Parish seeks public input on Bayou Cane, La. 311 zoning

Although the process has begun, Terrebonne Parish officials urge residents not to miss out on the remaining Bayou Cane or La. 311 neighborhood-zoning workshops.

Once maps are drawn and accepted by the parish government, boundary lines become difficult to redraw.

“The zoning committee is holding more meetings than required to allow adequate time to process the public’s input and requests,” explained Terrebonne Parish Planning and Zoning Department Director Patrick Gordon.

Two meetings remain to discuss Bayou Cane neighborhood maps, Nov. 20 and Dec. 5, at the Council On Aging building, which is located at 6512 W. Main St. Two meetings for the La. 311 corridor will be held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 at the Lakes House, which is located at the end of Merchant Drive.

What parish officials have found is that once at the council level, maps become harder to reverse. With multiple neighborhood workshops the zoning committee can address community concerns and then compile the public’s input along with preliminary maps, Gordon explained.

“We want the public involved to incorporate their wishes,” he said.

Overall the two previous meetings, one for each neighborhood, have produced positive feedback for the committee. Gordon said a light crowd turned out for last Monday’s La. 311 meeting, but a lower turnout was expected.

“The Hwy. 311 zoning is mostly residential zoning and so most residents know there will only be pockets of commercial zoning, unlike Bayou Cane zoning,” he said.

Bayou Cane entails more commercial zoning around Martin Luther King Drive and Lisa Park neighborhoods, therefore, tends to become more complex, Gordon said. About 25 residents attended Bayou Cane’s first zoning workshop Wednesday night, and Gordon said attendees produced very constructive input.

Because many issues arose from zoning in the past, the committee thought even more residents would have attended.

Gordon said that it is important to address past issues now, rather than later when a plan is in place.

After the workshops, a wrap-up meeting will be held to summarize public input and consider any last minute issues; Gordon said the date is yet to be determined, but is shooting for January or February of next year.

From there, the zoning committee will review and redraw maps and present the finished product to the parish council and a final vote will be taken, he said.

“I find that in the informal setting we can get more done than in the governmental setting,” said Gordon.

Residents are urged to bring any information n pictures or documentation n that will help officials better understand zoning issues.

For more information on neighborhood workshops contact the parish Planning and Zoning Department at (985) 873-6569.

Andrea Carlson can be reached at (985) 876-3008 or andrea@tri-parishtimes.com