Morgan City Council adopts rezone for portion of 330 N. 300 W amid heated neighborhood concerns

Morgan City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 25-05-15 on Nov. 25, 2025, rezoning the back portion of a 1.95-acre parcel at approximately 330 North 300 West (Island Road) from Rural Residential (RR) to R1-10, a change staff said aligns with the city’s medium-density designation in the general plan.

The rezone occupied the meeting’s principal substantive discussion. City staff described the rezone as applying to the back half of the parcel (about 1.2 acres) and noted that planning staff and the planning commission had recommended approval. Jake, a city planner, told the council that planning staff and engineering reviewed preliminary access and that a flag-lot arrangement could be feasible if the owners submit a future building application. “We had a public hearing at the planning commission and there were concerns about safety and access on Island Road,” Jake said, noting that no new public streets are proposed for the parcel.

The approval came after an extended work-session on broader land-use priorities where staff asked council members to rank topics so the planning commission and staff could better align ordinance updates with the council’s goals. Ty, a city staff member, told the council the city has grants for a downtown-area plan and an active-trails/master-plans package and urged elected members to identify priorities so staff can “drive the bus” and coordinate subsequent ordinance work.

Residents turned out in force during public comment and criticized recent rezonings, particularly the Wardell Brothers project near Jenny Lane. Scott Jensen, who lives on 700 East, said he had submitted an alternative concept to the city and developer. Sherry Jensen told the council, “We’re just plain not happy,” and described what she said would be added traffic, garbage cans and years of neighborhood impact if the developer’s plan proceeds without change. Several other residents raised concerns about construction impacts, stormwater and erosion, parking shortages, and whether the city’s notice for hearings sufficiently reaches affected neighbors.

Council discussion after public comment focused on two themes: (1) how the council should set and communicate land-use priorities to guide staff and the planning commission, and (2) whether the city’s public-notice methods for rezonings should be reassessed. One council member suggested that staff, the mayor and a small working group bring back options for improving public notice and consider tabling hearings when more information is needed. Staff and the council also reviewed procedural options (tabling versus denial versus reconsideration) and legal constraints lawmakers have placed on local decisionmaking.

The ordinance vote was moved, seconded and called by the mayor; the chair said, “That’s unanimous.” The motion approved the zoning map amendment as described in the ordinance text and included standard severability and effective-date language. The council did not record a roll-call of individual yes/no votes in the transcript.

What happens next: approval of the rezone changes the parcel’s legislative designation; any future subdivision or building will require separate administrative reviews and permits, including fire, engineering and a potential flag-lot layout. Staff told the council preliminary technical reviews were favorable but emphasized that a building application was not part of the rezone decision tonight.

The council also used the meeting to request a short-term follow-up on two items residents raised during public comment: (1) staff to report back on practical notification-improvement options for rezones and (2) prioritization of active-transportation/sidewalk connections on Island Road as part of the capital-improvement list. The council adjourned after approving other consent items later in the meeting.

Sources: council discussion and staff presentation; public comments by Scott Jensen, Sherry Jensen, Jim Hendershot, Zane Kilder and Linda Gale during the Nov. 25, 2025 Morgan City Council meeting.