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Planning staff presents FEMA-requested Chapter 26 floodplain fixes; final action set for Nov. 18
Summary
Planning staff told the Calcasieu Planning and Zoning Board it will add FEMA/NFIP-required language to Chapter 26 to clarify allowable lower-level enclosure uses and venting/opening requirements; the board received the report and staff plans final action Nov. 18 before Police Jury recommendation Nov. 20.
Planning staff presented proposed language updates to Chapter 26 of the Calcasieu Parish Code of Ordinances on Oct. 21, 2025, to bring local floodplain regulations into alignment with FEMA/NFIP requirements. Dana Watkins, development manager and floodplain manager, said an audit following recent hurricanes found specific federal regulatory language missing from the parish ordinance regarding lower‑level enclosures and required venting/openings.
"Anything storage, parking, or building access. It cannot be used for any habitable purpose," Watkins said, describing the meaning of the phrase "underlying portions" referenced in the federal code and the parish ordinance. Watkins said the change is primarily a codification of practices already enforced locally, noting that FEMA required the parish to add the wording to the ordinance after an audit.
Staff framed the request as a technical correction: the board was asked to receive the report tonight; final action by the Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled for the Nov. 18 meeting and staff will forward a recommendation to the Police Jury for Nov. 20. Board members asked clarifying questions about whether this was a verbiage change only and staff confirmed the parish has enforced the requirement in practice but needs the explicit ordinance language to meet NFIP/FEMA standards.
The board accepted the staff report and will consider the finalized ordinance language at the November meeting before transmitting its recommendation to the Police Jury.
