Bossier City Council rejects rezoning request for 2290 Benton Road after safety, traffic concerns

The Bossier City Council voted down a request to rezone 2290 Benton Road from RLD (residential low density) to B1 (office) on Sept. 23, denying an applicant’s plan to use the 1950s house for a chiropractic office.

Council members prioritized traffic safety and neighborhood concerns despite testimony that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) approved a revised site plan restricting access to Benton Road and removing a proposed egress to Douglas Drive.

The applicant, Steven Kyle Winenburg (spoke as Kyle Winenburg), and supporters said the property is no longer suitable for family housing and argued the proposed clinic would operate at low volume. “We see about 3 to 4 patients an hour,” Winenburg said, adding the practice would rely on appointment scheduling and staggered hours. He told the council the site plan now limits access to Benton Road and that he expects 2–4 patients per hour at peak times.

Neighbors and other residents described safety risks, especially for people entering from a heavily trafficked stretch of Benton Road. “From a safety standpoint, it’s a terrible location,” Councilman Cochran said during deliberations, echoing repeated public comments about high vehicle speeds and limited sight distances at nearby intersections. A traffic count cited during the meeting varied by speaker — one participant told the council Benton Road receives roughly 4,000 vehicles per day, while another referred to a traffic study from three years earlier showing about 52,000 vehicles per day; the council did not adopt a single official traffic figure on the record.

City planning staff said the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) had recommended approval at its meeting and that DOTD had approved the curb cut on Benton Road after the applicant revised the plan to remove Douglas Drive access. Planning staff also said the B1 classification limits uses to lower‑intensity, office‑type activities and that the applicant has indicated willingness to accept a medical‑use condition.

Council members repeatedly framed their concern around public safety and the precedent of allowing commercial conversion deep inside older subdivisions. After public comment and council discussion, the motion to rezone failed.

The denial leaves the property under its current RLD residential classification. No immediate direction to staff or remand to the MPC was recorded for this parcel; the council moved on to other agenda items.