Residents, council members spar over proposed townhome rezonings along Jubin Road; planning commission sends split recommendations to council

The Livingston Parish Planning Commission forwarded two rezonings along Jubin Road to the parish council after lengthy public comment and divided votes, leaving decisions about whether to allow townhome-style development there to the council.

The requests (case 25-18, a 1,700-foot-deep tract at 27008 Jubin Road; and case 25-20, a nearby 26844 Jubin Road parcel) would change frontage zoning from light commercial (C-1) to R-4 (residential, allowing two‑family, duplex and single‑family attached structures such as row houses or townhomes). The commission’s recommendations were split and each item will appear on the council agenda for final action.

Why it matters: Jubin Road is the site of an ongoing state roadway upgrade and a proposed hospital campus. Supporters of commercial zoning and some neighbors said the C-1 designation better matches the parish master plan and would produce more enduring tax revenue and services. Applicants and other speakers argued that the narrow, 400-foot commercial frontages with very deep lots make larger commercial development infeasible, and that R-4 townhomes are a more realistic “highest and best” use.

Owners and applicants…