The Lafayette City-Parish Council will likely get an earful Tuesday evening before it votes on an appeal of an October approval by Planning, Zoning and Codes for a residential development in Scott. The plan has drawn impassioned support and opposition.
On Oct. 12, by a 3-2 vote, PZC approved a preliminary plat approval for Woodgate Subdivision — 64 residential lots in a 14.5-acre site off Tabb Road. In approving the plan, PZC placed additional requirements on the developers including installation of a sewer system that serves each lot.
Since the development acquired the necessary approval, more than 160 residents living nearby have signed a petition seeking to overturn the approval. On the petition, residents cite concerns such as too much traffic and drainage issues. At that Oct. 12 meeting, dozens of supporters and opponents of the development were present, among them, District 1 City-Parish Councilman Purvis Morrison, who said he was opposed to the project and cited concerns over inadequate infrastructure and poor drainage resulting from the development. Residents in the rural area have also complained that the development will ruin the quiet setting they sought in moving to the area.
But the planning department has also since received dozens of letters and e-mails — many of them from area builders and real estate agents — expressing support for the development. To see documents related to the development and the dispute, click here.
Also at Tuesday’s CPC meeting, council members will vote on an ordinance for final adoption that would rezone roughly 56 acres on Ambassador Caffery Parkway between Dulles Drive and Guilbeau road to make way for a traditional neighborhood development. If the rezoning is approved, Cafferytown would be a mixed-use neighborhood similar to River Ranch, with residential and commercial properties along with green spaces sharing a high-density area. However, according to architect Steve Oubre, who was hired by the partnership that owns the land to create a plan for the TND, there are no immediate plans to begin construction of Cafferytown; securing the TND zoning for the land is “a positive step that will pave the way for future development,” according to Oubre.