Longtime driving-school owner says zoning ruling left her unable to reopen after fire; planning director cites UDC definition
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Summary
Small-business owner Gisela Chevalier told the council a post-fire relocation was denied because planning staff classed her driving school as a vocational (C-2) use; Planning Director said the unified development code treats driving schools as vocational educational facilities and changing the code would take months.
Gisela Chevalier, who said she has owned two small businesses in Kenner for about 35 years and operated a driving school for 27 years, told the City Council she lost her business space to a fire on Oct. 13 and secured a potential new location that passed inspections. Chevalier told council staff informed her the new occupancy required C-2 zoning because driving schools are classified under the city's unified development code as vocational educational facilities; she said she had not previously been told that requirement and has been unable to work for more than a month as a result.
"I had never been told or required ... that the taxes and licenses I have been paying was supposed to be C-2," Chevalier said during the public-comment period. She asked for help and said she was willing to provide documentation about her school's activities.
Planning Director Christopher Slowinski (identified in the hearing as Mister Skwinski/Slowinski) responded that the UDC's definition of vocational educational facilities explicitly references driving schools and that such uses are allowed in C-2 districts but not C-1. He said he has discretion to find 'gray area' where possible, but that the UDC language here specifically mentions driving schools and that changing the ordinance to allow driving schools in C-1 would take five to six months.
The council invited Chevalier to meet with planning staff after the meeting and suggested she could return to a future council meeting if issues remained unresolved.
Why it matters: The exchange highlights how zoning-code definitions can affect legacy small businesses after an emergency and the time it takes to amend code definitions. It also illustrates a common municipal tension between administrative codes and longstanding local practice.
Next steps: Planning staff to meet with Chevalier to explain options; council offered the option of returning to a future meeting if the issue is not resolved administratively.