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Natchitoches planning commission pushes proactive ordinances on junk appliances and tiny-home rules
Summary
Commissioners urged drafting new ordinances to address accumulating junk appliances, consider standards for tiny-home developments, and examine parking and street standards; the planning director asked members to prepare proposals for future meetings.
NATCHITOCHES The Natchitoches Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday discussed drafting new local ordinances to address visible accumulation of household appliances and to set standards for tiny-home developments, and urged a more active role in proposing code changes to the city council.
Planning Director Miss Fowler and commissioners described recurring observations of refrigerators, washers and other appliances stored outdoors across neighborhoods. Commissioner Du Bois asked the commission to propose clearer rules so staff and code enforcement can act; one suggested threshold was to treat an accumulation beyond a few appliances as contraband and to require notice before removal.
On tiny homes, commissioners debated whether to adopt the International Building Codes minimums or craft city-specific subdivision and lot-size standards, including questions of whether tiny homes should be stationary or mobile, whether lots would be for ownership or rental, and how many units could reasonably fit on an existing minimum lot (the citys standard minimum lot size was discussed as 7,200 square feet). Commissioners raised concerns over parking, emergency-vehicle access, and whether narrow streets could safely accommodate on-street parking.
The commission asked members to research ordinances from other municipalities and bring draft language back to the next meeting. Director Fowler said enforcement matters (property maintenance, condemnation) remain active and confirmed the city has a code enforcement officer on staff.
