Planning Commission approves preliminary plat for Morgan Creekside Meadows Phase 1

The Morgan City Planning Commission approved the preliminary plat for Morgan Creekside Meadows Subdivision Phase 1 at its April 15, 2025 meeting.

Jake (planning staff) summarized the proposal as “approximately 15.6 acres” at about 350 West and 350 North that would be divided into 26 single-family lots and include a stormwater basin and one larger parcel anticipated to be sold to a religious organization. Chairperson Nathan McClellan presided over the vote; the commission’s motion to approve the preliminary plat passed unanimously, with staff recommending approval.

The commission’s approval is for the preliminary plat only; the administrative land-use authority (planning, legal and engineering together) will review and approve the final plat and the mayor will sign the document as the city’s representative. Staff and the applicant said engineering and utility items remain to be completed before final plat submittal.

Key details discussed and recorded in the meeting include: - Size and layout: 15.46 acres (described in the meeting as approximately 15.6 acres) and 26 single-family lots within R-110 zoning, which yields lots “approximately 10,000 square feet or bigger,” Jake said. The proposed streets use a standard 60-foot right-of-way cross section. - Special parcel: one larger parcel within the phase is identified in the plan to be sold to a religious organization; the applicant said the prospective owner is an LDS church, which the applicant disclosed during the work session. - Site infrastructure and technical reviews: city engineering raised typical items — stormwater basin design and stormwater calculations, irrigation ditches and pipes, drinking-water source protection due to nearby wells, ADA ramp locations, geotechnical reporting and street intersection details. Jake and staff said those engineering comments are not substantive obstacles and will be addressed prior to final plat approval. - Street naming/numbering issue: engineers flagged a practical issue for staff to coordinate on how street names and house numbers will integrate with the city grid where 350 West curves and becomes a north street; staff characterized this as a numbering/coordination task rather than a required redesign. - Traffic and intersections: commissioners and residents discussed local intersection controls (stop signs) where the new roads would meet existing streets; staff said stop signs or other control devices will be determined as part of the engineering/final design process.

Applicant Ben Russell told the commission the developer has already relocated or adjusted portions of a local ditch and expects to begin substantive construction when appropriate approvals are in hand. The applicant said engineers and staff have been coordinating on outstanding comments and expected to resolve them as they proceed toward final plat.

What happens next: The commission’s approval authorizes the preliminary plat to move forward; staff and the applicant will complete utility service agreements, stormwater permitting, final engineering details and other technical items before the administrative land-use authority signs the final plat and the mayor executes it.

No calendar date for final plat filing or building permits was specified at the meeting.