Council overturns Donovan zoning denial, delays larger Pew Road rezoning for public meeting
Summary
The council unanimously overturned a planning commission denial allowing the Donovans to subdivide 10 acres, while postponing a contested Pew Road rezoning for 30 days to hold a community meeting on density, drainage and road impacts.
The Saint Tammany Parish Council on Dec. 4 overturned a planning commission denial and approved a family subdivision for Charles and Rachel Donovan, but postponed a separate, larger petition to rezone about 22 acres near Pew Road for one month to allow a community meeting and more staff analysis.
In the first appeal, the Donovans asked the council to permit creation of a roughly 2‑acre lot from a 10.1‑acre parcel they have owned for years. Neighbors and a nearby property owner, Greg Krauss, opposed the request, saying a required 50‑foot no‑cut buffer had been cleared and a driveway placed in restricted area. Krauss presented alleged permit documents and said code enforcement had posted the property. The Donovans and their attorney said previous permits and surveys showed the current driveway alignment and that staff had recommended a flag‑lot configuration to accommodate existing access. After questions from council members and staff clarification that a code enforcement case is open but a violation has not been determined, the council voted to overturn the planning commission denial; the motion passed unanimously with one absence.
Later the council took up a separate rezoning request for about 22 acres along U.S. 190 near Pew Road. The applicant sought s2 suburban residential zoning, proposing roughly 70‑plus lots with central utilities and buffers. Developer representatives and affiliated contractors emphasized affordable single‑family housing and pledged infrastructure work and drainage retention measures. Opponents from the Lacombe/Bayou area described recurring flooding, questioned drainage and school capacity, and warned that gross density figures in staff reports (a cited 129 gross lots) were misleading if buffers, streets and retention areas were subtracted.
Staff and the applicant said net achievable lots were lower; the developer and their planner suggested a realistic maximum in the mid‑70s, while some council members and residents warned that an s2 zoning could legally allow higher lot counts if later developed differently. Council chair and staff proposed a 30‑day postponement to hold a community meeting in Lacombe, where staff will present detailed density, drainage, traffic and school‑capacity analysis; the council voted to postpone and schedule that meeting before the next hearing.
The actions mean the Donovan subdivision proceeds with council approval, while the larger Lacombe rezoning will return after the requested technical review and community engagement.
