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Resident raises health concerns over burned property; council expedites condemnation hearing for 306 Dewey Street
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Summary
Resident Christie Boulash told the council that a neighbor's house caught fire and people are now living in a shipping container at 306 Dewey Street, creating sanitation and safety concerns; planning and zoning staff confirmed the structure is unsafe and the council set a condemnation hearing for March 25, 2026.
Resident Christie Boulash told the Terrebonne Parish Council she and neighbors are alarmed after the house next door at 306 Dewey Street caught fire on March 1 and occupants are currently living in a shipping container on the lot with a tarp and a running generator. Boulash said the property had long been a neighborhood nuisance and called the situation a "health hazard" for residents, including herself as a cancer survivor.
"I'm here on behalf of my fellow neighbors ... The residents at 306 Dewey Street has been a nuisance way before most of y'all have been on this council," Boulash said, asking how quickly the parish could condemn and demolish the structure and remove the occupants.
Chris Pulaski, director of planning and zoning, said the property has an extended enforcement history dating to 2020 and that staff documented extensive junk and trash complaints — 243 photographs for the most recent file. Pulaski said the chief building official has documented the structure as unsafe after the fire and that staff could expedite a condemnation hearing because of the dangerous condition. He noted the zoning and building codes prohibit living in shipping containers and said public‑health authorities can be triggered to address sanitation concerns.
Councilmember Clayton Wasan moved to call a public condemnation hearing for the residential structure at 306 Dewey Street on Wednesday, 03/25/2026 at 6:30 p.m.; the motion was seconded and the chair called for a vote, after which the council announced the motion passed. Pulaski said that demolition is likely once notices go unanswered and that staff will engage the Department of Health where sanitation or plumbing is an issue.
The council did not authorize immediate demolition at the meeting; it moved the matter to a public hearing and documented staff’s plan to pursue expedited condemnation and coordination with health officials. Residents will have another opportunity to present at the scheduled hearing.
