Committee presses for more public outreach on WSP zoning map; recommends contract amendment to allow extra hearings

At a Jan. 16 Master Plan Committee meeting, members criticized the pace and public outreach for the WSP-led zoning project that will feed into the parish's master plan and interim zoning. Committee members said many residents were unaware of the interactive GIS map and the January public-comment deadlines and asked for more district-level hearings and better notice.

Miss Petrie (committee staff) explained the outreach tools WSP created: an interactive GIS that allows residents to select parcels and submit comments, QR codes distributed at prior meetings, and three scheduled public hearings in January. "You can do that online right now," Petrie said, explaining electronic submissions are accepted through Jan. 17 and handwritten inputs through Feb. 7. Several committee members said the schedule, as published, has not reached many residents and proposed at least one public hearing in each council district.

Committee members expressed concern that the project timeline was constrained by the executed professional-services contract and state notice requirements. Several members urged either extending the contract or amending it to allow additional hearings and a longer public-comment window. In discussion, the group clarified that contract extensions or amendments may require negotiation and administrative and council approvals.

A motion was made to recommend that planning and zoning and the parish administration modify or amend the WSP contract to give the public more time for input and to expand outreach (motion by Mister Hess; second by Mister Burns). The committee conducted a roll-call vote; the clerk recorded four members in favor and three opposed, and the chair declared the motion carried. The committee chair said the recommendation will go to the planning and zoning commission for consideration.

Committee members also discussed practical outreach steps, including district-level meetings, parish web and social posts, targeted distribution via council members and grassroots networks such as neighborhood groups, churches and civic pages. A separate thread of the meeting covered proposed bylaw edits clarifying the committee's role and the proper planning-and-zoning and parish-council sequence for master-plan amendments.

Ending: The committee voted to forward a recommendation asking planning and zoning and the parish administration to amend or extend the professional-services contract with WSP to allow more hearings and public outreach. The recommendation will be placed on the planning-and-zoning agenda for action.