Council accepts Hunter Ridge roads, extends solar moratorium and defers Joel Ott subdivision waiver

The Livingston Parish Council at its March 2025 meeting voted unanimously to accept roads and improvements for Hunter Ridge, Third Filing, and released a $105,416.03 maintenance bond into the parish maintenance system. Council members then introduced and approved an ordinance to extend the parish-wide moratorium on commercial solar farms for another 12 months and deferred a disputed minor-subdivision waiver for property on Joel Ott Drive.

Hunter Ridge: The council voted to accept the subdivision’s roads and improvements into the parish maintenance system and released the maintenance bond of $105,416.03. The motion was made by Councilman Waskin and seconded by Councilman Manges; the recorded vote was unanimous of members present (yes: 8, no: 0, absent: 1).

Solar moratorium extension: Councilwoman Sandiford moved to introduce an ordinance (filed as proposed ordinance 25-04) extending the 12‑month parishwide moratorium on consideration, submittal or approval of commercial solar farms and solar power plants. Sandiford said the extra year will allow parish staff time to review tax-revenue impacts and pending state legislation; she cited the state legislative session dates as part of the timetable. The council approved the ordinance introduction and set a public hearing for 6 p.m. on March 27; the motion passed unanimously (yes: 8, no: 0, absent: 1). The ordinance references the moratorium the council adopted on 05/23/2024 as LP ordinance 24-11.

Joel Ott Drive subdivision waiver deferred: Property owner Brian Calabrio asked to subdivide 9.26 acres at 355438 Joel Ott Drive into three lots (approx. 3.6 acres, 3.6 acres and 2 acres) and requested a waiver to exceed the number of lots allowed on a private servitude. Several neighbors and council members expressed concern about drainage, the existing private servitude width (reported as 40 feet), and the lack of engineered drainage plans and maintenance access for the gravity drainage district.

Neighbor Gary Talbert said there are already 17 lots served by the private road and warned that adding lots without drainage engineering and proper servitude access would worsen drainage and maintenance problems. Council member Mark Clapham (speaking during public comment) recommended the applicant provide an engineer’s plan showing where surface water will go, coordinate with the gravity drainage district to establish maintenance access servitudes, and explore expanding the road servitude to 60 feet if possible.

After discussion, the council voted to defer the waiver request and asked the applicant to return with engineering documentation addressing drainage and servitude access. A substitute motion to defer (rather than deny) passed unanimously (yes: 8, no: 0, absent: 1).

Saint Margaret Catholic Church waiver introduced: Councilman Shavers introduced a resolution to waive the commercial-development resubmission requirement so Saint Margaret Catholic Church could add a 442-square-foot mausoleum addition without re-surveying its entire 20‑acre parcel. Marshall May and church representatives said re-surveying would be costly; Mark Shamay, chairman of the church cemetery committee, said the addition is small, has no plumbing or utilities and requested the waiver. The council took public comment; a motion to grant the waiver was made and seconded but no final vote appears in the meeting transcript.

Other business: The council deferred adoption of minutes from its Feb. 27, 2025 regular meeting and tabled a resolution to remove Live Oak Acres from the mobile-home waiver list indefinitely. Several other agenda items were deferred at the request of council members.

Why it matters: The Hunter Ridge acceptance ensures parish maintenance responsibility and releases a sizeable maintenance bond. The extended solar moratorium gives the parish additional time to craft ordinances and review state action on solar siting and taxes. The Joel Ott deferral highlights recurring local issues about private-servitude subdivisions, drainage, and the parish’s standards for minor subdivisions without engineered improvements.

Next steps: The council set a public hearing on the solar moratorium extension for March 27 at 6 p.m. Applicants for the Joel Ott subdivision were asked to return with engineering and drainage plans and to consult with the gravity drainage district before the council will consider the waiver again.