Youngsville council approves temporary limestone driveway behind Southside High stadium

The Youngsville City Council on Friday approved a variance to waive Section 107.92 of the city’s code of ordinances to allow a limestone (aggregate) driveway behind Southside High School’s stadium, enabling gated, bus-only access while the district completes the stadium and plans longer-term parking.

The variance was approved 5-0 after a morning session in which school officials and city staff described the driveway as a temporary measure to relieve buses and equipment from parking on public roadways ahead of the stadium’s opening. The council voted on a motion by Councilmember Romero, seconded by Councilmember Nylund; Councilmembers Perez, Bolgiano, Romero, Nyland and Shonpile voted yes.

Superintendent, Lafayette Parish School System, told the council the stadium is “coming to completion” and that the district is “looking at about a 5,000, capacity, stadium” and wants the facility to be ready for the first home game. He described the area behind the stadium as a controlled, nonpublic space for team buses, bands and equipment, and said it will be gated to protect buses and stored items. “This is not going to be… accessible to the public,” the superintendent said.

Council discussion focused on three narrow issues: (1) the surface material and visibility of the temporary driveway, (2) drainage and erosion risk near the adjacent channel, and (3) precedent for granting variances to large, tax-supported landowners. Councilmember Nylund said he had not heard public support for paving the full length with asphalt and urged a compromise: extend the hard surface to the gate and use limestone or gravel behind it. “Honestly, no 1 I’ve talked to has supported asphalting all the way to the back,” Nylund said.

City staff and the district clarified details. The proposal approved includes a 60-foot hard-surface apron off the road, with the area behind that apron to be graveled/limed and gated at the road so it will not be visible or open to public parking. City engineering staff and the council’s planning advisers said the aggregate can remain as a temporary surface and later be used as base material when the permanent parking lot is constructed; officials estimated full build-out of the purple (future) parking area within roughly one to two years, depending on funding. A district representative said the district intends to repurpose the aggregate as a base when that permanent lot is installed.

Safety concerns also shaped the vote. The city’s police chief warned that without space for visiting-team buses the vehicles could displace cars onto Shim(en)/Shimen Metairie Parkway and create a traffic hazard: “12 buses would take up a lot of parking as a safety issue,” the chief said. City engineering staff and a planning adviser also noted drainage and erosion risks near the adjacent canal and recommended aggregate in that sector to improve maintenance and reduce long-term channel erosion compared with a full hard surface built immediately next to the drainage easement.

The council debated whether granting a variance to the Lafayette Parish School System — the city’s second-largest landowner — set an unfair precedent for private applicants denied similar requests. Several council members said the circumstances differ because this is temporary, gated, tax-supported school infrastructure tied to an imminent stadium opening and student safety; others urged the city to consider broader ordinance revisions to provide clearer guidance for temporary versus permanent surfaces.

The motion that passed (mover: Romero; seconder: Nylund) approved the variance as presented at the meeting, including the 60-foot concrete apron at the roadway, gated access at the road edge, and aggregate behind the gate to be used temporarily until permanent parking is constructed. Vote: Perez — yes; Bolgiano — yes; Romero — yes; Nyland — yes; Shonpile — yes. Motion approved.

Council members and staff said they will continue coordinating with the school district on timelines, drainage plans, gate installation and screening (windscreen/slats) so the temporary aggregate is not visible from the roadway and can be maintained safely until final parking is completed. Councilmembers also indicated they plan follow-up conversations about updating city ordinances to give clearer flexibility for temporary materials and for government-owned parcels.

For now, the district will proceed with the gated, graveled area behind the stadium for the coming season and pursue funding and design for the permanent lot in the months ahead.