Plaquemines officials unveil zoning and text amendments to open levee-protected areas for industry, with public town halls planned

Zachary Smith, a consultant working with the Plaquemines Parish administration, presented a package of proposed zoning map and text changes Wednesday that would redraw large, levee-protected areas now zoned as floodplain into expanded heavy‑industrial and new mixed‑use zones and add definitions and rules for marine services and temporary RV parks.

The administration said the changes are intended to provide a predictable, public process for future industrial, port and maritime activity in areas where new federal levees are expected to be certified. Paul Kramer of Zach Smith Consulting walked the council through maps covering roughly 11,000 acres where parish levee investments were made and described proposed amendments to the I‑3 Heavy Industrial district, a new MU Mixed Commercial‑Industrial district, setbacks to protect existing residential areas, and retention of environmental impact review requirements for heavy industrial projects.

Why it matters: the proposal aims to give developers, residents and public agencies clearer rules for where marine, industrial and supporting commercial uses would be allowed once levee certification and revised FEMA flood maps are complete. Parish administrators said the effort is preparatory, not a final zoning change; formal rezoning requires additional hearings, public input and council action.

Key proposal elements and limits

- Expand I‑3 Heavy Industrial in several drainage districts and explicitly list water‑dependent “marine services” (docks, piers, wharves, cargo operations and supporting rail/truck facilities) in the ordinance text. - Create an MU Mixed Commercial‑Industrial district to serve as a transitional zone near existing residences; MU would allow commercial uses and limited/light industrial uses and specifically would not permit new permanent residential developments, primary schools or large public gathering spaces where they could conflict with industry. - Continue the parish’s environmental impact review process for any new heavy industrial use or any industrial use on the riverside of the levee; Kramer said those projects would be considered case by case and would require council action where environmental impacts are significant. - Allow the council to require deed restrictions for developments within 300 feet of districts that permit residential uses by right. - Authorize temporary RV parks (to address construction worker housing) in both I‑3 and MU districts while noting that any temporary RV park must also meet the parish’s RV park ordinance (Ord. 22‑64) and the consultant recommended minimum standards including screening, dumpster requirements and a suggested minimum of 50 spaces per temporary park.

Public comments and council questions

Several residents and council members pressed for clarity about safety, pollution and community engagement. Clarence Brox, a resident, asked how the parish will address air emissions and community safety if industrial users begin operating near residential areas; Kramer and Smith said the text amendments do not weaken environmental reviews and that any major industrial permit would still require detailed environmental review and a council decision.

Residents also asked how future FEMA flood‑map changes and levee certification would affect the zoning. Smith told the council the map-based study is targeted to areas where the parish has invested in levees and where federal certification is anticipated; he said parish staff expects FEMA certifications to improve flood zone designations in some places over the next two to four years but emphasized that the zoning initiative is a preparatory step to start public discussion and not a final reclassification.

Next steps and public engagement

Parish staff and the consultants said they plan a series of town‑hall meetings—“three public town‑hall kind of meetings” was described—to gather community feedback across Plaquemines before any formal rezoning is adopted. The administration also said it will distribute the full set of proposed text changes and maps to council members and the planning/zoning board for review. The council introduced two companion items for future action: an ordinance initiating a zoning district classification map amendment and an ordinance initiating text amendments to create the MU district and amend I‑3; those introductions begin the formal process that will include required hearings and further staff reports.

What was not decided

No rezoning was adopted at Wednesday’s meeting. The council did not vote to change flood maps or to approve any specific industrial project, and consultants emphasized that environmental impacts and project‑specific reviews must still be completed before any heavy industrial use could proceed.

Ending note

The administration framed the package as a way to provide predictability for businesses and residents while preserving current environmental review procedures; council members repeatedly asked for the materials to be distributed in advance of the planned town halls so they and their constituents can review the technical details before any final votes.