Council reviews rezoning for proposed mobile-home park; site plan deferred for staff review

The New Iberia City Council took up an ordinance to rezone a parcel at the corner of West Pershing Street and South LaSalle Street to R-6 Mobile Home Park District, heard public opposition and a developer presentation, and deferred the formal site-plan decision to allow staff review.

The rezoning request from Edmond Construction Company LLC was the subject of public comment, longtime resident Benjamin Myers, who told the council he and several neighbors opposed mobile homes on the property, saying the project would be “a shanty town” and would “depreciate the value of our properties” in the vicinity. Myers said residents had taken the matter to the planning and zoning commission, which did not record a recommendation on the request.

Supporters of the project, including the applicant, described design and tenant controls they said would make the proposed community different from older trailer parks. The applicant told the council that the $500-per-month rent figure circulated at a prior meeting was inaccurate and that the developer expects to retain ownership of the 20 units in the first phase. The applicant said the units and skirting would be selected to give a more finished, home-like appearance and noted potential funding channels, including housing choice vouchers and nonprofit affordable-housing programs, that could help tenants afford rents.

Why it matters: rezoning to R-6 changes allowable uses for the site and creates a long-term land-use designation; neighbors and council members debated whether new stricter standards in the city's recently revised mobile-home ordinance will prevent the kinds of deterioration seen in older parks and whether the city can enforce those standards across other neighborhoods.

Council discussion divided along district lines. Councilman Ron Davis and Councilman David Merrill said they and constituents in nearby neighborhoods were concerned about adding a mobile-home park adjacent to their districts, emphasizing potential impacts on neighborhood character and long-standing problems with older parks. Councilman Warren White and Councilmember Brooke Marcotte argued the city cannot dictate private property use and that modern parks built to the new ordinance standards can provide affordable, maintained housing; White added, “You can't tell people what to do with their property.” Councilmembers also repeatedly emphasized enforcement: several said the ordinance now contains stronger maintenance and construction requirements but that enforcement effort will be essential.

On the site plan accompanying the application, council members asked staff to confirm that the document meets the city's new R-6 requirements, including required green space, hard-surface parking and infrastructure upgrades. City staff confirmed the applicant provided site drawings and a survey and that an engineering firm coordinated setbacks, but council members said they wanted an updated plan that explicitly shows compliance with the adopted ordinance.

Council action: The council considered the rezoning ordinance and voted by machine; the transcript records the council calling for a vote but does not include a roll-call tally in the record. The council also voted to defer action on the site plan until the applicant submits a revised plan and staff (the development team) completes an in-house review; the motion to defer was seconded on the floor and voted. The clerk indicated the revised site plan could be returned for council consideration at the next meeting cycle if staff completes its checks.

Next steps: Staff directed the applicant to revise the site plan to show required green space, parking and any infrastructure upgrades, and to coordinate required fire-protection and utility work with city departments. The council asked staff to place the revised site plan on the next available agenda after staff approval.

Community details and clarifications: The applicant told council members the units will be newer than much of the existing mobile housing stock nearby, that the units will be skirted and permanently affixed (removal of the tow hitch), and that the developer's leasing standards will include tenant screening and fines for improper trash disposal. Neighbors said some nearby mobile homes are more than 10 years old and expressed concern about transient occupancy patterns in older parks. City staff said the planning commission did not reach a recommendation and therefore the council was acting without a formal planning commission recommendation on the rezoning.

The action preserved the council's ability to require compliance with the city's new mobile-home park standards and to monitor construction and management if the project proceeds.