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Owner at public hearing granted 30-day deferral on condemnation to gather floodplain paperwork
Summary
A property owner who sought to rebuild a warehouse asked the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury for time to provide corrected survey and elevation paperwork related to a floodplain designation; the jury deferred the condemnation hearing for 30 days to allow staff review.
The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury on March 6, 2025, deferred for 30 days a condemnation hearing for 3114 Broussard Road after the property owner said a survey error and FEMA-related floodplain requirements had prevented him from completing repairs.
Why it matters: The owner said corrected survey and elevation documents are needed to satisfy floodplain regulations so the structure can be repaired or permitted for storage use. Parish staff said the owner had not turned in all required paperwork and that, under current rules, the building must meet elevation or floodproofing standards even for storage uses.
At the hearing Javier Perez, identified himself and gave his address in Texas. Perez said he had tried last year to obtain a permit to rebuild a shop/warehouse but later learned the property’s survey showed a corner of the parcel in a flood zone. He said a survey company initially provided incorrect information and that he later obtained a corrected survey and elevation work but had not yet delivered the documents to parish staff.
“I would like to get an opportunity to prove that I can repair the property,” Perez told the jury.
Parish building official Dan Bruce told the jury he had not received all documentation needed to issue a permit. “As far as I know at this point, he has not turned in everything that we need to issue him a permit,” Bruce said, adding that there were issues with floodplain regulations for the size and elevation of the building and that the owner may need floodproof walls because the structure sits below the required elevation for the intended use.
Planning/inspections staff and jurors discussed whether the owner had been communicating with the correct parish offices. Juror comments noted the matter had been pending since the prior year and urged the owner and staff to work together to complete the paperwork.
After discussion a juror moved to defer the condemnation hearing for 30 days; Mr. Quinn seconded the motion and the jury carried the deferral. The meeting record shows the jury instructed staff to double-check the owner’s submission and indicated that, if the paperwork satisfies the requirements, a permit could be issued within the deferral period.
The hearing record does not include a formal roll-call vote tally for the deferral; the transcript records the motion, the second and the chair’s announcement that the deferral carried.
