Board allows after‑the‑fact monument sign at Hillcrest entrance; appeal to rename subdivision withdrawn

The Saint Tammany Parish Board of Adjustments on Aug. 5 approved an after‑the‑fact permit condition allowing a new monument sign to remain at the entrance of the subdivision recorded as Hillcrest Country Club Subdivision Edition Number 3, pending submission of a building permit and payment of applicable fees.

The board’s action followed public comment from residents who said they had replaced an aging sign and preferred the new sign’s name, Oak Meadows Estates, to match a nearby recreation facility. Applicant Darlene Nelson, a neighborhood resident, told the board the group did not intend to legally change the subdivision name on the recorded plat and instead sought only to replace the deteriorating entrance sign: “We are not seeking to legally rename the subdivision. We simply want our front entrance to be welcoming to our present neighbors and attract new neighbors,” Nelson said.

The board opened two related requests for case BOA 20254298: an appeal of a parish official’s decision that would allow the subdivision name to be changed without undergoing the parish’s formal act‑of‑amendment process, and a request to allow the new monument sign to remain. Nelson formally withdrew the appeal to change the recorded plat name before the board voted on the sign.

Why it matters: the recorded plat name — shown on deeds, tax rolls and official parish records — remains Hillcrest Country Club Subdivision Edition Number 3 unless and until the formal amendment procedure is completed. Parish staff and the board emphasized the importance of confirming that emergency dispatching (9‑1‑1 addressing) and land‑sale records will continue to rely on the recorded plat name even if the neighborhood uses a different commercial or sign name.

Parish staff and Theodore Reynolds, assistant director of the Department of Engineering, told the board that subdivision name changes are normally handled before plats are recorded and that changing a name after lots have been sold or developed is uncommon. “Typically, when we do subdivision name changes, it is actually done before a plat is ever recorded,” Reynolds said, and he recommended verifying 9‑1‑1 addressing and other records before finalizing changes to signage or a recorded name.

Neighbors described how the new cypress and steel sign was paid for and built by volunteers and placed on the existing concrete foundation with two rebars. Resident Matthew Carter said the neighborhood has several undeveloped lots and that the hillcrest/Abita Springs name shown on older signage has changed in the past; the recent Facebook‑group vote (about 93 members) favored Oak Meadows Estates, according to Nelson.

Board action and conditions: the board voted to allow the monument sign to remain as an after‑the‑fact approval, subject to submitting a building permit for the sign and meeting all parish signage requirements. The board noted that because the sign had been posted by code enforcement, the permit will carry a double fee. The motion was seconded and adopted by the board; the clerk announced, “All in favor, motion carries.”

What remains: the recorded subdivision name on the plat will not change unless the formal act‑of‑amendment process is completed. The applicant and staff are to confirm with parish 9‑1‑1 addressing authorities and complete the required permit submissions and inspections before the approval is finalized.

A note on spelling and names used in board documents: the staff report and plat reference the subdivision as Hillcrest Country Club Subdivision Edition Number 3; the replacement sign reads Oak Meadows Estates. The recreation facility on the former golf‑course property was identified in testimony as Oak Meadows Recreation and Retreat Center; the current driving range operator was named Marcus Clavier.