FEMA flood maps stifling development

A local developer spoke at last Tuesday’s Lafourche Parish Council meeting, raising concerns about the council’s decision to adopt the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood maps in late March.

In March, the council passed the FEMA flood maps with a 7-2 vote. Only Council Chairman Tommy Lasseigne and Councilman Mark Atzenhoffer voted against adopting the maps.

Dirk Matherne, a developer in the Central Lafourche area, said that the same concerns he spoke about at past meetings are coming to fruition. Matherne said some landowners planning to build houses on their land, are now entertaining ideas of putting doublewide trailers on the land because of increased cost.

“Here’s a guy who was going to build a $200,000 home,” he said. “It’s a very nice home, I saw the plans. And now he’s talking about putting a doublewide trailer on top of the mound. It’s going to what we were talking about, Lafourche Parish may be going to a trailer park parish. I’m concerned about that.

“It’s really been heartbreaking to me, to see all we’ve worked for go to the wayside,” he added.

Matherne also voiced concerns about wind damage, rather than flood damage. “I know we’re trying to prevent people from flooding,” he said, “but I could just picture a Category 2 or 3 hurricane coming into Lafourche Parish. Instead of the guy flooding, his house is going to end up in Thibodaux, with the wind. When you have a 100 miles per hour wind going uphill, under his trailer … he’ll be scattered from Raceland to Thibodaux.”

Parish President Charlotte Randolph said the parish is willing to do what they can to help. “We have been proactive in this,” she said. “We don’t want to kill development in that area. We’re trying to help everyone. Unfortunately, this part of the parish is suffering from it. Every step of the way was intended to help people.”

Randolph said the council has already helped one struggling developer, and intends to do the same with Matherne.

Atzenhoffer, one of the main critics of adopting the flood maps, said he was glad that Matherne voiced his concerns at the meetings, saying that Matherne’s statements show the “results” of the council’s decision to adopt the maps.

“This action killed development in part of the district that I represent,” said Atzenhoffer. “We got in the way, and we crippled an industry in our parish. Not one thing has changed to a positive. We just told one part of Lafourche, we don’t care about them.”

Atzenhoffer said at the next meeting he wants to see a comparison of building permits from this year and past years, adding that he expects to see a drop in construction. “Y’all need to be aware of what we did,” he told fellow councilman. “The best way to find out is to compare building permits.”

Matherne added, “The council is our only chance. As I see it, my area’s uninhabitable.”