Commission denies HC-3 zoning for proposed wedding venue after neighbors cite traffic and safety concerns
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Summary
Commissioners denied a petition to rezone ~23 acres along LA‑437 to HC‑3 for an event venue after sustained public comment about Lee Road’s safety and suitability. The petitioner’s attorney described mitigation plans; opponents said HC‑3 allows many uses beyond a venue and posed unworkable traffic and safety risks.
The St. Tammany Parish Planning & Zoning Commission voted to deny a request to rezone roughly 23 acres on LA‑437 to HC‑3 (Highway Commercial 3) for a proposed wedding and event venue.
Attorney Doug Sancerre presented the project as a barn-style venue (Tanglewood/Camelot) with two entrances, enhanced buffering and limited, mostly weekend activity for 100–200 guests. He said the property features long driveways and would hire police officers for traffic control during events.
Opponents — including neighborhood residents and the area’s state representative who spoke at the hearing — emphasized traffic and safety problems on Lee Road and nearby roads, noting limited shoulders, ditches, and a local crash history. Jay Pellegrino Jr., who said he lives across from the site, called HC‑3 “wholly inappropriate” for the rural residential area and warned that “once it’s zoned HC‑3 all uses permitted under HC‑3 will be permitted on this property”. Other opponents raised concerns about drunk-driving risk on local secondary roads used as alternate routes.
Commission debate centered on whether HC‑3 was the only district that could allow an event venue and whether site-specific conditions could mitigate public-safety risks. Staff explained that under the current UDC event venues that might serve alcohol trigger HC‑3. Commissioners discussed postponement to seek alternatives; a postponement motion failed to secure a second. Commissioner Trucillo moved to deny and a second was made; the motion to deny carried. The transcript records the commission’s denial but does not show a roll-call tally.
Why it matters: Opponents said the HC‑3 designation is the most intense commercial zoning and would allow future uses beyond a limited event venue. Petitioners said the intended use would be controlled, periodic and could include traffic control measures, but commissioners and neighbors concluded the long-term zoning risk and local road safety weighed against approval.
What comes next: The petitioner can appeal the decision to the St. Tammany Parish Council; the transcript indicates interest in further study or alternative zoning options but the formal vote was a denial.