The Ascension Parish Council Tuesday adopted an ordinance repealing its entire official zoning map and adopted a new one that creates planned unit developments, or PUD, overlay districts.
The new plan approved by all but two absent councilmen will re-zone appropriate parcels of land into new categories, adopt a new official map and set dates for the changes.
Eleven public workshops were held by the Planning and Development Department between March 23 and March 31, requesting input from area residents on the revisions.
Properties meeting the definition of business park, conservation, crossroad commercial, mixed use corridors, mixed use corridors 2, rural medium intensity and transitional zones will be rezoned.
The areas affected are located along Hwy 42 and Hwy 44.
The mixed use zoning created by the new ordinance is expected to allow for mixed-use PUD developments that are compatible with residential and remaining rural areas of the parish.
The council first adopted its PUD code in December 2005.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the council also introduced an ordinance which will repeal parish drainage regulations in their entirety and replace them with new regulations.
The ordinance is designed to introduce requirements for new and redevelopment in the parish that will protect property in the parish from flood related damage.
It is expected to minimize increase in water surface elevations that are the result of developing property in the parish.
In an unrelated matter, the council approved a four-year payment plan for the purchase of the Lamar-Dixon Expo center.
The parish will now go before the Louisiana Bond Commission for approval of the plan to purchase the center to $7.5 million.
Parish President Tommy Martinez has said the remainder of the $7.5 million is available from state, federal and private sources.
