Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Udc topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee sends zoning tweaks to full council to allow conditional commercial excavation, pole signs in limited areas
Summary
A St. Tammany Parish committee voted to refer Ordinance 78‑43 to the full council. The ordinance would add conditional‑use review for commercial excavation in rural overlay and public‑facility zoning and allow limited pole signs subject to planning commission review.
A St. Tammany Parish council committee on Oct. 12 voted to send Ordinance 78‑43 to the full council after discussing changes to the unified development code that would allow conditional‑use approvals for commercial excavation in rural overlays and permit limited pole signs in certain locations.
Committee members and staff said the commercial‑excavation change is intended to let property owners request temporary borrow pits or excavation for projects without rezoning land to industrial. Ross, a parish planning staff member, said the conditional‑use process would allow the planning commission to evaluate impacts and impose site‑specific restrictions "without changing the zoning to industrial." Council members framed the change as a way to provide a review pathway for projects such as roadway construction in the northern rural part of the parish.
The ordinance also adds rules for pole signs. Staff and council members said the change would not allow billboard‑scale signage; speakers noted a typical pole sign allowance would be about 25 square feet, far smaller than a standard billboard. Under the proposed language, a property owner could seek a conditional‑use approval through the planning commission, which could set size, height, location or time limits appropriate for the immediate area.
Council members asked how conditional uses would be limited. Ross and other staff explained that conditional use creates an additional layer of review at the zoning or planning commission level; the commission can deny requests or attach conditions such as reduced size, hours, landscaping or setback requirements. Several council members said that appeals from the planning commission decision would be heard by the full council.
Councilman Lockley said he helped initiate the pole‑sign change to help businesses—such as older gas stations that cannot accommodate monument signs—replace or repair pole signs where a monument sign is not feasible. Councilwoman Casbon asked whether the commission could impose time limits, size restrictions or other conditions; staff answered yes.
The committee approved a motion to refer Ordinance 78‑43 to the full council. Motion: Councilwoman Casbon; second: Patrick Burke. Voice vote: all in favor.
The referral sends the proposed language to the full council for further debate and potential adoption; no final zoning or code changes take effect until the full council acts.
