Council rejects override of mayor's veto for expanded conditional use at 806 Mooney Avenue

The Hammond City Council on Tuesday declined to override Mayor Panopeto's veto of an ordinance that would have allowed Sherry Brown Jackson to construct a duplex at 806 Mooney Avenue through an expanded conditional use.

Council members and dozens of residents debated whether approving the conditional use amounted to spot zoning in a predominantly single-family RS-3 neighborhood. The motion to override the mayor's veto was seconded and then put to roll-call votes; Councilman Wells voted yes, Councilman Leon and Councilwoman Gonzales voted no, Councilman Andrews abstained and Councilman Devittoria voted no, causing the motion to fail.

Supporters of the applicant said she sought the duplex to provide housing for family members and not for profit. Opponents, including neighbors and some council members, said the change undercuts single-family zoning and should have been handled through rezoning or more deliberate planning commission review. City planning staff explained that an expanded conditional use applies only to the applicant and that if a duplex is built and later demolished, the zoning would revert to single-family and the duplex could not be rebuilt.

Council debate touched on process as well as policy. One council member complimented the mayor's veto memorandum for pointing out procedural concerns about notice and how the item was brought forward, saying the change to a conditional use had not been noticed and advertised as such and that the matter was rushed through without adequate discussion.

The council did not take further action on 806 Mooney Avenue at the meeting. The planning history and the mayor's veto were central to the discussion; councilors who opposed the override said they would prefer clearer zoning protections (such as overlays) or a properly noticed rezoning rather than an individual conditional-use exception.