Planning commission postpones Lacombe rezoning after hours of public comment; community meeting set

The St. Tammany Parish Planning Commission on Tuesday postponed for one month a decision on a rezoning request for a 22.32‑acre parcel at the northwest corner of U.S. Highway 190 and Pew Road in Lacombe after more than an hour of public comment and a lengthy presentation by the petitioner’s representative.

The applicant, represented by attorney Paul Marrone, asked the commission to change the parcel from L‑1 (large‑lot residential) to S‑2 (suburban residential). Marrone told the commission the zoning and the site are consistent with the parish’s 2040 plan and that central utilities and engineered drainage would be provided if the rezoning is approved. He said the gross density calculation could show up to 129 lots but that, accounting for required streets, buffers and drainage, the realistic maximum under the parish’s Unified Development Code (UDC) is in the low 70s.

Residents pressed the commission to reject the rezoning or at least delay a decision until they receive more detailed plans. Dominic Ragusa, who lives a block from the site, said he moved to Lacombe because of its “country feel” and urged commissioners to preserve the neighborhood’s trees and spacing. Several speakers raised concerns about flooding, drainage capacity, Pew Road’s condition, wildlife displacement and loss of the tree buffer that currently separates homes from Highway 190. James Sandefer said the parcel contains land where…