THAT ITEM IS APPROVED. MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER 3. [3. APPROVAL OF 2026 CALENDAR ] IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2026 CALENDAR? MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER ADDISON, SECOND BY VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. ANY OBJECTIONS? SEEING NONE, THAT ITEM IS APPROVED. ITEM NUMBER 4. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2026 PLANNING COMMISSION WORK PROGRAM? [4. APPROVAL OF 2026 WORK PROGRAM ] MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ADDISON, SECOND BY COMMISSIONER ELLENDER. ANY OBJECTIONS? SEEING NONE, THAT ITEM IS APPROVED. ITEM NUMBER 5. [5. GOALS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ] IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE UPDATED GOALS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES? COMMISSIONER ADDISON WAS HESITANT, BUT PROVIDED THE FIRST PROVIDED THE MOTION FOR THAT. I BELIEVE THAT WAS SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BOYD. ANY OBJECTIONS FOR THAT ITEM? SEEING NONE, THAT ITEM IS APPROVED. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 15TH MEETING? [APPROVAL OF MINUTES ] Y'ALL GOING TO MAKE HIM DO IT AGAIN? MOTION BY COMMISSIONER ADDISON, SECOND BY VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. ANY OBJECTIONS TO APPROVING THE MINUTES? SEEING NONE. THESE ITEMS HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED AT THIS TIME. I'LL ASK VICE CHAIRMAN CLIFFORD TO READING THE RULES FOR CONDUCTING PUBLIC HEARINGS. [RULES FOR CONDUCTING PUBLIC HEARINGS ] THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING. ANY INTERESTED MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISHES TO COMMENT ON ANY ITEM FROM THIS AGENDA MAY COMMENT IN PERSON AT CITY HALL, 222 SAINT LOUIS STREET, 3RD FLOOR. EXCUSE ME, ROOM 348. DURING THE MEETING, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC DESIRING TO SPEAK ON A PARTICULAR ITEM SHOULD REFER TO THE A MEETING AGENDA AND COMPLETE NECESSARY INFORMATION PRIOR TO THE MEETING BY FILLING OUT A REQUEST TO SPEAK CARD INDICATING WHICH ITEM YOU WISH TO SPEAK, AND PLACE IT IN THE DESIGNATED LOCATION PRIOR TO THE MEETING. APPLICANT AND APPLICANT'S REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE PROPOSAL WILL SPEAK FIRST, FOR A TOTAL OR COMBINED PERIOD OF NOT TO EXCEED 15 MINUTES. PROPONENTS WILL SPEAK AND THEN THE OPPONENTS. EACH SPEAKER WILL NOT BE ALLOWED MORE THAN 3 MINUTES. SPEAKERS ARE REQUESTED TO LIMIT THEIR REMARKS BY AVOIDING DUPLICATION IN THEIR PRESENTATIONS. APPLICANT WILL BE ALLOWED A TOTAL OF 5 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 THERE IS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AT A MEMBER. EXCUSE ME, A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC AT THE MEETING WHO WISHES TO SPEAK ON THE ITEM. IN SUCH CASES, THE PROPOSAL WILL FOLLOW THE STANDARD PROCEDURE. MR. CHAIRMAN, THANK YOU, VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA. MR. [CONSENT AGENDA ] BALDWIN, CONSENT ITEMS FOR DEFERRAL. ITEM 7 PA-7-25 17501 FLORIDA BOULEVARD DIFFERED FROM PLANNING COMMISSION FROM DECEMBER 15TH TO AMEND THE COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN FROM AGRICULTURAL, RURAL TO INDUSTRIAL. LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF FLORIDA BOULEVARD, SOUTH OF RIVERSIDE PARK DRIVE. DEFERRED BY PLANNING DIRECTOR TO FEBRUARY 23RD, 2026. ITEM 8 CASE 53-25 17501 FLORIDA BOULEVARD TO REZONE FROM COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSING AND RURAL TO LIGHT INDUSTRIAL M1 ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF FLORIDA BOULEVARD, SOUTH OF RIVERSIDE PARK DRIVE. DEFERRED BY PLANNING DIRECTOR TO FEBRUARY 23RD, 2026. CONSENT ITEMS FOR APPROVAL ITEM 9 CASE 1-26 954 958 962 JENNIFER JEAN DRIVE TO REZONE FROM LIMITED RESIDENTIAL A3.1 TO NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL NC ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF JENNIFER JEAN DRIVE, EAST OF NICHOLSON DRIVE. ITEM 10 CASE 3-26 4631. FRANCISCAN DRIVE TO REZONE FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL A1 AND HEAVY COMMERCIAL 2 HC2 TO HEAVY COMMERCIAL 2 ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE OF FRANCISCAN DRIVE, SOUTH OF INTERSTATE TEN. ITEM 11 CASE 4-26 13493 PLANK ROAD. TO REZONE FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL A-1 TO LIGHT COMMERCIAL 1 LC1 ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF PLANK ROAD, NORTH OF THOMAS ROAD. ITEM 12 CS-1-26. THE BROWN TRACT PROPOSED FLAG LOT MINOR SUBDIVISION ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF PLANK ROAD, NORTH OF THOMAS ROAD. ITEM 13, CASE 5-26 8150 HOOPER ROAD. TO REZONE FROM HEAVY COMMERCIAL C-2 TO 0 LOT LINE RESIDENTIAL A 2.6 ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF HOOPER ROAD, WEST OF HICKOK DRIVE. ITEM 16, RV-4-25. SAINT JAMES, FRANCE AND EUROPE STREETS, MULTIPLE RIGHTS OF WAY. PROPOSED REVOCATION OF PORTIONS OF SAINT JAMES, FRANCE AND EUROPE. STREET RIGHT OF WAYS LOCATED SOUTH OF GOVERNMENT STREET. EAST OF PHILIP STREET. ITEM 17 PUD-2-04 SYNERGY BANK CREEKSTONE TO FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. PROPOSED BANK WITH A DRIVE THRU ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF CORPORATE BOULEVARD, WEST OF COMMERCE CIRCLE. ITEM 18 CUP 1-26 UNIVERSITY BAPTIST CHURCH COLUMBARIUM 5775 HIGHLAND ROAD. [00:10:01] PROPOSED COLUMBARIUM WITHIN EXISTING RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION ON PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF HIGHLAND ROAD, WEST OF LEEWARD DRIVE. ITEM 19 SS 1-26 MOSS SIDE PLACE 6897 PERKINS ROAD. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL SUBDIVISION WITH A PRIVATE STREET LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF PERKINS ROAD, WEST OF ONE PERKINS PLACE DRIVE. ITEM 20 SP-1-26 BURBANK APARTMENTS, 6800 BURBANK DRIVE. PROPOSED MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL AND PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF BURBANK DRIVE, NORTH OF SOUTH KENILWORTH PARKWAY. PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF CERTIFIES THAT ALL OF THESE ITEMS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE. WE HAVE NO SPEAKER CARDS IN OPPOSITION TO ANY OF THESE ITEMS. THANK YOU. COMMISSION MEMBERS, YOU HAVE HEARD ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT ARE TO BE TAKEN WITH ONE VOTE. ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION WHO HAVE AN ITEM ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE PULLED TO BE HEARD AS PART OF THE REGULAR AGENDA? DO WE HAVE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC PRESENT WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEMS THAT ARE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA? SEEING NONE, IS THERE A MOTION MOVED BY COMMISSIONER ADDISON? SECOND BY COMMISSIONER FOWLER? ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? SEEING NONE. THOSE ITEMS HAVE BEEN APPROVED AND WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO THE REGULAR AGENDA. FIRST ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER 14 CASE 6-26 [14. Case 6-26 136 South Acadian Thruway ] 136 SOUTH ACADIAN THRUWAY. CASE 6-26 136 SOUTH ACADIAN THRUWAY. PROPERTY IS LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF SOUTH ACADIAN THRUWAY SOUTH OF NORTH BOULEVARD. COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN. THE APPLICANT IS JAMES FOGLE, FUTURE LAND USE DESIGNATION IS RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. THE EXISTING ZONING IS LIGHT COMMERCIAL C-1 WITH A REQUESTED ZONING OF COMMERCIAL ALCOHOL. BEVERAGE BAR AND LOUNGE. C-A2. CASE 6-26 136 SOUTH ACADIAN THRUWAY. 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. WE'VE RECEIVED 20 MESSAGES IN FAVOR TO THIS ITEM 9 MEMBERS NINE MESSAGES IN OPPOSITION, ALONG WITH A PETITION IN OPPOSITION WITH 4045 SIGNATURES. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE THE APPLICANT TO SPEAK FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED 15 MINUTES. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ANNA FOGEL AND I'M MARRIED TO JAMES FOGEL, THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF MID-CITY BALLROOM. HE'S BEEN THE OWNER SINCE 2017, AND I'M HERE TODAY WITH HIM AND TOM KORVER, WHO JOINED US AS A BUSINESS PARTNER IN 2019. WE ARE REQUESTING TO REZONE THE PROPERTY FROM C1 TO B2, AND I WANT TO START BY THANKING STAFF FOR THEIR THOROUGH REVIEW AND FINDING OF OUR REQUEST, MEETING THE CRITERIA FOR A CHANGE OF ZONING BEING CONSISTENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. COMPATIBLE. COMPATIBLE WITH SURROUNDING USES AND CONFORMING TO THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE REQUIREMENTS. MID-CITY BALLROOM HAS OPERATED AS A NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE CREATIVE EVENT AND EVENT SPACE SINCE OPENING IN 2017. AS WE CAN NO LONGER OPERATE AS A BYOB VENUE UNDER CURRENT ZONING DUE TO RECENT ORDINANCE CHANGES TO MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTS HOW THE PROPERTY FUNCTIONS AND PROVIDES CLEARER STANDARDS IN C1 FOR MANAGING IMPACTS AND ALLOWING FOR CONTINUED BUSINESS SUCCESS. THIS REZONING DOES NOT CHANGE THE FOOTPRINT OF THE BUILDING OR DRAMATICALLY INTENSIFY THE USE. IT SIMPLY PLACES THE SITE IN A ZONING CATEGORY THAT BETTER FITS ITS EXISTING ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE ARE VERY MINDFUL THAT THIS IS A MIXED USE AREA WITH NEARBY RESIDENCES. OUR EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED LIMITED IN DURATION AND NOT EVERY NIGHT. WE'VE SELF-IMPOSED CONDITIONS RELATED TO HOURS, NOISE, LIGHTING AND OPERATIONS TO ENSURE WE REMAIN A GOOD NEIGHBOR. MID-CITY BALLROOM IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A LATE NIGHT OR REGIONAL VENUE. IT IS A COMMUNITY FOCUSED SPACE THAT SUPPORTS LOCAL ARTISTS, NONPROFITS, AND SMALL TO MID-SIZE GATHERINGS. EVENTS ARE PRIMARILY DURING EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS AND DO NOT COINCIDE WITH PEAK TRAFFIC HOURS. INGRESS AND EGRESS WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED AND STAFF HAS CONFIRMED INFRASTRUCTURE CAN SUPPORT THE SHOES. THIS REQUEST ALIGNS WITH THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP AND EXISTING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY ALONG THIS CORRIDOR. IT'S A SITE SPECIFIC REZONING THAT DOES NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR UNRELATED OR MORE INTENSE USES ELSEWHERE. WE ARE PERSONALLY INVESTED IN THIS PROPERTY AND THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. JAMES AND I LIVED ON BEVERLY DRIVE FROM 1999 TO 2004. WE NOW LIVE NEARBY IN THE GARDEN DISTRICT. WE UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS OF OUR IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORS REGARDING THE POSSIBILITY OF PROPERTY VALUES DECLINING, [00:15:07] WITH THE CB 2 ZONE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. HOWEVER, ANALYSIS OF HISTORICAL PROPERTY SALES DATA OF THE AREA DOES NOT SUPPORT THIS CONCERN AS BEING GROUNDED IN REALITY. THERE ARE ABOUT 6 OTHER PROPERTIES SURROUNDING THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH SIMILAR ZONING AND LIQUOR LICENSES. PROPERTY VALUES HAVE CONTINUED TO RISE. WE HAVE BEEN A GOOD NEIGHBOR AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE. OUR GOAL IS STABILITY, CLARITY AND CONTINUED POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT, NOT EXPANSION ABOUT BEYOND WHAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR THIS LOCATION. FOR THESE REASONS, WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOUR APPROVAL OF THE REZONING FROM C1 TO C2 CONSISTENT WITH STAFF'S RECOMMENDATIONS. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR JAMES FOGLE. HELLO. I'M JAMES FOGLE. I'M THE OWNER. OUR PARTNER WITH MY FRIEND TOM CARVER HERE. JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF VALID CONCERNS, AND I WANT TO ADDRESS THAT. 1 OF THE CONCERNS IS THAT WE MAY AT SOME POINT SELL THE PROPERTY, AND SOMEBODY COULD TAKE IT OVER AND MAKE IT A BAR OR A LOUNGE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I DO WANT TO SAY WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION OF DOING THAT ANYWHERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WE HAVE NOT BEEN APPROACHED BY ANYBODY. NOTHING LIKE THAT HAS COME ACROSS ACROSS MY DESK OR ANYTHING. WE WE LOVE BEING A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. WE WANT TO SEE THE COMMUNITY GROW AND ESPECIALLY ADD MORE ARTS AND AND MUSIC AND EVERYTHING AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY AND THE BATON ROUGE MUSIC AND ARTS COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WHAT WE'VE DONE FOR ABOUT 8 YEARS NOW. SO. US THE REZONING AND ABLE TO TO HAVE ALCOHOL ON THE PREMISES THAT THE, THE MAIN WAY THAT HELPS US IS WE DO A LOT OF PRIVATE FUNCTIONS, A LOT OF PRIVATE ENGAGEMENTS, PARTIES, WEDDINGS, WEDDING SHOWERS, ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WOULD INHIBIT US FROM DOING THAT IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO GET THE ZONING. SO I APPRECIATE YOU LISTENING TO US, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR THIS IS MARGARET COHEN COUNCILMAN. HEY, I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE TO COME UP SO FAST, BUT MY NAME IS MARGARET OR MAGGIE. I AM IN FAVOR OF THE REZONING, I SUPPORT IT. I LIVE ON ACADIAN. I OWN A HOUSE ON ACADIAN AND JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ACADIAN. SO I'M NOT IN YOUR DISTRICT. COUNCILWOMAN. BUT YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOOD BUSINESS NEIGHBORS. WE APPRECIATE MY HUSBAND, AND I APPRECIATE THE, LIKE IT'S NICE WHEN THEY HAVE ACTIVITIES AT THEIR VENUE. IT'S NICE WHEN THERE'S PEOPLE WALKING AROUND ON THE STREET. THERE'S A STRETCH OF VACANT BUILDINGS RIGHT THERE IN THAT AREA OF ACADIAN WHERE WE LIVE. AND A LOT OF THE PROPERTIES ARE DUAL ZONED. AND IT'S NICE THAT THERE IS COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY. AND SO WE SUPPORT THEM. AND WE KNOW THAT SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE COMPLAINTS OR CONCERNS, BUT WE LIVE RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET. WE HAVE NO CONCERNS AND WE HOPE THEY GET THIS AND THAT. THEY'RE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR BUSINESS AND AND CONTINUE TO THRIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR DAMIEN MITCHELL. HI. THAT WAS MY WIFE. BASICALLY, YEAH, I COULD REITERATE WHAT SHE'S SAYING. THAT STRETCH OF ACADIAN, IT CAN BE NOISY, RIGHT? BUT IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF MID-CITY BALLROOM. IT'S JUST THE TRAFFIC. RIGHT? LIKE, THAT IS THE LOUDEST THING THAT WE EXPERIENCE. AND LIKE SHE SAID, IT IS NICE TO SEE PEOPLE WALKING AROUND. YES, THEY DO PARK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THERE'S NEVER BEEN ANY ISSUES AROUND THIS. SO GENERALLY SPEAKING, I AM IN FAVOR OF THE REZONING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT CARD IS FOR TOM KORVER. HELLO. I BOUGHT IN THE PARTNERSHIP IN 2019. AND I JUST WANT TO SEE THE SUCCESS CONTINUE. AND OUR BEING ABLE TO SELL ALCOHOL WOULD BE A KEY FACTOR IN THAT CONTINUATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR CONNOR ELSIA. [00:20:05] YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR THREE MINUTES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. HELLO. MY NAME IS CONNOR ELSIE. I AM A LOCAL MUSICIAN, AND I'M PART OF A LARGER GROUP OF MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS WHO ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE OWNERSHIP OF THE VENUE, BUT DO FREQUENTLY PERFORM AND HOST EVENTS AT MID-CITY BALLROOM. I AND MY PARTNERS ARE IN FAVOR OF MID-CITY BALLROOM REZONING ON THE PRIMARY BASIS THAT THE ALLOWANCE OF ALCOHOL AT THIS VENUE HELPS LOCAL MUSICIANS ACHIEVE A LIVABLE INCOME AND ENSURES THE VENUE ITSELF IS ECONOMICALLY VIABLE. MID CITY BALLROOM, SPECIFICALLY, IS ONE OF THE LARGEST VENUES IN THE CITY THAT TRULY SUPPORTS LOCAL MUSICIANS OF ALL CALIBERS. MANY OTHER VENUES OPERATE AT A SCALE THAT IS TOO LARGE FOR LOCAL MUSICIANS TO HOST EVENTS AT THIS VENUE AND OTHER SMALL VENUES IN TOWN USED TO OPERATE ON A BRING YOUR OWN BEER BASIS BEFORE RECENT CHANGES IN ORDINANCE. AND THIS NEW EFFECTIVE BANNING OF ALCOHOL AT SMALL LOCAL MUSIC PERFORMANCES CAN HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON ATTENDANCE AND UTILIZATION, WHICH IN TURN AFFECTS THE ABILITY OF MUSICIANS TO EARN A LIVING INCOME. THE EVENTS AT THIS VENUE HAVE BEEN CONTINUALLY WELL ORGANIZED AND MILD MANNER AND NEVER HAVE BRING CHAOS OR CRIME TO THE AREA. THE REZONING WOULD NOT CHANGE THIS OR THE ETHOS OF THE VENUE. IT WOULD HELP STRENGTHEN BATON ROUGE'S CULTURE OF MUSIC AND COMMUNITY BY ENSURING MUSICIANS HAVE A PLACE IN THE HEART OF THE CITY WHERE THEY CAN PERFORM AND DIVERSIFY THEIR SOURCE OF INCOME IN A PROFESSION THAT IS NOTORIOUSLY HARD TO SURVIVE IN. AND THAT IS ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CHORD IS FOR JONATHAN LUBELL. GOOD EVENING. I LIVE IN OGDEN PARK AND YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN A MUSICIAN THAT'S PLAYED AT MID-CITY BALLROOM. AND I REALLY FEEL LIKE THE MAIN THING HERE IS IT FEELS FILLS A NICHE THAT'S DISAPPEARING IN THE COMMUNITY. A LOT OF THE VENUES ARE CLOSING. NOT IN JUST IN BATON ROUGE, BUT ELSEWHERE. AND YOU KNOW, THAT BUSINESS IS ALREADY 3 BUSINESSES IN ONE. SO WE'VE GOT THE POP SHOP, THE MUSIC EXCHANGE, AND THE BALLROOM ITSELF ALL PAYING THE RENT ON THAT BUILDING. AND IF ANYTHING HAPPENS AND ONE OF THOSE LEGS ON THAT STOOL GOES OUT, I'M REALLY AFRAID THAT BASICALLY YOU'RE GOING TO END UP WITH A VACANCY THERE. AND YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT PEOPLE COME OUT TO SHOWS NO MATTER WHAT, YOU KNOW, UNLESS THERE'S ALCOHOL THERE, USUALLY PEOPLE DON'T COME. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU KNOW, REALLY CRUCIAL FOR THAT. YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING I'LL SAY IS FROM A NEIGHBORHOOD ASPECT OF OGDEN PARK, YOU KNOW, I DO KNOW WE HAVE A SIZABLE AMOUNT OF RESIDENTS THAT ARE UNHAPPY. AND WE'LL HEAR SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS SPEAK HERE IN A BIT. BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S OVER, YOU KNOW, 180 PARCELS IN OGDEN PARK. YOU KNOW, THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE PROBABLY ON THE ORDER OF LIKE 250 300 RESIDENTS OR EMPLOYEES IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU KNOW, HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING TO SAY. AND WE'RE ON SOMEWHERE ON THE ORDER OF, YOU KNOW, 50, 50 RESIDENTS THAT HAVE OPPOSED. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S ABOUT 15, 20% DEPENDING ON HOW YOU COUNT. AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S THAT'S REAL. I LIVE NEXT TO BATON ROUGE MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL, AND I DON'T REALLY LIKE IT WHEN I CAN HEAR THE TRACK MEET AND THE TRACK GUN GO OFF EVERY DAY, BUT I JUST KIND OF GET USED TO IT. YOU KNOW, WE ALL PLAY THIS GAME IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, TRYING TO GUESS WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS A A TRANSFORMER THAT WENT OFF OR A GUNSHOT OR A GUNSHOT AT THE TRACK MEET. AND SO I ALWAYS HAVE TO WAIT THAT ONE SECOND FOR THE PARENTS CHEERING BEFORE I ACTUALLY KNOW. AND SO NOW THAT'S ALL I REALLY HAVE TO SAY. YOU KNOW, AT A TIME LIKE THIS. WHEN THE CITY IS LOSING REVENUE AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING LAYOFFS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, I, YOU KNOW, I JUST DON'T SEE ANY REASON TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT HARDER FOR BUSINESSES TO GET BY THAT ARE PAYING TAXES AND, AND HELPING US KEEP THE STREETS CLEAN AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANKS. THANK YOU SIR. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR HELEN FRINK. HELLO, EVERYONE. HELEN FRINK, 47, LOVER'S LANE. ALSO HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT. DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT ZONING BEFORE THIS CAME UP ON MY FACEBOOK PAGE. DOVE IN, AND NOW I'M A QUASI EXPERT. I WOULD SAY AND BASED ON MY UNDERSTANDING, THIS IS DEFINITELY IN LINE WITH THE PROPOSAL. AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE MUCH BETTER FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I DO LIVE ABOUT 3 BLOCKS AWAY. [00:25:06] IF ANYONE HAS NOT ATTENDED A MID CITY BALLROOM EVENT. THE FIRST TIME I WENT STANDING OUTSIDE, I COULDN'T EVEN TELL THE BAND WAS PLAYING BECAUSE THEY HAVE DONE SUCH A GOOD JOB WITH SOUNDPROOFING. I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS ABOUT ISSUES THEY'VE HAD WITH THE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION THAT HAS HAPPENED ON THE PROPERTY, MAYBE OUTSIDE OF THE PROPERTY. I THINK THIS SOLVES THAT. IF THEY'RE ABLE TO APPLY FOR A LIQUOR LICENSE AND GET IT, THAT MEANS THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY REGULATE AND MONITOR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION ON THE PREMISES. WHEN A BYOB WASN'T ALLOWING FOR THAT THE FOGLES ALSO DID A GREAT JOB IN PROACTIVELY COMMUNICATING ABOUT THIS. SOMETHING THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED IN THE PAST. LET'S SEE, I THINK THERE'S BEEN 3 SIMILAR REZONINGS IN THE OGDEN PARK AREA. THEY DID NOT ADVERTISE ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA THAT THEY WERE DOING THAT AND DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY OPPOSITION. THE FOGLES DID AN OVER AMOUNT OF COMMUNICATION AND THAT'S IT RAISED AWARENESS. AND THAT'S WHY I THINK WE'RE HEARING A LOT OF PUSHBACK. SO JUST REALLY WANT TO CELEBRATE THEM FOR BEING GREAT NEIGHBORS, GREAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND GREAT FOLKS. AND I HOPE THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO STAY IN MID-CITY. I'M A YOUNG PERSON WHO LOVES LIVING IN MID-CITY. I ALSO WAS RECENTLY CUT OUT OF COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN DISTRICT, BUT MID-CITY IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. IT'S BECAUSE IT'S LIVELY AND ACTIVE, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT BRINGS ME GREAT JOY AS A YOUNG PERSON AND KEEPS ME LIVING IN BATON ROUGE AS A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL, SO I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE LOST ON EVERYONE WHO MAYBE DOESN'T FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. MAYBE MID-CITY ISN'T THE BEST FIT FOR THEM. SO THAT'S ALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR MARION PICKETT. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY. BACK 24 YEARS AGO, I HAD A CAFE DOWNTOWN AND WE DID LIVE JAZZ AND FOLK MUSIC TO A VARIED AUDIENCE FROM VARIED PLACES, INCLUDING EUROPE AND ALL AROUND THE UNITED STATES. JAMES FOGLE HAS BEEN ASKING ME TO RECREATE THAT AT THE BALLROOM FOR 8 YEARS. 6 MONTHS AGO I SAID YES. IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME TO BRING GREAT MUSIC ON TOP OF ALL THE MUSIC WE HAVE IN BATON ROUGE ALREADY AND ALL THAT'S GOING ON AT THE BALLROOM. I CAN ASSURE THE NEIGHBORS THAT MY CROWD USED TO BE TEENAGERS IN EARLY 20S, AND THEY'RE IN THEIR 40S NOW. THEY'RE MY CROWD NOW, STILL. AND SO ARE THE PEOPLE OLDER THAN THEM. AND WE HOPE TO BRING THESE ACTS, THESE ESPECIALLY THE JAZZ ACTS, WHICH ARE SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR HERITAGE HERE. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE GET YOUNGER PEOPLE TO LISTEN. SO THIS WOULD MEAN A LOT TO ME, ULTIMATELY TO GET A YOUNGER CROWD ABLE TO COME TO A SHOW NOW AND THEN AND KEEP THE KEEP THE TRAIN GOING FOR THE LIVE MUSIC. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR LAST CARD IN SUPPORT IS FOR MARGARET FELT. IS MARGARET FELT PRESENT? OKAY. GOOD EVENING. HEY. I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GONNA SPEAK, BUT I'M ANNA AND JAMES'S DAUGHTER, AND I JUST WANT TO SAY MY PARENTS HAVE LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD MY ENTIRE LIFE. AND BEFORE MY BEFORE I WAS BORN. I'M 27 YEARS OLD. THEY'VE BEEN HERE FOREVER. THEY WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY WOULD NEVER MAKE A DECISION OR DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD NOT ULTIMATELY BENEFIT THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD MOVE, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS A KID SOMETIMES AND STUFF, BUT NO MATTER WHAT, WE WOULD ALWAYS COME BACK. WE ALWAYS COME BACK TO THE AREA. THEY LOVE IT SO MUCH. THEY WOULD NEVER, EVER DO ANYTHING THEY THOUGHT WOULD HURT THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I'M FULLY IN SUPPORT OF WHATEVER THEY BELIEVE IS THE BEST OPTION. AND AS YOU'VE HEARD THE OTHER SPEAKERS, I TOTALLY AGREE AND CONCUR WITH EVERYTHING THEY'VE SAID. IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR THE AREA. I USED TO LIVE THERE MYSELF WITH MY HUSBAND, AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE. AND MID CITY BALLROOM MAKES IT MORE BEAUTIFUL. AND I'M PROUD OF IT. AND I'M PROUD THAT MY FAMILY IS HELPING THE CULTURE THERE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. OUR FIRST CAUGHT IN OPPOSITION OF THE ITEM IS FOR ALAN NEGROPONTE. WAS I CLOSER? DID I MESS IT UP BOTH TIMES YOU MESSED IT UP, BUT OKAY. IT'S OKAY. I USUALLY SAY IT PHONETICALLY, SO IT'S EASIER. [00:30:03] THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. I AM A RESIDENT OF OGDEN PARK. MY PROPERTY DIRECTLY BACKS UP TO THE MID CITY BALLROOM PARKING LOT. I BOUGHT MY HOUSE IN 1994. AT THE TIME, THE BUILDING WAS A CHURCH. WHEN BACK IN 2017, WHEN THE FOGLE'S DECIDED TO PURCHASE THE BUILDING THEY QUIETLY GOT THROUGH THE REZONING. THEY DID NOT CONTACT ANY OF THE PROPERTY OWNERS THAT WERE DIRECTLY BEHIND THEIR BUILDING FOR US TO OPPOSE THE REZONING, WE HAVE NOW FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS, SO WE ARE NOW OPPOSING IT. WE DON'T OPPOSE THE CULTURAL ENHANCEMENT THAT MANY OF THE SPEAKERS HAVE TALKED ABOUT. I WE ALL ENJOY GOOD MUSIC. WE ALL ENJOY PEOPLE COMING IN. WHAT WE'RE OPPOSING IS THE FACT THAT, NUMBER 1, HE'S GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO SELL ALCOHOL ON THE PREMISES. AND NUMBER 2, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THIS REZONING WILL FOLLOW THE PROPERTY. SO IF IT FOLLOWS THE PROPERTY, THEN WHO KNOWS WHO HE WOULD SELL IT TO AND WHAT VENUE WOULD COME INTO THAT SPOT? SO WE'RE OPPOSED TO THAT. I'M DIRECTLY AFFECTED. MY PROPERTY BACKS UP TO IT. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME PAST ISSUES WITH THE MID CITY BALLROOM, ONE OF WHICH NOISE LEVEL. WE'VE HAD TERRIBLE PROBLEMS WITH THE NOISE, SOMETIMES TO THE POINT WHERE WE'VE HAD TO CALL THE POLICE TO COME AND TELL THEM TO TONE IT DOWN SOME. AND THAT'S FROM THE BUILDING INSIDE THAT WE CAN HEAR IN OUR HOMES. MY PROPERTY HAS A CARPORT, AND THAT NOISE FUNNELS DOWN THE CARPORT ACROSS THE STREET. AND THE YOUNG COUPLE THAT LIVE ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME CAN HEAR IT AND HAVE A SMALL CHILD. SHE'S HERE TONIGHT. THERE'S BEEN TRASH IN OUR YARDS. THERE HAS BEEN SEX BEHIND HIS BUILDING. AFTER THE VENUE CLOSES. I'VE HEARD IT. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN HOMELESS PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HOLED UP ON THE PROPERTY AFTER THE PLACE HAS BEEN CLOSED. THERE WAS ONE INCIDENT WHERE THERE WAS A GUNFIGHT IN THE PROPERTY, WHICH MR. FOGLE REFUSED TO ACCEPT AND SAY ON HIS SECURITY CAMERA. ALL HE SAW WERE PEOPLE SCATTERING IN THE PARKING LOT. AT ONE POINT, HIS BUSINESS AS IT EXISTS, BYOB WAS SHUT DOWN BECAUSE HE WAS DISTRIBUTING OR THERE WAS DISTRIBUTION OF ALCOHOL ON THE PROPERTY TO MINORS. 20 SECONDS SIR. SURE. AS FAR AS PROPERTY VALUES ARE CONCERNED, THERE MAY NOT BE SOME HISTORICAL VALUE TO TO PUT ON IT, BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN, THERE'S NOTHING TO SHOW THAT OUR PROPERTY VALUES WOULD NOT DECREASE IF THE PLACE WAS REZONED TO ALLOW ALCOHOL. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR MARILYN O'BRIEN. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR 3 MINUTES, MA'AM. I KNOW JAMES FOGLE. HE'S A NICE GUY. I'VE LIKED HIM A LOT. BUT I OWN 10 PROPERTIES ON ACADIAN THRUWAY AND HAPPEN TO BE CO-OWNER WITH MY GRANDSON TO THE ONE DIRECTLY NEXT DOOR TO THE SAID PROPERTY. AND MY ISSUE IS ALCOHOL. PERIOD. ON MAY 14TH, IN FRONT OF ONE OF MY PROPERTIES ON ACADIAN THRUWAY, I OWN RENTALS, A MAN WAS DECAPITATED FROM THE DRIVING AND INTOXICATED. MY ISSUE IS WITH ALCOHOL BEING SOLD, PERIOD. IT'S NOT DANCING AND MUSIC. I'M A MUSICIAN MYSELF, BUT IT'S THE ALCOHOL. I'VE SEEN WHAT IT DOES. I SAW HIS HEAD ROLL OUT INTO KATY AND YOU CAN LOOK THAT UP AND NOW ACADIAN HAS BEEN ALTERED. THE STREET HAS BEEN ALTERED TO ACCOMMODATE THE DRIVING. NOT TO MENTION THE RUBBISH. AND NO ONE HAS SAID YET ABOUT THE DELIVERY OF THE ALCOHOL. IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN ON A SUMMER DAY NEAR PHIL BRADY'S OR ANY OTHER LOCAL BAR WHERE BEER AND ALCOHOL IS BEING DELIVERED AND BROKEN GLASS, WE'VE ALREADY EXPERIENCED MY GRANDSON PEOPLE PARKING IN HIS PROPERTY FROM THE BALLROOM. WHAT DOES THAT DO TO OUR LIABILITY IF THERE'S A GUNSHOT FIGHT OR THERE'S A FIGHT THERE, PERIOD, AND SOMEONE'S HURT OR SOMEONE'S CAR IS WRECKED ON THE PREMISES, DOES THAT DOES THAT INVOLVE MY INSURANCE OR DOES JAMES FOGLE COVER IT? HE WON'T BECAUSE THE CAR HAS ALREADY BEEN PARKED ON OUR PROPERTY. [00:35:03] I CARE ABOUT MY HOUSES AND MY GRANDSON. I VOTE VEHEMENTLY AGAINST ANYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH ALCOHOL ANY MORE. WE HAVE ENOUGH. WE HAVE RADIO BAR, WHICH IS GREAT. WE'VE GOT PHIL BRADY'S IF YOU WANT GOOD MUSIC, GO THURSDAY NIGHTS. I LOVE MUSIC, I PLAY MUSIC, BUT ALCOHOL, THERE'S NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM THAT. WE SHOULD SEE THAT BATON ROUGE IS VERY, VERY TAINTED BY IT. I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR CATHERINE FARRAR. HELLO. MY NAME IS CATHERINE FARRAR. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT AND HOMEOWNER IN OGDEN PARK FOR 32 YEARS. I'M HERE TO FORMALLY OPPOSE THE REZONING OF MID-CITY BALLROOM. OGDEN PARK IS A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD WITH SMALL, QUIET BUSINESSES. IT IS NOT AN ENTERTAINMENT CORRIDOR DESIGNED TO SUPPORT LATE NIGHT BAR AND CONCERT ACTIVITY. CAB 2 ZONING WOULD ALLOW THE VENUE TO OPERATE UNTIL 2 A.M.. THIS TYPE OF ZONING IS APPROPRIATE FOR ESTABLISHED ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICTS, NOT FOR A VENUE THAT DIRECTLY ABUTS RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES. PARKING IS ALREADY A SERIOUS AND UNRESOLVED PROBLEM. MID-CITY BALLROOM DOES NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT ON SITE PARKING FOR ITS CURRENT OPERATIONS. OVERFLOW PARKING REGULARLY SPILLS INTO NEARBY RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL LOTS, LEAVING BEHIND TRASH AND EMPTY ALCOHOL BOTTLES. DESPITE A LONG STANDING AWARENESS OF THESE ISSUES, THE OWNER HAS NOT TAKEN EFFECTIVE CORRECTIVE ACTION. SINCE OPENING IN 2017, THE VENUE HAS HAD REPEATED CONFLICTS WITH NEIGHBORING RESIDENTS WHOSE PROPERTIES ABUT THE SITE. THESE INCLUDE EXCESSIVE NOISE, DISRUPTING SLEEP AND DAILY LIFE, LITTER THROWN ONTO ADJACENT PROPERTIES, AND INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR OCCURRING NEAR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LINES WHEN RESIDENTS HAVE RAISED CONCERNS. THE OWNER HAS FREQUENTLY DENIED RESPONSIBILITY AND RESPONDED IN A DISMISSIVE AND CONFRONTATIONAL MANNER, RATHER THAN WORKING TOWARD SOLUTIONS. AS RECENTLY AS TWO WEEKS AGO, JAMES FOGLE TOLD A NEIGHBOR, F YOU. HIS WORDS, NOT MINE. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DISCUSS THIS REZONING REQUEST, THE OWNERS HAVE POINTED TO NEARBY PROPERTIES THAT ALLOW LIQUOR LICENSES, BUT THAT COMPARISON IS MISLEADING. THOSE PROPERTIES ARE LOCATED WITHIN COMMERCIAL SHOPPING CENTERS AND DO NOT DIRECTLY ABUT RESIDENTIAL HOMES. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT ALL OF THE SIGNATURES TO THE PETITION IN OPPOSITION RESIDE WITHIN OGDEN PARK AND LIVED DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO THE VENUE. IN CONTRAST, THOSE IN SUPPORT OF THIS REZONING ARE RESIDENTS WHO LIVED BLOCKS AWAY FROM MIDCITY BALLROOM, AND SOME SUPPORTERS DO NOT LIVE IN OGDEN PARK AT ALL. WHILE THE APPLICANT CLAIMS THIS REZONING IS IMPORTANT TO THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE, CAB TWO ZONING WOULD ELIMINATE MID CITY BALLROOM'S ABILITY TO CONTINUE OPERATING AS AN ALL AGES VENUE, WHICH IS HOW IT HAS FUNCTIONED SINCE OPENING. GIVEN ALL OF THESE ISSUES, I URGE THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO DENY THIS REZONING REQUEST. I WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT INTO THE PUBLIC RECORD A MAPPING OF THE LOCATIONS OF THE RESIDENCES OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN OGDEN PARK AND ARE IN OPPOSITION. I PULLED THIS MAP FROM YOUR STAFF REPORT THAT SHOWS HOW ALL THE PEOPLE AFFECTED HAVE EITHER COME OUT IN SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION. AND THEN FINALLY, I HAVE AN AERIAL VIEW SHOWING HOW CLOSE THE MID CITY BALLROOM PROPERTY ACTUALLY IS TO RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LINES. IT'S IT'S A MATTER OF FEET. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR CHARLES SPENCER. I BELIEVE THAT'S SPENCER. IT'S KIND OF HARD TO READ. SPEEDO? YEAH. THE FLOOR FOR 3 MINUTES. MR.. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. UNLIKE A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE HERE, I DON'T LIVE IN OGDEN PARK, BUT I'VE OWNED PROPERTIES IN THE AREA. MY FIRST ONE I BOUGHT IN 83, ANOTHER 1 85, AND THE ONE ALMOST DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET BACK IN 1991. MY CONCERN AGAIN IS, LIKE A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE SAID, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MUSIC, IT'S ALCOHOL. AND ONCE YOU CHANGE THIS TO TO A CB2, IT OPENS UP A LOT OF POSSIBILITIES AND A LOT OF THINGS BEYOND THAT. AND IT GOES WITH THE PROPERTY. IF SOMEONE POINTED OUT EARLIER, IT GOES WITH THE PROPERTY AND THEY TALK ABOUT. AND ONE THING THAT I WAS I FOUND A LITTLE BIT TROUBLING. THE THE STAFF INDICATED IT'S NOT INCONSISTENT WITH THE ZONING IN THE AREA, THE MAP THAT WAS ATTACHED TO THE APPLICATION, THERE'S NOT A SINGLE CAB. TWO IN THE AREA. THE CAB ONE, WHICH IS NOW THE PARKING LOT FOR OCHSNER'S MEDICAL FACILITY. [00:40:06] SO THE, YOU KNOW, ACROSS GOVERNMENT STREET, THERE'S ANY NUMBER OF BARS, YOU KNOW, BEER, GARDEN, RESTAURANTS, ETC. BUT THE AREA RIGHT THERE ON THE THRUWAY IS STRICTLY COMMERCIAL AND STRICTLY BUSINESS IS. AND IT'S NOT WITH REGARD TO THE MUSIC, IT'S THE EFFECTS THAT THE LONG TERM EFFECTS THAT HAVE IN A 2 RATING WILL CARRY WITH IT. AND I THINK IT'D BE DETRIMENTAL TO NOT ONLY THE THE RESIDENTIAL HOMEOWNERS, CERTAINLY, AND THE, THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE BEHIND THE VENUE, BUT ALSO THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE AFFECTED IN THE AREA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR LUCY HASTINGS. GOOD EVENING. HI. MY NAME IS LUCY HASTINGS. I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF OGDEN PARK. I WAS BORN AND BROUGHT HOME TO 143 HEARTHSTONE AND MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED 152 BEVERLY ABOUT 8 YEARS AGO IN 2017. I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO OPPOSE THIS CASE. IT'S NOT ABOUT A SMALL MUSIC VENUE OR SUPPORTING THE ARTS. IT'S A REQUEST FOR A PERMANENT DESIGNATION ON A SITE THAT IS PHYSICALLY AND INELIGIBLE FOR THAT LEVEL OF INTENSITY. THE BUILDING IS A FORMER NEIGHBORHOOD CHURCH SITTING JUST 20FT FROM THE BEDROOM WINDOWS OF THE NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME. IT WAS NEVER DESIGNED FOR THE STRUCTURAL SOUND MITIGATION REQUIRED FOR THIS BAR NIGHTCLUB. WHILE THE APPLICANT SUGGESTS THAT THESE OPERATIONS WON'T CHANGE, THIS DESIGNATION ALLOWS HIM TO OPERATE UNTIL 2 A.M.. PLACING A NIGHTCLUB IN A STRUCTURE THAT CLOSE TO HOMES IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. SORRY. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THIS ORDINANCE FOR BYOB CHANGED IN IN 2021. NOW THIS BUSINESS HAS CONTINUED TO OPERATE AS BYOB UNTIL NOW. AND THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN TO US AS RESIDENTS THAT THEY WERE OPERATING ILLEGALLY, BUT NOTHING WAS EVER DONE ABOUT IT. SO I KIND OF HAVE A PROBLEM WITH AN OWNER THAT HAS BEEN OPERATING ILLEGALLY FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS TRYING TO GET A LIQUOR LICENSE AT THIS POINT. AND AS I SAID BEFORE, I'VE LIVED HERE MY ENTIRE LIFE SINCE I WAS BORN IN 2019. WHEN THAT SHOOTOUT OCCURRED ON THAT IN THAT PARKING LOT, THAT WAS BY FAR THE MOST SCARED I HAVE EVER FELT IN MY HOME. AND I'VE LIVED THERE MY WHOLE LIFE. I KNOW WE HEAR GUNSHOTS. THIS IS THAT THAT WAS VERY CLOSE AND VERY AGGRESSIVE. THERE WERE LIKE 20 SHOTS. IT WAS VERY FEARFUL. I WAS VERY SCARED. I GOT ON THE FLOOR IN MY HOUSE, WHICH I'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE LIBRARY OWNS PROPERTY ACROSS THE STREET, AND THEY HAD SUCH AN ISSUE WITH BROKEN GLASS AND LITTER IN THEIR PARKING LOT THAT I WAS ABLE TO EMAIL MARY STEIN AND GET JUSTIFICATION FOR HER TO INSTALL A GATE IN THAT PROPERTY TO PREVENT ALL THE GLASS FROM BEING DEPOSITED IN HER PARKING LOT. SO SHE USED OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS TO GATE THAT PROPERTY. SINCE THEY WERE HAVING SO MANY ISSUES. AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT RIGHT NOW, THE MUSIC EXCHANGE, THE MUSIC LESSONS, THE ALL AGES SHOWS, THAT IS, THAT GOES WITH WHAT HE'S SAYING WITH THE MUSIC AND THE ARTS SUPPORTING THAT. BUT IF HE CHANGES TO CB2, HE CAN'T HAVE ALL AGES SHOWS. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN DANCED AROUND A LOT. BUT A LOT OF YOUNG MUSICIANS REALLY WANT TO USE THAT FACILITY. IF HE CHANGES HIS ZONING, HE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT. IF I'M I THINK I'M CORRECT ON THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, ANYWAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT AWARD IS FOR JEFFREY HASTINGS. OKAY, I THINK I SEE HIM. GOOD EVENING, SIR. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR 3 MINUTES. MY NAME IS JEFFREY HASTINGS. I'M IN OPPOSITION. I AM LUCY'S HUSBAND, AND I LIVE AT 152 BEVERLEY. MY MAIN CONCERN IS MOSTLY THE GEOMETRY OF THE LOCATION. THE BUILDING, LIKE. LIKE PEOPLE HAVE SAID, IS TOO FAR BACK FROM THE STREET, CLOSE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THE PARKING LOT IS TOO SMALL TO ACCOMMODATE THE CURRENT TRAFFIC, MUCH LESS AN INCREASE IN TRAFFIC. THERE ARE NEIGHBORS DOWN THE STREET FROM THEM, THAT HAVE HAD TO PUT UP CONCRETE BLOCKS AROUND THEIR DRIVEWAY TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM PARKING IN IT, AND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BLOCKED IN BY PATRONS. AND ONE OF MY MAIN CONCERNS IS THE PERSISTENT LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY FROM THE CURRENT OWNERS. WE HAVE RAISED ISSUES BEFORE AND HAVE BEEN RIDICULED, AND REALLY NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX IT. AND I DON'T WANT TO SAY THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN, SO. I THINK THAT IS PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR GREGORY BEALE, JUNIOR. [00:45:04] GOOD EVENING. COMMISSION. THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME SPEAK. MY NAME IS GREGORY BEALE JUNIOR. I LIVE AND OWN AT THE PROPERTY IMMEDIATELY NEXT DOOR, 188 SOUTH ACADIAN TO THE MID CITY BALLROOM. I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO STRONGLY OPPOSE THE REZONING. IN MY RESEARCH FOR THIS, LOOKING AT THE CODE OF ORDINANCES FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, TITLE 12, CHAPTER 2, SECTION 12, SUBSECTIONS 100 AND 101. IT TALKS ABOUT NOISE. LIVING THERE THAT CLOSE. I'M ABOUT MY PROPERTY LINE IS ABOUT 40FT FROM THE ACTUAL VENUE IN THE FRONT DOOR OF THE LOCATION. THERE ARE SEVERAL EVENINGS WHERE THE NOISE. I CAN'T EVEN SLEEP IN MY MASTER BEDROOM. I'VE ACTUALLY HAD TO MOVE TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE HOUSE, AND THAT'S STILL NOT ENOUGH TO STOP THE NOISE POLLUTION FROM THE BALLROOM, WHICH NOBODY ELSE HAS SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THIS EITHER. YOU KNOW WITH HIS. IF HE WAS TO FOLLOW THE NOISE ORDINANCES, IT SHOULD STOP AT 11 P.M.. WELL, SOME NIGHTS HE'LL DO THESE TECHNO THINGS THAT HE DOESN'T PUT ON THE WEBSITE THAT GO ON TILL 2:00 OR LATER. MY SECOND ISSUE IS PARKING. MY FRONT YARD IS A GIANT OPEN FIELD. AND I'D SAY ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE SHOWS HE DOES. PEOPLE TRY AND PARK IN MY YARD. THAT'S A LIABILITY FOR ME AS A PROPERTY OWNER. I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT. I DON'T THINK IT FITS WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. PEOPLE HAVE SAID ABOUT PROPERTY VALUE. WELL, MOST CERTAINLY DECREASE MY PROPERTY VALUE. IF THIS IS A BAR AND I KNOW THAT THIS DESIGNATION GOES WITH THE PROPERTY, NOT THE BUSINESS. SO IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO TRY AND BLOCK THIS. AND THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT. I'M A MUSICIAN MYSELF. I'VE BEEN PLAYING THE GUITAR FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND VARIOUS OTHER INSTRUMENTS. I'VE BEEN TO SHOWS AT THE BALLROOM, BUT IN MY TIME, I STARTED WALKING THE STREET TO BEVERLY AND SPEAKING TO ALL THE NEIGHBORS WHO LIVED BEHIND THE BALLROOM. AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAS BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH JAMES FOR OVER 7 YEARS. AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, THAT ENTIRE BLOCK OF BEVERLY AND MYSELF INCLUDED, IS OPPOSED. THE WOMAN WHO OWNS THE INSURANCE PLACE NEXT DOOR HAS HAD DAMAGE TO HER PROPERTY. BROKEN GLASS, BROKEN BOTTLES. IT'S YOU KNOW, I LOVE MUSIC. I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S THE WRONG DREAM. I THINK IT'S A WONDERFUL DREAM, BUT IT'S THE WRONG PLACE. THAT IS NOT THE PLACE FOR A BAR. I'VE SPENT MY ENTIRE LIFE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, AND THAT'S WHY I BOUGHT A HOUSE THERE. BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE TERRORIZED BY SOMEONE AND GIVE HIM A ZONING THAT WILL ALLOW. HE CAN'T OBEY THE LAW WITH THE ZONING HE HAS. SO WE'LL GIVE HIM A YOU'RE OUT OF TIME TO OPERATE WITH IMPUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR SALLY WILLIAMS. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR 3 MINUTES, MA'AM. ALRIGHT, I'LL DO MY BEST. SALLY WILLIAMS, I'M A RESIDENT OF OGDEN PARK. I'M HERE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED. I LOVE OGDEN PARK AND ALSO KNOW THE INVESTMENT AND SACRIFICE IT TAKES TO KEEP NEIGHBORHOOD GOING STRONG AND NOT SLIPPING BACKWARDS. OGDEN PARK IS AN HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD IN MID-CITY ESTABLISHED IN THE 1930S AND FILLED WITH KIT HOUSES AND BUNGALOWS. I WAS IN MY 30S WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO OGDEN PARK, EVENTUALLY BUYING A HOUSE IN 1995. AT THE TIME, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS RUNDOWN AND HAD A HORRIBLE CRIME PROBLEM. WE HAD DRUGS, BREAK INS, YOU NAME IT. IT WAS A SCARY PLACE. MANY FAMILIES HAD MOVED OUT BECAUSE OF THESE ISSUES. SEVERAL OF US GOT TOGETHER, ORGANIZED AND REVITALIZED OR REVIVED THE OGDEN PARK CIVIC ASSOCIATION AND GOT TO WORK. BACK THEN, WE HELD MONTHLY MEETINGS AT BATON ROUGE GENERAL. EVERYONE WHO ATTENDED HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK AND HAD A AND WE HAD A COMMUNITY SPEAKER EVERY MEETING. THE BATON ROUGE POLICE, THE CITY COUNCIL REPS WERE FREQUENT SPEAKERS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE EFFORTS. MID-CITY REDEVELOPMENT RUN BY PERRY FRANKLIN. BACK THEN, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IN MID-CITY MERCHANTS ALSO WERE INVOLVED. WE DELIVERED NEWS LETTERS TO EVERY HOME WITH ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO GET TO KNOW AND LOOK AFTER EACH OTHER. WE HAD PICNICS AND CRAWFISH BOILS TO BUILD COMMUNITY. [00:50:03] WE WENT TO BUSINESSES AND ASKED THEM TO CLEAN UP THEIR BUILDINGS. WE TAPPED INTO EVERY RESOURCE WE HAD TO HELP US REALIZE THE DREAM OF BRINGING OGDEN PARK COMMUNITY BACK, BACK TO A SAFE PLACE FOR ALL OF US, ESPECIALLY YOUNG FAMILIES. BACK TO A PLACE WHERE WE THAT IT WAS A PLACE TO BE PROUD TO LIVE IN AND TO KNOW THAT OUR PROPERTY VALUES WOULD GO UP WITH TIME. RECENTLY, FOR A TINY NEIGHBORHOOD, WE HAVE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS GOING. THERE ARE A FEW RESTAURANTS, CATERING BUSINESSES, A COUPLE OF BARS, AS WELL AS A VARIETY OF SHOPS AND TYPES OF BUSINESSES. GOOD MUSIC AND ARTS. WE'RE ALSO PROUDLY BORDERED BY BATON ROUGE MAGNET HIGH AND A SAFE HARBOR FOR A GROUP HOME FOR THE INTELLECTUALLY INTELLECTUALLY CHALLENGED, AS WELL AS A SHELTER FOR ADOLESCENTS. ACTUALLY, JUST A FEW LOTS DOWN FROM THE BALLROOM. YOU HAVE ABOUT 20S, MA'AM. OKAY. OP IS AUTUMN PARK IS A WONDERFUL LITTLE 8 BLOCK NEIGHBORHOOD THAT I BELIEVE TO BE A BATON ROUGE GEM. A GEM TO PROTECT AND LOOK AFTER. WE CAN EASILY BECOME A VICTIM OF TOO MUCH. THERE ARE SEVERAL LIQUOR LICENSES ALREADY IN OGDEN PARK. I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE REZONING. I'M SORRY, MA'AM, YOUR TIME IS UP. THIS IS JUST COMMON SENSE TO ME. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR LESLIE DAVIS. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR 3 MINUTES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I RESIDE IN OGDEN PARK AND HAVE SERVED FOR OVER 30 YEARS. WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THAT AREA, IT WAS PRETTY DOWNTRODDEN. I INVESTED IN MORE THAN A DOZEN HOMES AND RENOVATING IN THAT PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I CURRENTLY RESIDE AT 217 BEVERLY DRIVE, WHICH IS VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THIS VENUE. SO I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THE LATE NIGHT LOUD MUSIC AND THE LOITERING PATRONS. SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE CURRENT VENUE. WHILE OGDEN PARK IS OFTEN PROMOTED AS HAVING A CREATIVE CULTURE, WE MUSTN'T FORGET THE BACKBONE OF OUR COMMUNITY ALSO INCLUDES LONG TERM RESIDENTS THAT ARE INVESTED. THEY PERSEVERED. THEY'VE LAID THE GROUNDWORK THAT BUILT THE CHARACTER AND THE DIVERSIFIED COMMUNITY WE NOW ENJOY. WE'RE NOW WELCOMING AN INFLUX OF YOUNG FAMILIES. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE HAD NO CHILDREN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD MANY YEARS AGO. THESE ARE THE NECESSARY BUILDING BLOCKS FOR LONG TERM RESILIENCE AND MUST BE NURTURED AND PROTECTED. THE CURRENT C1 ZONING IS ESSENTIAL IN PROTECTING THE PERIMETER OF OUR RESIDENCES AND TO HELP SAFEGUARD OUR QUIET RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY. I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT YOU DENY THIS APPLICATION, AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR HEIDI BEALL. OKAY. OKAY. SHE DOES NOT WISH TO SPEAK. OUR NEXT CARD IS FOR. HAVING TROUBLE. MARSAN. MARSAN. GOLDSBY. I'VE BEEN TOLD. I'M MARSAN. GOLDSBY AND I BOUGHT MY HOME IN OGDEN PARK IN 2006, AND I LOVE IT. IT'S A REALLY SPECIAL PLACE. IT'S A WONDERFUL NEIGHBORHOOD. I AM FRIENDS WITH SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS ISSUE AND WILL STAY FRIENDS AFTER TONIGHT, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. BUT I WAS MUGGED IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY 3 YEARS AGO. THE GUY WHILE I WAS TRYING TO GET IN MY CAR TO GO CATCH A PLANE, KNOCKED ME DOWN AND STOMPED MY FACE AND NECK UNTIL I LET GO OF MY PURSE. SOME OF THESE NEIGHBORS CAME AND RESCUED ME. I'M OKAY, BUT WE ALREADY HAVE A CRIME PROBLEM THERE. THE GUY WAS NEVER CAUGHT. AND JAMES, I'M NOT ABSOLUTELY NOT BLAMING YOU OR THE BALLROOM, BUT I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO RISK. I MEAN, I DON'T THINK AT ALL THAT THAT WAS A CONNECTION, BUT I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO RISK CRIME GETTING WORSE. THE LAST TIME THAT I WAS HERE THAT A BUNCH OF US WERE HERE WAS WHEN WE WERE PERSUADING Y'ALL TO CHANGE THE ZONING DOWN ON GOVERNMENT STREET SO THAT WE COULD HAVE RADIO BAR. BUT THAT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SITUATION. THEY CAME TO US FIRST AND WALKED THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH THE PETITIONS IN FAVOR AND MADE PROMISES TO US, [00:55:08] AND THEY'VE KEPT THOSE PROMISES. RADIO BAR IS A GREAT NEIGHBOR. I'M NOT SURE THAT MID-CITY BALLROOM IS A GOOD NEIGHBOR. I WAS I WAS ON THE FENCE ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL UNTIL ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, WHEN I FOUND OUT FROM MY NEIGHBORS WHO LIVED DIRECTLY BEHIND ME AND CLOSER TO THE BALLROOM, HOW MUCH TROUBLE THEY'RE HAVING. AND WE, IN ADDITION. EXCUSE ME. GETTING OVER A COLD. THERE ISN'T ANOTHER ACTIVE CAB. 2 BETWEEN GUXIANG AND PERKINS ROAD. THERE ARE RESTAURANTS THAT SERVE ALCOHOL, BUT NOT A BAR. I DON'T WANT A BAR. 350FT. I MEASURED ON GOOGLE MAPS FROM MY BEDROOM. I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP. I HAVE A RIGHT TO PEACE IN MY WONDERFUL, REALLY SPECIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I'M ASKING THAT YOU TURN THIS DOWN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR LAST 2 SPEAKER CARDS DO NOT WISH TO SPEAK. THEREFORE, WILHELMINA SCHAUFFLER AND KYLE FERRER. AT THIS TIME, I'LL INVITE THE APPLICANT TO SPEAK. FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED 5 MINUTES FOR A REBUTTAL. I LOVE DEMOCRACY. I'M A BIG ADVOCATE FOR DEMOCRACY. I KNOW IT'S MESSY, AND IT DOESN'T ALWAYS GO THE WAY WE WANT IT TO GO. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT. AND SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO ALL THE RESIDENTS WHO CAME TO SPEAK TODAY. I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS A FEW INACCURACIES FROM THE SPEAKERS. NUMBER 1, WE BOUGHT THE PROPERTY AS C1. WE DID NOT REZONE. WHEN WE BOUGHT IT, WE KEPT IT AS IS. WE WERE NEVER SHUT DOWN, RIGHT? NEVER SHUT DOWN. NO. THE PETITION LANGUAGE, THE LANGUAGE IN THE PETITION IS IN CONFLICT WITH THE STAFF REPORT. SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER. AND WE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE ORDINANCE UNTIL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, WHEN WE WERE CALLING TO SEE IF WE WERE JUST CHECKING IN THE RULES BECAUSE BYOB WAS NOT, YOU KNOW, WE WEREN'T LICENSED AND SO WE DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE CHECKING ON US. AND SO WE CALLED TO SAY TO MAKE SURE WE WERE DOING EVERYTHING WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO. AND THAT'S WHEN WE LEARNED THAT THE ORDINANCE HAD CHANGED IN 2021. SO WE HAD BEEN OPERATING ILLEGALLY, BUT WE HAD NO IDEA UNTIL WE CALLED. NOBODY TOLD US, AND WE WERE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO ORDINANCE CHANGES. JUST SO WE WERE TAKEN BY SURPRISE BY THAT. DO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS ANY OF THE OTHER ISSUES? WHAT ARE THE OTHER ISSUES? THE SHOOTING? YEAH. SO THEY HAVE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A SHOOTING. WE HAD IT. WE HAD A BIG CONCERT THERE. AND WHAT WE SAW ON THE CAMERAS WAS A CAR THAT DROVE BY AND SHOT GUNSHOTS IN THE AIR OR SOMETHING, AND THAT WAS IT. IT WASN'T ON OUR PROPERTY. IT WASN'T ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANY OF THAT AT ALL. AGAIN, WE DID NOT HAVE TO REZONE. WE JUST MOVED IN AND DID IT. WE'VE DONE A LOT OF IMPROVEMENTS TO THE PROPERTY INSIDE AND OUT. WE'VE DONE ALL KINDS OF SOUND TREATMENTS, AND ACTUALLY, I HAVEN'T HAD A COMPLAINT FROM ANY OF THE NEIGHBORS IN ABOUT 2 YEARS NOW. MY CELL PHONE IS A READILY AVAILABLE TO ANYBODY. I'VE REACHED OUT TO EVERYONE. WE HAD. WE HAD A KIND OF A MEET AND GREET THE OTHER DAY WHERE WE WANTED IF ANYBODY HAD ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS TO COME OUT AND SIT AND TALK TO ME AND ANNA ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, BECAUSE I WANT EVERYBODY TO BE CLEAR ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND BE CLEAR THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO MAKE A BAR. WE'RE NOT TRYING TO MAKE A LOUNGE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO EVER STAY OPEN TILL 2:00 IN THE MORNING. I DON'T WANT TO BE THERE TILL 2:00 IN THE MORNING. I PERSONALLY AM THERE FOR EVERY SHOW. WE GENERALLY WRAP UP AT AROUND MIDNIGHT OR A LITTLE BIT BEFORE MOST EVERY DAY, EVEN ON THE WEEKENDS. SO WE DO HAVE SOME THINGS DURING THE DAYTIME SOMETIMES. BUT AGAIN, I'VE REACHED OUT TO EVERYONE. EVERYBODY HAS MY CELL PHONE NUMBER IN DIFFERENT GROUPS. EVERYTHING I'VE OFFERED, I'VE OFFERED MY HAND IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE, AND I CAN ALWAYS BE CONTACTED ANYTIME WITH ANYBODY'S QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS OR COMPLAINTS. AND AGAIN, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING FROM ANYONE IN ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW. THE MEETING THAT WE SCHEDULED AT, AT OUR PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME AND ASK US QUESTIONS, ONE PERSON SHOWED UP. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO ASSOCIATED ASSOCIATION MEETINGS. AND ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO TALK WITH ME, I'M READILY, READILY AVAILABLE ANYTIME. AND AGAIN, I'M AT EVERY SHOW THAT WE HAVE OVER THERE. WE ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE OUR HOURS. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE OPEN LATER. ACTUALLY SELLING ALCOHOL IF WE DO DECIDE TO GO THAT WAY. WHICH WE HAVEN'T TOTALLY DECIDED TO DO THAT. BUT IF WE DO, THE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION ON THE PROPERTY WILL BE WAY MORE REGULATED THAN IT IS NOW. INSTEAD OF SOMEBODY BRINGING IN AN ICE CHEST FULL OF STUFF, THEY'LL HAVE TO BUY IT FROM US. [01:00:01] AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT MORE REGULATED. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN ANYWHERE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE KIND OF AN URBAN SETTING. WE'VE LIVED THERE. WE STILL LIVE IN THE GARDEN DISTRICT. IT IS AN URBAN SETTING. THINGS HAPPEN. PEOPLE WALK UP AND DOWN. ACADIAN THRUWAY, I HAVE COME I HAVE COME TO THE TO THE SHOP IN THE MORNING. SOMEBODY'S BEEN SLEEPING ON MY STEPS. THINGS HAPPEN. IT'S AN URBAN AREA. I CAN'T CONTROL THAT. THAT KIND OF THING IS BEYOND ANY OF OUR CONTROL, BUT WE LOVE BEING A PART OF THE OGDEN PARK COMMUNITY, THE ARTS, AND THE MUSIC COMMUNITY OF BATON ROUGE. AND ALL WE WANT TO DO IS FURTHER THAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN. I UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED EXCEPTION A, WHICH WE CAN BE ALLOWED TO DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO, BUT STILL HAVE AN ALL AGES THING. AND THAT WOULD BE THAT WOULD BE A DREAM. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF MINE TO HAVE AN ALL AGES CLUB SOMEWHERE FOR MUSICIANS OF OF EVERYWHERE, ANY AGE, WHATEVER, CAN COME AND AND FEEL SAFE AND PLAY AND DO ALL THAT. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PROVIDING THERE RIGHT NOW. SO I HOPE YOU WILL LET US CONTINUE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR QUESTIONS. OR YOU CAN YOU CAN JUST STAY CLOSE ON THIS 1ST ROW. AT THIS TIME, I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE QUESTIONS. COMMENTS? FROM THE COMMISSION. COMMISSIONER COLEMAN. SIR, I WAS YIELDING TO EVERYBODY ELSE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I WANT YOU ALL TO KNOW OGDEN PARK AND GARDEN DISTRICT, BOTH IN MY IN MY DISTRICT. DISTRICT TEN. BEST DISTRICT THERE IS AND I I LOVE DEMOCRACY AS WELL. AND SO AND THERE ARE A LOT OF MUSICIANS IN THE HOUSE THIS EVENING AND THAT'S GREAT. I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST GOT ON THIS JOURNEY GOING TO OGDEN PARK, AND I REMEMBER BEFORE WHEN THEY REVISED AND DID SOME STUFF OVER THERE IN OGDEN PARK TO MAKE IT MAKE IT GREAT AGAIN. OKAY. I, I KNOW THAT OGDEN PARK IS A IT'S IT'S A SELF SUPPORTIVE DISTRICT. THEY ASK FOR VERY LITTLE, BUT WHEN THEY ASK, YOU KNOW, THEY. YEAH. YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE ASKING. I KNOW THAT OGDEN PARK IS PROUD OF WHERE THEY ARE AND THEIR AREA OVER THERE. AND I'VE WALKED AND I'VE GONE TO THE RADIO PLACE OVER THERE AND MET SOME OF THE CONSTITUENTS OVER THERE. AND I KNOW THAT, NO, IT'S NOT AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT. AND SO I KNOW THAT MAYBE TAXES MAY BE GENERATED BY THIS FACILITY, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT HOMEOWNERS ARE PAYING TAXES OVER THEIR REAL TAXES, AND I AM AWARE OF HOMEOWNERS HAVING TO BLOCK OFF TO KEEP FROM PARKING IN THEIR AREA. AND I AM AWARE OF. YEAH, I HAVE 2 SONS AND THEY WOULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT ME THAT I DON'T WANT TO HURT THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND SO I SAY ALL OF THAT TO SAY THAT I'VE GOT A PETITION HERE AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT APPROXIMATELY 45 PERSONS, AND THEN YOU HAVE OTHERS THAT HAVE SENT IN LETTERS. SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF FOLK IN THAT AREA OVER THERE THAT HAS AN ISSUE WITH THIS BEING THERE, AND THIS IS WHERE THEY LIVE. AND SO I ALSO WHEN I HEARD THE 2021 YEAR OPERATING ILLEGALLY AND THEN JUST NOT KNOWING ABOUT THE ORDINANCES. AND IF YOU OPERATE IN A BUSINESS, YOU'VE GOT TO BE MINDFUL OF ALL LAWS OR ORDINANCES, RULES AND REGS. SO THAT RIGHT THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE. AND SO THE OTHER THING IS WHEN THAT WHEN I, I TALK WITH RESIDENTS AND NOT THESE OWNERS BUT THE RESIDENTS, AND WHEN I HEARD THE FACT THAT THEY WERE TOLD THE GIVEN THE THE VULGARITY THERE, WHEN THEY WANTED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, THAT WAS A [01:05:05] CONCERN THERE. AND SO I SAY ALL OF THIS TO SAY, AND THEN PARKING ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY AND ALL OF THIS AND SO AND, AND YOU KNOW, I HEARD ONE OF THE CONSTITUENTS SAY, ONE OF THE PERSONS SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE ALCOHOL. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT A LOT THAT HAPPENS IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS, THEN EXCESSIVENESS OF THAT IS PART OF THE ISSUE. PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ISSUE THERE. AND SO I SAY ALL OF THIS AND MR. AND MRS. FOGLE AND THE OTHERS, I WISH YOU ALL WELL. AND AND THEN WHEN YOU SAID THAT YOU WANT TO BRING MUSICIANS FROM ALL AGES IN THERE TO PLAY, AND THEN THE SAME TIME, YOU WANT ALCOHOL THERE, THEN I JUST DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT. SO I SAY ALL OF THAT TO SAY THAT I'M GOING TO ASK THIS ZONING AND YEAH, THAT THIS BE DENIED. HERE TONIGHT? YEAH. THAT THIS BE DENIED. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE A GOOD NEIGHBOR. A GOOD NEIGHBOR THAT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. AND YOU DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO HAVE A MEETING WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS. THAT WAS THE 1ST QUESTION THAT I ASKED WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THIS. AGAIN FROM THE CONSTITUENTS, IS WHAT I HEARD ABOUT THIS HERE. SO THAT'S MY MOTION TO DENY THIS. COMMISSIONER MEMBERS. THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM COMMISSIONER COLEMAN TO DENY THIS ITEM. I BELIEVE THAT MOTION RECEIVED A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ELLENDER. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? I'LL JUST QUICKLY ADD IT'S ALWAYS CONCERNING. AND SOMETHING TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN THERE'S A HIGH LEVEL OF YOU KNOW, NEGATIVE, NEGATIVE REMARKS FROM THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORS. BUT I THINK ANOTHER MAJOR CONCERN IS, EVEN IF THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE AN IMMEDIATE ISSUE WITH, THERE IS A VERY REAL CONCERN. AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT VERY CONSISTENTLY ON THIS, ON THIS COMMISSION, IN THAT WHEN YOU PERMANENTLY CHANGE THE ZONING, YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER WHAT CAN HAPPEN, EVEN IF YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PLANS TO SELL THE PROPERTY, IF YOU WERE TO SELL IT FOR ANY NUMBER OF REASONS, THAT COULD FORCE YOU TO TAKE THE TAKE THE DECISION OUT OF YOUR HANDS, IT STILL WOULD BE A ZONE THAT AND THEN IT WOULD HAVE ALL THE RIGHTS OF THAT PARTICULAR ZONING. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT I WOULD, I WOULD STRONGLY CONSIDER AS ONE OF THE REASONS I'LL BE I'M, I ALSO AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER COLEMAN'S MOTION, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER REMARKS OR NO OBJECTIONS THAT ITEM IS DENIED AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 15. CASE 7-26 2566 68TH AVENUE. [15. Case 7-26 2566 68th Avenue ] CASE 7-26 2566 68 AVENUE. PROPERTY IS LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF 68TH AVENUE, WEST OF NOTTINGHAM STREET. COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO. KENNY. THE APPLICANT IS BRITTANY MOSS. FUTURE LAND USE DESIGNATION IS COMPACT NEIGHBORHOOD. THE EXISTING ZONING IS SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL A2 WITH A REQUESTED ZONING OF MEDIUM DENSITY MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL 83.2 CASE 7-26 2566 68TH AVENUE. WHILE THE REQUEST CONFORMS TO UDC REQUIREMENTS AND ALIGNS WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, STAFF IS UNABLE TO CERTIFY THE ZONING CHANGE BASED ON THE PROPERTY'S MID-BLOCK LOCATION, MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL USES WOULD BE INTRODUCED AND MAY TRANSITION THE HOUSING DENSITY OF THE SUBDIVISION. COUNCILMAN ANTHONY KENNEY SHARED A LETTER OF SUPPORT WITH YOU BY EMAIL. YOU SHOULD ALSO HAVE A LETTER, A COPY OF THAT LETTER AT YOUR SEAT TONIGHT. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE THE APPLICANT TO SPEAK FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED 15 MINUTES. GOOD EVENING, GOOD EVENING. SORRY. MAYBE LOOKING DOWN. YES. MY NAME IS BRITTANY MOSS. I AM REPRESENTING RAVEL HOMES ALONG WITH MY PARTNER, DAMON WALKER. [01:10:02] FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 256, 668 AVENUE. 4 LOTS. HERE. REQUESTING TO REZONE FROM SINGLE FAMILY TO SMALL MULTIFAMILY DESIGNATION. THIS IS NOT A LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENT. IT'S A COMPACT RESIDENTIAL SCALE PROJECT INTENDED TO PROVIDE LONG TERM HOUSING FOR OUR TARGET REALLY WAS STUDENT HOUSING, SINCE IT'S NEAR SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY OR ELDERLY RESIDENTS WITH WHICH WOULD HAVE A MINIMAL IMPACT TO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORS. THE PROPOSED STRUCTURES WILL BE LIKE A 4 UNIT DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL MATCH THE HEIGHT AND RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER OF THE NEARBY HOMES. AND IT WILL BE PROFESSIONALLY MANAGED AND MAINTAINED. THERE WILL BE NO SHORT TERM RENTALS OR COMMERCIAL USE. IN REGARDS TO SAFETY AND SECURITY I UNDERSTAND THAT'S ALWAYS A CONCERN WITH ZONING CHANGES. SO TO ADDRESS THAT DIRECTLY WE WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE LIKE ADEQUATE EXTERIOR LIGHTING DESIGNATED TO ILLUMINATE THE SITE AND WITHOUT IMPACTING THE NEIGHBORS SECURITY CAMERAS COVERING THE COMMON AREAS AND PARKING. ALSO CLEARLY STANDARDS WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, DO BACKGROUND CHECKS AND HAVE OCCUPANCY LIMITS. AND THEN AGAIN, IT WILL BE A MANAGED PROPERTY. IT JUST WON'T BE AN UNMANAGED RENTAL. MOVING ON TO TRAFFIC AND PARKING. THE IMPACT WILL BE MINIMAL. THE THE PROPERTY WILL PROVIDE OFF STREET PARKING. MOST LIKELY. ASSIGNED PARKING. NO COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC OR SHORT TERM TURNOVER. AS MENTIONED BEFORE, WITH OUR STRUCTURE OF HAVING STUDENT HOUSING OR SENIOR LIVING, THE TRAFFIC IS EXPECTED TO BE WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF A SINGLE FAMILY HOME WITH MULTIPLE DRIVERS. SO PROBABLY NO MORE THAN TWO VEHICLES. IT'S INTENDED TO BLEND WITH THE REST OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SO IT'S LANDSCAPING BUFFERS, TRASH SERVICE EXPECTATIONS WRITTEN INTO THE LEASE STANDARDS. AND ALSO MENTIONED, AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO STAY WITHIN THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND NOT REALLY HAVE A LARGE FOOTPRINT. IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY SMALL FOOTPRINT. LASTLY ME AND MY PARTNER, WE WALKED THE NEIGHBORHOOD A FEW STREETS IN FRONT, STREETS BEHIND TO ALERT THE NEIGHBORS OF THE CHANGE THAT WE'RE INTENDING TO MAKE. ALSO, WE DID A MAILOUT OF OVER 50 LETTERS TO THE SURROUNDING AREA, WHICH WE WERE NOT MET WITH ANY OPPOSITION. IN FACT, YOU KNOW, THE NEIGHBORS WERE HAPPY TO HEAR THAT INSTEAD OF IT BEING A BLIGHT OR AN EMPTY SITE, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'D BE PUTTING SOMETHING THERE TO ENHANCE THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE VALUES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. ALSO IN THE AREA, THERE ARE SOME THERE IS SOME A.4 ZONING AS WELL, LIKE MAYBE BEHIND IT. WHICH, OF COURSE, WE KNOW THERE'S NOT WE'RE NOT ABLE TO GET THAT TYPE OF ZONING ANYMORE, BUT IT IS SOME A4 WHICH IS MULTIFAMILY, VERY MUCH NEAR THE PROPERTY. AND IN CLOSING IT'S JUST ABOUT USE, NOT INTENSITY. WE'RE JUST TRYING TO COME IN AND DO A LITTLE SMALL FOOTPRINT DEVELOPMENT WITH CLEAR TRAFFIC SAFETY AND MANAGEMENT STANDARDS. AND WE RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR APPROVAL AND ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL SPEAKER CARDS, SO I'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AT THIS TIME AND INVITE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR MOTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION. VICE CHAIRMAN. WELL, WHILE IT DOES CONCERN ME, THIS IS MID BLOCK. AND I KNOW THE STAFF NOTED THAT CONSIDERING YOU HAVE THE A.4 NEARBY AND WHAT YOU INTEND TO DO WITH IT. AND LOOKING AT WHAT? THE ZONING, THE ZONING INTENSITY YOU'RE REQUESTING. I, I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. I BELIEVE THAT MOTION RECEIVES A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER BOYD. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? COMMISSIONER COLEMAN TELL ME ABOUT HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS, WHAT YOU'RE ATTEMPTING TO DO. WELL, I HAVE WELL, JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF. I'VE BEEN IN GOVERNMENT FOR, LIKE, THE LAST 18 YEARS. BEEN A HOMEOWNER MYSELF FROM AN EARLY AGE, FROM MY 20S. MY PARTNER AND I OWN A LOT OF VACANT LAND WITHIN THE BANK'S AREA, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF YOU KNOW, LAND THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. [01:15:07] THIS WILL BE OUR HOMES. I'M SORRY. BUILDING HOMES? WELL, NOT NECESSARILY BUILDING HOMES, BUT WE HAVE WE HAVE BEEN IN REAL ESTATE FOR FOR SOME YEARS, PROBABLY BETWEEN 7 AND 10 YEARS. OKAY. MY PARTNER ACTUALLY HAS DEVELOPED SOME PROPERTY SOME COMMERCIAL PROPERTY WITHIN THE AREA AND HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH REJUVENATING PROPERTY. SO WE WE REJUVENATE PROPERTY. HIS PROPERTY WAS NOT NECESSARILY RESIDENTIAL. IT WAS COMMERCIAL. IT WAS A COMMERCIAL VENTURE WHICH WAS SUCCESSFUL. BUT WE ARE MOVING INTO RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT SINCE WE OWN SO MANY PROPERTIES WITHIN THE AREA. AND WE JUST WANT TO SEE WE WANT TO SEE THE AREA LOOK BETTER. WE'RE TIRED OF SEEING THE BLIGHT AND EVERYTHING. WE SEE THE SIDEWALKS COMING IN, THE NEW LIGHTING AND EVERYTHING, AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE OUR FOOTPRINT IN THE AREA TO MAKE THINGS BETTER. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER. ADDISON. YOU GUYS HAVE THE FINANCES TO DO THESE PROJECTS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. YOU TALKED ABOUT OWNING THE LAND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IT TAKES ACTUAL RESOURCES TO BUILD THESE PROPERTIES OUT. IT'S ONE THING TO ACQUIRE THEM. IT'S ANOTHER THING TO ACTUALLY FINISH THE PROJECTS. OKAY. SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING. IF YOU REZONING, IT BECOMES A WHOLE DIFFERENT DEAL YOU REZONE IN MID-BLOCK ANYWAY. THE FIRST THING. SO THE FIRST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, PARTICULARLY IF WE'RE GOING TO REZONE IT. OKAY. SO THE FIRST THING WE WANTED TO DO IS SEE IF OUR REZONING WOULD BE APPROVED. IT'S A LITTLE BACKWARDS. WE HAVE THE RESOURCES FIRST BECAUSE IF YOU CAN'T BUILD IT, WE WON'T BE ZONING IT. THEN WHAT? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? YOU MEAN THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES? NO QUESTION. ABSOLUTELY. ME AND MY PARTNER ARE WE ARE ABLE TO GO AND GET THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO CONTINUE WITH THE PROJECT. SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT SPECIFICALLY, LIKE, DO YOU NEED SOMETHING SPECIFIC OR WE HAVE THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE. LIKE I SAID, WE OWN THE PROPERTY. SO, YOU KNOW, JUST THAT IN ITSELF. WE DON'T WE DON'T PAY ANY PAYMENTS OR ANYTHING. WE OWN OUR PROPERTY. SO WE HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT ANY BANK TO GO AND CONTINUE OUR PROJECT. OKAY. I JUST WANT TO KNOW THAT BECAUSE I OWN PROPERTY ON 60TH AVENUE 35 YEARS. I MEAN, MY PROPERTY IS RIGHT DOWN FROM WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND DOING THAT. I'VE INVESTED IN REAL ESTATE 40 YEARS NOW. SO CERTAINLY BANKS WAS ONE OF THE AREAS I INVESTED IN FIRST WHEN I FIRST STARTED IN THE 80S. WONDERFUL. SO YOU COULD YOU COULD SEE WHERE I STILL LIVE THERE. I KNOW IT'S WONDERFUL. IT'S WONDERFUL. SO MY CONCERN WOULD BE ZONING, REZONING, MULTIFAMILY IN A NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE THAT, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF VACANT LOTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WOULD FOLLOW YOUR SUIT. AND NEXT THING WE'LL DO, WE HAVE MULTIPLE COMPANIES HERE TRYING TO DO THAT MULTIFAMILY. AND WE HAVE BEEN REZONED, AND NOW WE HAVE A TOUGH TIME TRYING TO STOP OTHER PEOPLE FROM DOING THE EXACT SAME THING. I MEAN, WE'RE NOT A COMPANY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE A SMALL SCALE COMPANY. WE'RE A SMALL SCALE COMPANY. I KNOW YOU ARE. I CAN'T SPEAK FOR REZONING THE PROPERTIES, BUT WE ARE DOING. WE'RE NOT REZONING FOR YOU. WE NOW OPEN IT UP FOR OTHER PEOPLE. OTHER COMPANIES? YEAH, IT HAS OTHER ZONING IN THE AREA THAT DOES SUPPORT MULTIFAMILY. ACTUALLY ONE ACTUALLY VERY CLOSE TO THIS ONE RIGHT BEHIND IT ACTUALLY, THAT'S ALREADY SUPPORTING MULTIFAMILY. AND I GUESS WITH YOU HAVING KNOWLEDGE OF THE AREA, I GUESS I WOULD FEEL LIKE YOU WOULD BE GUNG HO, YOU KNOW, TO SEE THE AREA IMPROVE, YOU KNOW, SEE PEOPLE COMING IN TRYING TO IMPROVE THE AREA. WELL, I JUST SAID MY CONCERN WOULD BE ZONING MID PROPERTIES FOR MULTIFAMILY. IT'S NOT THAT I'M NOT OPPOSED TO THAT. THAT IS WHAT I'M CONCERNED WOULD BE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT YOU. IT'S ABOUT THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD. YEAH. LIKE I SAID, WE DID REACH OUT. WE DID A MAILOUT OF OVER 50. WELL, I DIDN'T GET ONE, SO I'M NOT GOING TO GET IN THAT PART ABOUT WHO DID IT. I'VE BEEN THERE. AGAIN, MY MOTHER LIVED IN MY HOME FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS. SHE PASSED LAST WEEK. SO I'M VERY INTENSE ABOUT THE PROPERTY NEIGHBORHOOD. I UNDERSTOOD I JUST SAID AGAIN TO YOU THAT I BONUS OF 40 YEARS. OKAY. SO I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT THING THAT JUST AT THIS PARTICULAR JUNCTURE. YEAH. LIKE I SAID, MY PARTNER AND HIS FAMILY HAS LIVED IN THE AREA FOR MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS. IT'S MULTI-GENERATIONAL, SO WE'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA AND WE HAVE THE SAME LOVE FOR THE AREA, AND WE'RE NOT TRYING TO DO ANYTHING NEGATIVE. WE'RE DEFINITELY TRYING TO COME IN AND MAKE SOME POSITIVITY THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU. I THINK I THINK COMMISSIONER ADDISON JUST WANTED TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT IF WE WERE GOING TO MAKE A TRANSITION LIKE THIS AND VOTE ON IT AFFIRMATIVELY, THAT THERE WAS A PLAN IN PLACE THAT THAT INVOLVED SOME FUNDING. AND, YES, THERE IS A PLAN. WE SOUND LIKE WE HAVE EVERYTHING TOGETHER. YES. WONDERFUL. WELL, THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR, I BELIEVE, FROM VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. I BELIEVE THAT MOTION RECEIVED A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER BOYD. WERE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS, ANY NEED FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION. SEEING NONE, THAT ITEM IS APPROVED. AT THIS TIME WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 21. [01:20:05] WT-1-26 GUARANTEED MEDIA WIRELESS FACILITY. WT-1-26 GUARANTEED MEDIA WIRELESS FACILITY. 7611 BURBANK DRIVE PROPERTY IS LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF BURBANK DRIVE, NORTH OF SOUTH KENILWORTH PARKWAY. COUNCIL DISTRICT 12. THE APPLICANT IS FOREST MILLS. THE APPLICANT IS PROPOSING A 120 FOOT WIRELESS COMMUNICATION TOWER. FUTURE LAND USE DESIGNATION IS COMMERCIAL. WT-1-26 GUARANTEED MEDIA WIRELESS FACILITY 711 BURBANK DRIVE. STAFF CERTIFIES THAT THE PROPOSED REQUEST MEETS THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE FOR PLANNING COMMISSION CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE THE APPLICANT TO SPEAK FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED 15 MINUTES. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. I'M SEAN HEIMER. I'M WITH ALVIN FAIRBURN AND ASSOCIATES. WE'RE THE ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS FOR THE OWNERS WHO IS ACTUALLY GUARANTY MEDIA. THE PROPERTY THAT WE'RE REQUESTING THIS ON IS A ROUGHLY FIVE ACRE TRACT. IT'S LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF THE COURT TO TABLE FACILITY. RIGHT THERE ON BURBANK. IT'S THE CLEARED AREA. AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S ROUGHLY 5 ACRES. THE OWNERS HAVE A PLAN OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS PROPERTY. IT WILL INCLUDE A COMMERCIAL BUILDING AS PART OF THEIR, THEIR REQUIREMENTS, THEY WILL HAVE THIS WIRELESS TOWER, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE REQUESTING APPROVAL FOR TONIGHT. IT'S KIND OF THE FIRST STEP IN DEVELOPING THE PROPERTY. WE ARE REQUESTING TWO VARIANCES. 2 WAIVERS. THE FIRST IS IN REGARDS TO THE MINIMUM SETBACK FROM AN EXISTING TOWER. THERE'S AN EXISTING TOWER ACROSS THE STREET FROM THIS SITE. WE HAVE CONTACTED THEM. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT TOWER, EXCUSE ME, IS NOT CAPABLE OF MEETING THE NEEDS FOR THE OWNER. SO THAT'S. THAT'S ONE WAIVER REQUEST THAT WE'RE REQUESTING. THE SECOND IS IN REGARDS TO SETBACK REQUIREMENTS. THE CITY REQUIRES A 1.5FT 1.5 TIMES SETBACK IN REGARDS TO THE HEIGHT OF THE TOWER. THE LOT ITSELF IS NOT QUITE WIDE ENOUGH TO MEET THAT THAT SETBACK REQUIREMENT. SO APPROXIMATELY 35FT OF IT WOULD FALL INTO THE ELBOW BAYOU RIGHT OF WAY, WHICH IS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE PROPERTY. SO THERE'S NO SURROUNDING RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS OR ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THIS. THE ONLY THING WOULD BE THE, LIKE I SAID, THE 35 FOOT ENCROACHMENT INTO THE RIGHT OF WAY FOR ELBOW BAYOU. SO I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKER CARDS THAT ARE IN FAVOR. 1 IS FOR PAUL BERT, IF NEEDED. OKAY. KINCAID JACKSON IF NEEDED. AND LANDON FOSTER IS IN SUPPORT, BUT INDICATED THAT HE DOES NOT WISH TO SPEAK. SO AT THIS TIME, I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR MOTIONS FROM THE COMMISSION. THERE'S A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER MAXEY TO APPROVE THIS ITEM. IS THERE A SECOND? THERE'S A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER BATS. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTION? THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. THEN THAT ITEM IS APPROVED AND WE WILL MOVE ON TO COMMUNICATIONS BEGINNING WITH DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS. [DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS ] I'D LIKE. I'D LIKE TO RECONSIDER. NUMBER 16. IT WAS ON THE CONSENT FOR APPROVAL. BUT I'D LIKE TO RECONSIDER THAT, PLEASE. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER COLEMAN TO RECONSIDER ITEM NUMBER 16, RV 425, SAINT JAMES, FRANCE AND EUROPE STREET. IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ADDISON. ANY OBJECTIONS? SEEING NONE, WE WILL RECONSIDER ITEM NUMBER 16 AT THIS TIME. DIRECTOR HOLCOMB, MY CONCERN IS, IS IS THE APPLICANT STILL HERE FOR THIS ITEM? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. IS THE IS THE APPLICANT PRESENT FOR THIS ITEM? YES. THE APPLICANT IS HERE. AT THIS TIME, WE CAN RECONSIDER. ITEM NUMBER 16, RV-4-25. I WOULD ASK THE STAFF TO QUEUE UP THE VIDEO FOR THAT ITEM. RV-4-25. SAINT JAMES. FRANCE AND EUROPE STREET PROPERTY IS LOCATED ON THE SOUTH. [01:25:02] GOVERNOR STREET, WEST OF SAINT PHILIP STREET, ADJACENT TO SQUARES 4S, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11S WITHIN THE BEAUREGARD TOWN COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN. THE APPLICANT IS KAREN KENNEDY. SURROUNDING FUTURE LAND USE DESIGNATION IS DOWNTOWN CORE. THE APPLICANT IS PROPOSING A REVOCATION OF THE EXISTING JAMES STREET RIGHT OF WAY FROM MAYFLOWER STREET TO FRENCH STREET. THE EXISTING FRENCH STREET RIGHT OF WAY FROM SAINT PHILIP STREET TO FRENCH STREET, AND THE EXISTING STREET RIGHT OF WAY FROM SAINT PHILIP STREET TO SAINT JAMES STREET. THE APPLICANT HAS STATED THE REVOCATION IS PART OF A COMPLETE REDEVELOPMENT OF BELLE OF BATON ROUGE CASINO AND ATRIUM. THE ENTIRE AREA TO BE REVOKED IS TO BE RECONSTRUCTED TO BETTER SERVE THE DEVELOPMENT RV-4-25 SAINT JAMES. FRANCE AND EUROPE STREET. STAFF CERTIFIES THAT THE PROPOSED REQUEST MEETS THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE FOR PLANNING COMMISSION CONSIDERATION, AND WE HAD NO SPEAKER CARDS IN OPPOSITION TO THIS ITEM. THANK YOU. AT THIS TIME, I'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE THE APPLICANT TO SPEAK FOR A PERIOD, NOT TO. NOT TO EXCEED 15 MINUTES. GOOD EVENING. MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION ERIC PIAZZA, REPRESENT THE BELLE OF BATON ROUGE. BALLY'S. THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS THE REVOCATION OF NUMEROUS STREETS THAT ARE LOCATED DOWNTOWN THAT SURROUND THE CASINO. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE AERIAL THAT WAS PROVIDED IN YOUR PACKAGE. YOU'LL NOTICE THAT MOST OF THESE STREETS ARE LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE EXISTING CASINO BUILDINGS. THE STREETS WERE SHOWN ON THE ORIGINAL MAPS FOR DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE, PROBABLY 50 TO 100 YEARS AGO, AND THERE ARE BUILDINGS ON TOP OF ALMOST EVERY STREET THAT'S BEING REVOKED. AND SO AS PART OF THE CASINO REDEVELOPMENT, THE CITY PARISH ASKED THE CASINO TO REVOKE THE STREETS TO CLEAN UP THE MAP. SO THIS IS BEING DONE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY PARISH. AND HONESTLY, THIS IS BEING DONE AT THEIR REQUEST TO BE ABLE TO CLEAN UP THE MAPS SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE PUBLIC STREETS BEING SHOWN UNDERNEATH BUILDINGS. I THINK THERE'S ONE STREET, FRENCH STREET, THAT DOESN'T HAVE A BUILDING ON TOP OF IT. THE CASINO IS BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE STREET THAT HAVE ONCE AGAIN, WE'VE GONE THROUGH PROBABLY 2 YEARS OF WORKING WITH THE CITY OF PARISH ON THOSE IMPROVEMENTS, WORKING WITH TRAFFIC AND DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT, WORKING WITH THE UTILITY COMPANIES TO MAKE SURE WE COULD BUILD THE IMPROVEMENTS IN THOSE STREETS, AND THE CITY PARISH WOULD LIKE US TO MAINTAIN THOSE STREETS. SO THAT'S WHAT'S BEING REQUESTED. IS REVOCATION OF THE STREETS TO BE ABLE TO COMPLY WITH WHAT THE CITY HAS ASKED US TO DO. I THINK MISS LAMBERT IS HERE AS WELL. AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, I THINK SHE CAN ANSWER THEM. AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO OTHER SPEAKER CARDS, SO I WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER COLEMAN. YES. AND AND I DARE NOT QUESTION THAT THEY HAD MEETINGS, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT. AND SO THE WHEN I'M ASKED FROM CONSTITUENTS ABOUT ISSUES AND CERTAIN THINGS AND IF I'M NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE, I'M NOT ANSWERING, JUST KNOW ANYTHING AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. NO DIFFERENT. ANYTHING, AM I CORRECT? RYAN? NO. NO DIFFERENT LANGUAGE CAN BE ADDED TO THIS, AM I CORRECT? YEAH. THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS. I RECEIVED THROUGH SOME CONSTITUENTS AND ALSO THROUGH COUNCILMAN COLEMAN EARLIER AND ALSO AS, AS RECENT AS TODAY AS TO WHETHER OR NOT STIPULATIONS COULD BE ADDED TO THIS REGARDING THE BRICKS OR SPECIFIC SURFACING OR HISTORICAL MARKERS OF SOME SORT OR PERPETUAL MAINTENANCE SHOWING THAT THE BRICKS STAY THERE. THAT'S ALL BEYOND THE SCOPE OF WHAT THIS ITEM IS. THIS IS JUST A REVOCATION. IT REQUIRES SIGN OFF BY THE CITY PARISH, WHICH THIS OFFICE AND MYSELF HAS CERTIFIED HAS TAKEN PLACE ALSO VARIOUS LETTERS OF NO OBJECTION BY ALL UTILITY COMPANIES. THAT HAS BEEN DONE. AND LIKE THE APPLICANT SAID THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME WITH THE WITH THIS CITY PARISH WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. I BELIEVE THE ADMINISTRATION AND ALSO THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION ON THIS. OKAY. AND SO WITH ALL OF THAT BEING SAID THERE CANNOT BE ANY LANGUAGE CHANGE TO THIS. AND THERE WAS A MEETING HELD, AND I WAS NOT A PART OF THAT MEETING AS THEY WERE MOVING IN CONJUNCTION TO [01:30:10] AND WITH THIS. AND THIS IS A NEW CASINO DOWN HERE. SO I AM GOING TO ASK THAT THIS BE DEFERRED, THIS ITEM BE DEFERRED UNTIL OUR NEXT MEETING. PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. OKAY. SO TO CLARIFY, YOU'RE ASKING DEFER THIS 30 DAY, 30 DAYS OR OUR NEXT. NEXT MEETING FOR WHAT IS IT, 23RD, FEBRUARY 23RD, FEBRUARY 23RD. AND IS THERE AN INTENDED PURPOSE? COUNCIL COMMISSIONER COLEMAN FOR THE FOR THE. FOR SURE, BECAUSE MANY OF THE MANY OF THE PEOPLE HAVE REACHED OUT TO ME. I COULD NOT ANSWER BECAUSE OF THE MEETING THAT THEY HAD THAT I WAS NOT A PART OF. AND SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS AND IT'S GOING TO BE INCUMBENT UPON THIS CASINO AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVE TO HAVE A MEETING WHERE THEY CAN ACTUALLY GET SOME REAL UNDERSTANDING. AND THEN I WILL KNOW, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO THIS COMMISSION, AND THEN WE WILL DECIDE WHAT IT IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND. THERE YOU GO. THAT'S IT. I WAS NOT A PART OF THE MEETINGS THAT THEY HAD. I KNOW THEY SAID ABOUT THE CITY, BUT I, ME WAS NOT A PART OF THE MEETINGS THAT THEY HAD IN ORDER TO RETRIEVE ANY INFORMATION. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM COMMISSIONER COLEMAN TO DEFER THIS ITEM TO THE FEBRUARY 23RD MEETING. IS THERE A SECOND? JUST JUST BEFORE. RACHEL, CAN YOU. COMMISSIONER BATTS, IF YOU COULD JUST LET'S JUST SEE IF WE GET A SECOND, AND THEN WE'LL INVITE FURTHER DISCUSSION, AND YOU'LL BE THE FIRST ONE TO COME TO. IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION TO DEFER? THERE'S A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ADDISON. COMMISSIONER BATSS, YOU HAVE A COMMENT? RACHEL, CAN YOU COME SPEAK FROM THE CITY'S PERSPECTIVE WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO? YES, SIR. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IS THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IN, I THINK 1984 PASSED A RESOLUTION AND BASICALLY A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT OF SORTS THAT BASICALLY GAVE THE CASINO THE RIGHTS, ALL THE RIGHTS OF A REVOCATION WITHOUT ACTUALLY NECESSARILY VACATING IT. THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND UPKEEP AND AND ALL THE THINGS. I WOULD NOT CONSIDER THAT BEST PRACTICE OF WHAT WE DO TODAY. WHEN CERTAIN THINGS, LIKE A BUILDING ARE BUILT ON TOP OF THE RIGHT OF WAY. TODAY, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANYTHING BUILT IN OUR RIGHT OF WAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO WE WANT TO REPLICATE IT, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THOSE THE BUILDING IMPEDING UPON OR ANY STRUCTURE IMPEDING UPON OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE RIGHT OF WAY, THE STREET AND ANY UTILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE. AND SO THE BELL HAS ACTUALLY ALREADY RELOCATING SOME SEWER AND SOME DRAINAGE OUT FROM UNDERNEATH WHERE THEY'RE CALLING A PORTE‑COCHÈRE. IT'S A VERY NICE, BEAUTIFUL AWNING THAT'S BEING BUILT, AND IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY ENCROACHING INTO FRONT STREET, WHICH IS AGAIN, WHY WE, YOU KNOW, REQUESTED THAT TO BE VACATED. YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THIS HAS GONE. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH THE BELL FOR I THINK IT'S BEEN ALMOST THREE YEARS NOW WHERE WE INITIALLY HAD SAID, HEY, WE AS DPW DON'T REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM. FRED WAS THERE. CINDY PENNINGTON, CHIEF TRAFFIC ENGINEER, WAS THERE, YOU KNOW, MY OFFICE. YOU KNOW, WE MESSAGED WITH OTHER UTILITIES AS WELL AND TOLD THEM, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE OKAY WITH THIS, YOU KNOW, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO, LIKE, REPLICATE THIS. AND IT'S KIND OF BEEN A LITTLE MESSY, BUT HERE WE ARE. AND WE DID ASK HIM TO GO AHEAD AND REPLICATE ALL THE STREETS THAT EXIST BENEATH WHAT THEY CALL THE ATRIUM TO KIND OF CLEAN THAT UP. BUT WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF UTILITIES THAT EXIST IN THIS AREA. I WILL SAY THAT ALL OF CITY HALL ACTUALLY DRAINS UNDERNEATH THE ATRIUM AND IT'S SEWER. SO THERE'S STILL A LOT OF THINGS GOING ON. WE'RE NOT GIVING UP ALL OF OUR RIGHTS. WE STILL HAVE A MAP TO SIGN. WE'RE STILL GOING TO DEDICATE A SERVITUDE OF PASSAGE THROUGH THIS AREA AS WELL. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE CUT OFF. IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD A BUILDING IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. WE DON'T REALLY WANT TO OWN UNDERNEATH THAT AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT MAINTENANCE. IT BECOMES A LIABILITY ISSUE IN ITSELF AS WELL. THE RIGHT OF WAY IS INTENDED FOR THE PASSAGE OF TRAFFIC AND PARKING AND NO OTHER THINGS, WHEREAS A BUILDING WOULD ENCROACH UPON THAT AND WOULD NOT MEET THOSE STANDARDS. SO IT WOULD BE AN ALTERNATIVE USE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY. AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM ON THAT STANDPOINT AND HOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO THIS, THIS, THIS POINT HERE. AND WHERE THE CONSTITUENTS ARE COMING FROM IS THAT THERE WAS NO CONVERSATION. [01:35:11] AGREED. YEAH. YEAH. AND SO AND THAT'S A HISTORICAL SPOT OVER THERE. AND THERE ARE OTHER CONCERN IS THE BRICKS THAT'S DOWN THERE THAT THAT WAS PART OF THE CONVERSATION I UNDERSTAND. AND SO EVEN BEFORE, IF WE TAKE THAT ALL THE WAY BACK, THEY WERE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH THIS AREA WHEN THEY FIRST WHEN VALLEY STARTED COMING HERE AND WANTED THAT FRONT THERE AND FOR PARKING AND SO WANTED THE BUILDING TORN DOWN AND ALL OF THIS. AND THAT'S A HISTORICAL PLACE. AND IF YOU LIVE IN A HISTORICAL AREA, YOU UNDERSTAND THIS. AND SO THAT'S MY REASON AND RATIONALE FOR THIS, IN ORDER THAT THE CONSTITUENTS WHO THIS THING IS ABOUT, NOT ME, BUT ABOUT THEM HAVING A CONVERSATION AND BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND BEING ABLE TO GET COMMITMENT FROM THAT CASINO AS TO WHAT THEY ARE EXPECTING. YEAH, WE THE DPW HAD NO INTENT OF INFRINGING UPON A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE CONSTITUENTS TO BE A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION. HENCE WHY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE APPROACHED THREE YEARS AGO, WE SAID, HEY, LET'S GO GET A REVOCATION HERE. WHICH AGAIN MEANS A PUBLIC HEARING. AND THE MEETING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WE HAD SAID THERE WAS A MEETING MY OFFICE NOR THE CASINO HAD, LIKE, REALLY SET THAT UP. I THINK SOME PEOPLE FROM DDD AND THEN THE HISTORIC PLANNING, THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION HAD JUST SET SOMETHING UP AND, AND I JUST GOT INVITED AND I ATTENDED. RIGHT. SO THAT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM. SO THE DDD DIRECTOR THAT SET THAT MEETING UP LAST THURSDAY. YEAH. ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THAT. THAT'S ALL I GOT. NEITHER IN FAVOR NOR WILL I'VE OFFERED A LETTER OF NO OBJECTION, SO. I'M GOOD. THANK YOU RACHEL. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER BETH. COMMISSIONER ADDISON. RYAN. I UNDERSTOOD THEM TO SAY THAT THERE CAN BE NO CHANGES TO THIS, BUT CAN THE APPLICANT STIPULATE TO ANYTHING, EVEN THOUGH WE CAN'T FORCE THEM TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES, CAN WE STIPULATE TO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT PROTECT THE PUBLIC AND PROTECT THE CITIZENS WHO HAVE THE CONCERNS? WHAT'S BEING DESCRIBED AS MORE OF A COVENANT OR A DEED RESTRICTION? THE CITY HAS NO AUTHORITY TO ENTER IN OR TO ENFORCE THAT IF THE APPLICANT WAS WILLING TO DO THAT ON THEIR OWN, THEY CERTAINLY COULD EXPLORE THOSE OPTIONS. BUT WHAT'S BEEN PRESENTED TO ME HAS BEEN SIMILAR TO THAT. I THINK JUST WHAT YOU JUST STATED, IF THE APPLICANT CAN MAKE THE STIPULATION TO CHANGE, I MEAN, WE'RE NOT RESTRICTING IT BASED ON THEM MAKING THE ACTUAL CHANGE ITSELF. WHAT MAKES THIS ALL INTERESTING IS I WAS WITH JAZZ ENTERPRISE AND WE DID THIS BACK IN THE 80S AND IN THE 90S, AND I KNEW WHAT WE DID AT CATFISH TOWN, AND I KNOW WHY WE DID IT, BECAUSE OF THE HISTORICAL NATURE OF CATFISH TOWN, AND WE WANTED TO SEE THE PROJECT GO FORWARD. TOM MCHUGH. SO TODAY I HEAR SOMETHING THAT'S KIND OF A LITTLE DIFFERENT. I WANT TO UNDERSTAND IT CLEARLY BECAUSE, YEAH, BALLY'S, WHOEVER THE NEW OWNERS IS, WHETHER IT'S TROPICANA BEFORE AND TWO OTHER PEOPLE BEFORE THAT WHEN ARGOSY HAD IT, THAT'S HOW FAR BACK I KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE JAZZ ENTERPRISE PROJECT, BECAUSE I WAS ONE OF THE WHAT WE CALL OURSELVES A JAZZ MAN. WE WERE IN THE GAMING BUSINESS, BUT IN THE END OF THE DAY, THAT IS A CONCERN THAT AS COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN RAISED, I MEAN, AND THE BRICKS ARE IMPORTANT, I MEAN, HISTORICAL NATURE OF WHAT WE HAD DOWNTOWN BATON ROUGE, AND THEY HAD THESE NEW GUYS COMING IN AND TEARING THINGS UP, AND THEY HAVE A NEW MODEL THAT IS A CONCERN. AND WHETHER WE CAN RESTRICT IT IS NOW THE CITY'S RIGHT AWAY WHAT IT IS REPLICATING SOMETHING THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE RESTRICTIONS OVER. SO THERE'S A DIFFERENCE THERE. AND CERTAINLY I DIDN'T KNOW WHY WE WERE PULLING IT BACK OFF THE AGENDA, BUT NOW IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN, AND MAYBE THE OWNERS CAN GO BACK AND REVISIT THAT WHEN THE CONSTITUENTS HAVE THEIR ISSUES, AND ALL THE PUBLIC OFFICIALS HAD THE MEETINGS ABOUT IT CANNOT, CAN'T EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC HOW WE COME TO THIS. SO I AGREE WITH YOU, COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN AND I'LL GIVE YOU 30 DAYS ON IT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER ADDISON, VICE CHAIRMAN. OH, OKAY. OKAY. THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR FROM COMMISSIONER COLEMAN TO DEFER THIS ITEM TO THE FEBRUARY 23RD MEETING, WHICH IS THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY. THAT MOTION RECEIVED A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER ADDISON. ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE. THAT ITEM IS DEFERRED TO THE FEBRUARY 23RD MEETING. [01:40:01] AT THIS TIME, WE'LL MOVE ON TO COMMUNICATIONS, BEGINNING WITH DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS. JUST A FEW THINGS TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION. AT YOUR SEATS. YOU HAVE A COPY OF RED LINE STRIKE THROUGH AND UNDERLINE OF PROPOSED APPLICATIONS OF LAND DEVELOPMENT FEE CHANGES. THESE WILL BE SUBMITTED. THESE ARE PLANNING COMMISSION FEES THAT WE TAKE IN. THEY ESSENTIALLY GO INTO THE GENERAL FUND ROUGHLY EVERY 5 YEARS. OUR OFFICE REVIEWS REVIEWS THESE FEES. RESEARCHES OTHER PEER CITIES IN LOUISIANA AND OUTSIDE OUR REGION, USUALLY IN THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES. THE PROPOSED FEES UPDATES ARE BOTH IN LINE WITH THE AVERAGES OF REVIEWED PEER CITIES, AND ALSO REFLECT THE AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED TO PROCESS THESE SAME APPLICATIONS. THE PROPOSED FEES ARE PLANNED TO BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL IN EITHER FEBRUARY OR MARCH, AND WE'LL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON THAT. I WANT TO REMIND YOU, YOUR NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING WILL BE FEBRUARY 23RD. REMINDER THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17TH IN OBSERVANCE OF MARDI GRAS HOLIDAY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO WISH A HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO COMMISSIONER GROUT. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIR. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HOLCOMB, AND HAPPY BELATED VICE CHAIRMAN GROUT. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL MOVE ON TO COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS, AND I'LL BEGIN WITH CONGRATULATING OUR LATEST EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH, [COMMISSIONERS' COMMENTS ] CAROLINE MORRIS, LONG RANGE SENIOR PLANNER. CAROLINE SERVES AS THE PRIMARY SUPPORT FOR THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION AND THE COMPLETE, COMPLETE STREET CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. CAROLINE WAS ALSO INSTRUMENTAL IN WORKING WITH CONSULTANTS TO COMPLETE THE DOWNTOWN BUILDING SURVEY UPDATE IN 2025. ADDITIONALLY, SHE ASSISTED WITH END OF YEAR PUBLICATIONS AND TRAINING OF NEW STAFF. HER PROACTIVE APPROACH AND COMMITMENT TO ENSURING TASKS ARE COMPLETED PROMPTLY HIGHLIGHT HER INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. CAROLINE'S POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND DEDICATION MAKE HER A HIGHLY DESERVING RECIPIENT OF THIS RECOGNITION. PLEASE JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING CAROLINE. [APPLAUSE] ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS? SEEING NONE, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOTION FOR VICE CHAIR GROUT, SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER FOWLER. IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. GOOD NIGHT, EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.