Hammond council tables overhaul of group‑home rules after residents press for stronger safeguards

City of Hammond planning staff and councilors on Aug. 12 paused a proposed rewrite of the city's zoning rules for group living and care facilities after extended public comment and concern from multiple council members.

Planner Frankie Legault told the council the draft is intended to "clarify what type of group home" the city would allow and to provide "specific use standards" aligned with Louisiana Revised Statutes and federal Fair Housing law. "When we look at group homes in Louisiana, there are over 50 different types of group homes you can have," she said, noting the draft adds definitions and standards so staff and boards can apply appropriate conditions.

Residents and several council members said the proposal as drafted would open many single‑family neighborhoods to new group uses and asked for limits. One neighborhood speaker who said three group homes had "snuck in" without paperwork urged the council to prioritize enforcement and community notice. District 3 Councilman Sam (district reference in transcript) said his constituents "need to have a good understanding and feel comfortable" before the code changes take effect.

Councilors discussed several policy options raised during the hearing: keeping some group uses permitted in certain RS (single‑family) districts but making others conditional, adding nonconforming language and grandfathering rules for existing, lawfully permitted operations, and placing provisions about alcohol/drug users and certain criminal histories at the start of the standards so they are checked immediately. Planner Legault and administration staff said they would refine the language and examine whether some RS districts should be restricted or shifted to conditional status while avoiding unlawful discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.

After the public discussion, the council voted to table the ordinance to allow more time for council input, clearer language on permitted versus conditional uses, and further outreach to affected neighborhoods. City administration said staff will work with council members to revise the draft and return it for additional hearings and review.

What happens next: The ordinance is paused; staff will revise the definitions and specific use standards, consider changes to conditional/ permitted status in RS districts, and bring a revised draft back for further planning commission review and public comment.