In the wake of a federal lawsuit over Livingston Parish’s zoning laws filed by the developer of the Deer Run subdivision, the parish council has called a special session to discuss suspending their planning and zoning commission’s activity after the board approved a second plan for the contentious project.
Planning and zoning had approved a second map for the Deer Run subdivision last Thursday, despite resident fury over the development.
The special meeting will be held Thursday, May 11, at 5 p.m. — an hour before the regularly scheduled council meeting — and will discuss suspending the planning and zoning commission’s activity pending an “investigation into possible improprieties or conduct in violation of the law,” according to a public notice.
Tensions increased over several months after councilwoman Erin Sandefur introduced a zoning map that would set new restrictions on building in her District 5 — which is where Deer Run will be built. However, according to an attorney with the Taylor Porter law firm, the property slated for Deer Run was zoned in a way that differed from the original approval of the subdivision’s preliminary plat, potentially jeopardizing the project.
Zoning has been touted by some on the parish council as a way to rein in development and allow for controlled, responsible growth. Residents have generally supported zoning regulations, though increasingly frustrated developers have expressed discontent with the rapidly changing building laws in the parish that have hemmed in their efforts to move forward with some construction.
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