Zoning and planning panels approve rezoning, planning approval and minor subdivisions; several items continued to council

Terrebonne Parish zoning and planning bodies on Aug. 21 recorded several formal actions: the Zoning and Land Use Commission recommended a rezone for a Samuel Street property, the Planning Commission granted conditional planning approval for a small church at Barrow Street, two minor subdivisions were approved, and commissioners voted to change the September meeting date to Sept. 11. A separate rezoning request for 2620 Isaac Street was continued at the applicant’s request after public opposition.

Highlights and outcomes

- Rezone recommendation, 127 Samuel Street: The Zoning and Land Use Commission voted to recommend changing the zoning from R-1 (single-family residential) to R-2 (two-family residential) for the southernmost 20 feet of Lot 15 and northernmost 30 feet of Lot 16 in Block E, Mechanicsville subdivision. Applicant Iona Lyons Brown asked to place a mobile home on the lot; staff recommended approval citing “changed conditions” and noting the parcel abuts an existing R-2 zone. Commissioner Trevion Thibodeaux moved for approval; the motion passed by voice vote. The rezone will be forwarded to the Parish Council for final action.

- Rezone, 2620 Isaac Street: The applicant (Hon Mann Properties of America, LLC; representative Ken Rembert) asked to continue the item because application materials were incomplete. The commission continued the public hearing at the applicant’s request after multiple residents spoke in opposition, citing crime and public-safety concerns in the neighborhood. Motion to continue carried (mover: Trevion Thibodeaux; second: Clarence McGuire).

- Planning approval, 1132 Barrow Street (church): Applicant Lino Mendoza requested planning approval to establish a small church in a C-2 commercial zone. The building is a 900-square-foot suite with a stated capacity of about 40 seats. Under the zoning ordinance the use requires planning approval; staff recommended conditional approval provided the applicant satisfy parking requirements before a certificate of occupancy. Staff noted the ordinance requires 13 parking spaces and only four are provided on the front of the building; the applicant said 8–10 additional spaces are available behind the building and said services are Sundays, 10 a.m.–noon. Commissioners approved planning approval conditioned on documenting a parking plan and any required shared-parking agreement prior to certificate-of-occupancy issuance (motion by Clarence McGuire; second by Trevion Thibodeaux).

- Minor subdivision approvals: • Eagle 2 / Dry Dock Facility (Process D minor subdivision): Staff recommended approval with conditions (FEMA FIRM depiction on the plat; municipal address for Lot 1; corrected signature block; Department of Health treatment-plan approval). The commission voted to approve subject to staff conditions (motion by Barry Soudier; second by Jan Puenson). • Subdivision creating Parcel A and Parcel B (Tyler Hebert / Delta Coast Consultants): The commission approved the Process D subdivision to create two parcels for single-family residential use and approved a variance from the 6,000-square-foot minimum for proposed Parcel B. The applicant noted Parcel B is for docking/mooring only and the Department of Health requires no structures or sewer on that parcel. Motion to approve with variance passed (mover: Jan Puenson; second: Barry Billotte).

- Administrative approvals and meeting date change: The commission approved administrative approvals (items J1–J10) and voted to move the regularly scheduled September meeting to Sept. 11 to accommodate staff availability (motion by Trevion Smith; second by Michael Billotte).

Procedure and next steps

Several actions are recommendations that will go to the Parish Council for final approval (notably the rezoning for Samuel Street). Conditions set by staff — for example, parking documentation before issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the Barrow Street church and the Department of Health letter for the dry dock subdivision — remain outstanding items the applicant must supply to staff prior to final plat or occupancy approval.

Votes were taken by voice in open meeting; no roll-call tallies with individual yes/no votes were recorded in the meeting minutes for the listed items.