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July 15, 2015Nicholls fees set for slight increase
July 15, 2015
Several concerned citizens of Houma’s Downtown Historic District spoke to the Terrebonne Parish Council about a proposed unattended carwash that they fear will bring down the neighborhood.
The car wash, which would be situated at the corner of Barrow and Verret streets, is being pursued by Patrick S. Haydel, who owns a chiropractic clinic across the street from what is now an empty lot.
“It used to be an old, abandoned gas station all the years that I can remember and they finally knocked it down and cleaned it up I guess about five years ago,” Haydel said. “I’m trying to figure out what I can do to beautify that lot because it’s right next to me and I tried to think of something that would be somewhat lucrative and that could maintain itself and that was just one of the ideas that I had proposed.”
But no permit for construction has been filed with the parish, said Terrebonne Parish Attorney Courtney Alcock. So councilmembers seized the opportunity to review the zoning ordinances governing what type of business can be built in the downtown historic district, which is bordered by Main, Gabasse, Honduras and Canal streets.
“This has come up and you’re working on a 40-year-old planning commission booklet that’s truly outdated and I think the whole system needs to be evaluated,” Carl DeVito, who spoke for the Downtown Historic District, told the council.
Also, according to parish law, no permit could be issued without approval of the Downtown Historic District Commission.
Regardless, DeVito said that the proposed carwash brings to light lax zoning regulations that would allow the construction of that type of business.
Councilman Russel “Red” Hornsby explained that the regulations were loosened because when Southland Mall was built during the mid-1970s, businesses were leaving Downtown Houma for that area. The rules governing what type of buildings could be built were made less restrictive in order to attract businesses to the area.
Councilwoman Christa Duplantis-Prather, whose district the carwash would lie in, proposed a motion to commission a study on what the ordinances are and how they should be re-written and placed the item for discussion on the agenda for the next Terrebonne Parish Policy, Procedure and Legal Committee meeting next Monday.
Residents of downtown came armed with a detailed report outlining current parish ordinances, reports from the United Steelworker’s Union on chemical runoff from washing cars and testimony from residents of the Acadian Retirement Villa on Van Avenue in Houma. The retirement home is next door to an unattended carwash and residents say the loud music keeps them up at night and drug deals are commonplace.
Haydel said that he wanted to build a business that everyone in Downtown Houma could embrace and the last thing he would do is to build anything that people didn’t want. He said that a carwash was just one of many ideas that he had for the lot. Another idea Haydel said he was considering was a parking lot, especially since finding parking downtown can be difficult sometimes.
“I have the utmost interest to do the right thing because I have a business right next to that lot. I’m not going to do anything that would jeopardize or bring my real estate value down. And anything I do will be first class. Pretty much everything I do as far as real estate, I try and do it right.”
Carl DeVito addresses the council with concerns about a proposed carwash at the intersection of Barrow and Verret streets in the Downtown Historic District of Houma.
