Hammond council approves rezoning to let behavioral health clinic add 24 beds; residents ask about security and services
Loading...
Summary
The Hammond City Council adopted an ordinance rezoning parcels on South Oak Street to allow Universal Health to expand an existing behavioral health facility with outpatient services and 24 additional beds, and approved revoking two unused rights of way to consolidate the site. Residents pressed the company and staff about staffing, licensing and perimeter security.
Hammond — The City Council on Feb. 24 adopted a rezoning ordinance and an accompanying right‑of‑way revocation to let an existing behavioral health provider expand its South Oak Street facility with outpatient services and 24 additional beds.
City staff presented the request as an amendment to land use for three parcels on South Oak Street submitted by applicant Joe Lombardo on behalf of Universal Health. Planning and Zoning recommended approval 5‑0. Council members voted to adopt the ordinance and the revocation allowing the developer to combine lots and extend the building footprint.
During public comment, resident Sal Nicolozzi asked who manages the clinic and whether the expansion would include appropriate clinical supervision and secure outdoor space. An on‑site representative for Universal Health said the facility currently operates 36 beds and routinely reaches capacity, and the additional beds respond to what the representative called a community need for mental‑health inpatient capacity. The representative said the facility employs “a psychiatrist and three psychiatric nurse practitioners” on payroll and is subject to regular inspections by the Louisiana Department of Health and CMS.
Council members probed security and site design. Staff and the Universal Health representative said the facility is access controlled, employees use ID cards to move within the building, and outdoor areas are enclosed by a 10‑foot concrete wall. “Nobody can walk in or out,” the representative said of the facility’s access controls.
The rezoning request also included a petition to revoke two unused rights of way that run across the property; staff said those revocations are necessary to consolidate the footprint for the expansion. The drainage district provided written comment, read into the record by city staff, saying it takes “no exception to the abandonment of the road/alleys” but will review design documents to ensure construction does not encroach on a 100‑foot drainage servitude.
Supporters framed the expansion as meeting unmet demand. A Universal Health representative told the council, “We stay full with 36 beds, and we have a justified need to have more beds so we can better serve the community.” Residents and some council members urged clarity on oversight and neighborhood impacts before final construction and emphasized continuing permitting and inspections.
What happens next: The council adopted the ordinances at the meeting. Staff said detailed design and any required plan reviews will follow and that the drainage servitude and final engineering will be reviewed as part of project permitting.
