Morgan City planning commissioners on Tuesday discussed changes to the central commercial zoning on Commercial Street to encourage vertical mixed‑use buildings — ground‑floor commercial with residences above — and directed staff to draft an ordinance for review next month.

Planners and commissioners said the change would implement the citys adopted general plan for a mixed‑use downtown and respond to recent developer interest. Jake (planning staff) told commissioners the proposal would "add a mixed‑use building" use to the central commercial (CC) zone and said the intent is "we're adding to the toolbox. We're not taking away." The draft would require commercial frontage on the street and allow residential above and behind.

Why it matters: Commissioners said explicit code language would make development proposals easier to evaluate and could encourage reinvestment on Commercial Street, where several property owners have approached the city with conceptual mixed‑use projects. City staff said some land parcels and recent interest could support infill or redevelopment if zoning allows vertical mixed use.

Key points from the discussion

- Zoning change proposed: Add a formal mixed‑use building use in the CC zone requiring street‑front commercial and residential above or behind. The staff presentation showed examples of two‑ to four‑story buildings with parking behind or tuck‑under parking.

- Building height and massing: Staff noted the CC zone currently allows a 40‑foot height limit (35 feet in the historic overlay) and suggested considering a modest increase with a stepback (examples shown at 45 feet) so buildings read as two stories at the sidewalk while allowing additional units behind or stepped back above the street face.

- Parking strategy: Staff recommended a shared‑parking approach (commercial demand peaks daytime; residential peaks evenings) plus design options such as tuck‑under stalls and on‑site guest parking. Several commissioners said they remain concerned about on‑site parking capacity on narrow streets such as 125 (Trojan Boulevard) and asked for more analysis.

- Historic overlay interaction: Staff and commissioners noted the historic overlay already allows some mixed‑use outcomes in limited locations; the proposed change would make mixed use a clearer, permitted tool in the CC zone beyond the overlay.

- Development interest and limits of city role: Staff said at least three developers have prepared architectural drawings and approached the city about mixed‑use projects since the general plan was adopted. Staff emphasized the citys role would be to enable the use by adjusting code; private developers would still design and finance projects.

Voices from the meeting

- Jake, planning staff: "We're adding to the toolbox. We're not taking away." He framed the proposal as a relatively small, code‑level change to implement the general plan and said staff would return with draft ordinance language at the next meeting.

- Gary (city attorney): Supported using development agreements to bind design and performance standards, saying development agreements "hold the feet of the developer to the fire," and can secure elevations and other guarantees when projects advance.

- Commissioners raised specific concerns about parking and circulation on 125 and near Commercial Street, the right‑of‑way widths, and whether State Street should also be considered for mixed‑use zoning. One commissioner asked staff to prioritize a small, incremental ordinance change now and a larger downtown code overhaul as part of the 2025 planning effort.

Next steps and implementation

Commissioners asked staff to draft an ordinance amendment for the CC zone adding a mixed‑use building use, consider modest height/stepback language, and include shared‑parking provisions. Staff said they would return with draft ordinance language at the next planning commission meeting and that a broader downtown code review would follow as part of the citys ongoing downtown planning work.

No formal zoning change was adopted at the meeting; the commission provided direction to staff to prepare draft code changes for formal review and public hearings.