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BOA grants after‑the‑fact buffer waivers for Sunny Meadow Drive property with replanting and permit conditions
Summary
The St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustment on March 11 approved an after‑the‑fact waiver to allow a driveway and house pad to remain inside portions of the required 50‑foot natural and landscape buffers at a Sunny Meadow Drive property, subject to permits and replanting conditions.
The St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustment on March 11 approved an after‑the‑fact waiver for a rural residential property on Sunny Meadow Drive (Case 4147) that allowed portions of a driveway and house pad to remain inside portions of the required 50‑foot natural and landscape buffers, with conditions.
Applicant Logan Anderson told the board he had talked to planning staff before beginning dirt work but had been given incorrect guidance on setbacks. Anderson said he cleared the site and completed the house pad and driveway work to avoid bringing excess fill onto low pine flatwoods, and that several nearby family members and neighbors signed letters of no objection.
Staff findings and conditions: Planning staff recommended approval subject to obtaining an after‑the‑fact land‑clearing permit for the road and proposed residence area and maintaining the required 25‑foot buffer along Sunny Meadow Drive and the 50‑foot natural buffers on the east and north sides where they remain. Staff noted the adjacent 80‑acre parcel to the south includes the English Branch stream and its stream buffers, which makes clearing that parcel less likely and therefore preserves a functional buffer between properties.
Board action: The board voted to approve the after‑the‑fact variance per staff recommendations, with the applicant required to secure the after‑the‑fact land‑clearing permit and to maintain/restore buffers per the staff exhibit. Board members stressed that any future clearing or development of the abutting property would be subject to a hydrological study and culvert sizing to accommodate storm events.
Applicant plans: Anderson said he intends to keep the cleared area for a house pad and later convert adjoining land for pasture and cattle; staff clarified that future clearing would remain subject to the 50‑foot and 25‑foot buffer requirements.
Next steps: Approval is subject to permit issuance and replanting/restoration where staff’s conditions require it; staff will assist the applicant with permitting steps.
