Ordinance committee backs sending zoning changes on R1.5 and R2 to council after debate over mobile homes and lot width

The Livingston Parish Ordinance Committee voted to forward two related zoning proposals to the parish council: (1) reintroduce an R1.5 zoning classification that sets a minimum lot size of one-half acre and clarifies that single-family detached homes and manufactured/modular homes are permitted while other uses are treated as conditional; and (2) amend R2 rules to reduce maximum density (from 4 to 3.75 housing units per acre) and increase minimum lot width (from 60 to 65 feet).

Councilman Billy Taylor, who presented the R1.5 proposal, told the committee the draft adds a “minimum lot size of 1 half acre” and narrows permitted primary uses to “single family detached homes and manufactured home[s] and modular homes,” moving many other uses to conditional status. Taylor said the change effectively replaces an older 2.5-homes-per-acre metric with a…