Commissioners postpone Pen Mill Road rezoning after residents raise drainage and traffic concerns

The St. Tammany Parish Planning Commission on motion postponed a rezoning request for 30.86 acres on the north side of Pen Mill Road in Council District 3 to the next monthly meeting, after prolonged discussion and public comment about drainage, traffic and neighborhood connectivity.

The petitioner, represented by attorney Paul Marone, asked to rezone the property from R-1 rural residential with a rural overlay to S-2 suburban residential to allow a single-family subdivision. Marone said the S-2 district carries a roughly 7,500-square-foot lot standard and that preliminary engineering indicates the site will require “at least 4 acres of ponds.” He also told the commission the petitioner is prepared to pay for any required turn-lane improvements and central utilities if the project proceeds.

The Covington Vincent Airport Pilots Association, represented by Dan Oppenheim, told the commission it had negotiated several protections with the developer including a 60-foot no-cut buffer along the runway, a wooden fence to keep residents off airport property, and covenant language warning buyers that airplane noise is normal. Oppenheim said the airport would contribute $2,020,000 toward the fence’s construction and would allow limited access to the airport property for fence construction.

More than a half dozen Simpson Farms residents spoke in opposition or submitted cards without speaking. Speakers including Lloyd Thomas and Mitzi Mancuso said their primary concern was drainage: they said water already collects in retention ponds in Simpson Farms and feared additional runoff would overload local drainage. Several speakers also said they opposed a vehicular connection between the new subdivision and Simpson Farms. Marone said the developer had offered a connection but would not build one if Simpson Farms’ board opposed it.

Commissioners repeatedly noted that zoning decisions are separate from later engineering and subdivision approvals. Commissioner Martino said the S-2 request is consistent with nearby lots and noted the applicant had described measures to meet Unified Development Code and 2040 plan requirements, but he also voiced sympathy for residents’ concerns. Commissioner Arcemont moved to postpone the item for one month to allow additional community meetings; the motion carried.

The postponement means the applicant is expected to return next month, with the commission directing the council representative to organize a community meeting so neighbors can review drainage and traffic analyses in advance of a final vote.

The applicant and airport representatives indicated on the record that drainage, a traffic impact analysis and any required utility upgrades would be performed at the planning stage and at the applicant’s cost.