Committee receives update on WSP contract and master plan schedule; drainage work tied to final master plan

The Livingston Parish Master Plan Review Committee received an update on WSP’s contract and discussed how the drainage master plan and other technical studies will be coordinated with the comprehensive master plan.

Committee staff reported that the WSP contract had recently been renewed (the original contract term expired April 30) and that WSP has provided a draft outline of master-plan headings and content. The outline includes sections the committee previously requested, such as an economic profile and an economic corridor. Staff said WSP and parish planning staff are working to make sure drafts are distributed through the appropriate legal and review channels.

Committee members asked whether the drainage master plan and its technical studies will be completed in time to be adopted alongside the comprehensive plan. Staff responded that the comprehensive master plan is a “living, breathing document” and that the parish intends to update the master plan after the drainage study finishes if needed. The committee directed that the codified legacy-drainage recommendation and FEMA flood requirements noted elsewhere in the master plan materials be transmitted to planning and WSP for inclusion and review.

Staff also described how the planning-and-zoning adoption process interacts with the council: meeting participants cited state law (RS 33, sections discussed during the meeting) that assigns primary drafting responsibility to the planning and zoning commission; the council may thereafter ratify, return or request modifications to the plan. Committee members said they intend to remain engaged in the drafting process to avoid surprises when the planning commission forwards a final proposal to the council.

The committee’s packet included a color-coded outline showing which master-plan items had been advanced to planning commission approval. Staff said items such as FEMA flood requirements and the codified legacy-drainage recommendation were marked as in-process and would move to the planning commission for formal consideration.

What’s next: WSP and parish planning staff will continue to assemble draft master-plan chapters, incorporate committee recommendations and circulate drafts through the planning commission process for eventual council action. Committee members agreed to send the codified drainage recommendation and the economic-corridor permitted-use suggestion to WSP and planning staff for drafting.