Special Planning Commission - October 7, 2026

The Ascension Parish Planning Commission held a special meeting on October 7, 2026, to receive public input on the proposed West Bank Resilient Community Overlay and its boundaries and ordinance. The parish attorney advised that the item had been noticed as a Planning Commission meeting rather than a Zoning Commission meeting, so the commission could hear comments but could not take action; the matter is expected to return at a properly noticed meeting, with November 18 identified as the next available date. Staff said the principal ordinance change since the prior presentation was a revision to setbacks for the 55-plus community; the overlay map and adopted 2025 small area plan were otherwise unchanged.

Public comments and commissioner questions focused on residential growth, the overlay’s relationship to underlying zoning, infrastructure capacity, density, drainage, traffic analysis and fees, enforcement, and the need for clearer parcel-level mapping and ordinance language. Representatives of a family owning about 900 acres requested that the property be excluded, citing its state-certified industrial-site status and potential for light-industrial employment uses; other speakers supported planning for residential growth while raising concerns about infrastructure and enforceable protections. Commissioners requested revisions and clarifications for consideration before the next hearing. No vote, contract award, funding allocation, or other procurement activity was identified.