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After heated public comment, council grants limited hardship waiver for Beachwood Ridge property
Summary
Following extended public hearing and objections from neighbors citing recorded subdivision restrictions, the Livingston Parish Council voted 5‑3 March 26 to grant a limited hardship waiver allowing a manufactured/modular home for an elderly relative on a lot in Beachwood Ridge; opponents warned the decision could set a precedent and urged adherence to recorded covenants.
The Livingston Parish Council on March 26 approved a hardship waiver allowing a manufactured/modular home to be placed on a lot in the Beachwood Ridge subdivision for the applicant’s elderly relative, after an hour‑plus of public comment from neighbors and legal counsel.
Adrien Bordalon, a neighbor, urged the council to deny the request and cited recorded subdivision restrictions filed with the clerk of court that, he said, "state that house trailers are not allowed temporarily or permanently for any reason on any property." Bordalon warned that approval "would put our entire subdivision on a permanent waiver list" and remove future council oversight.
Applicant counsel Ricky Simmons said the ordinance’s waiver provisions permit appeals and noted there are separate filings and inconsistent enforcement across the development’s different filings. He also called attention to nearby properties with temporary housing placements and argued that the council could grant a limited waiver without changing the subdivision’s recorded covenants.
Council debate focused on two issues: (1) the legal classification of the structure (manufactured vs. modular) and whether that classification is barred by the recorded restrictions for the specific filing, and (2) precedent and enforcement concerns. Council members who voted against the waiver said they were concerned about opening the door to additional waivers in the future; supporters said this was a narrowly tailored hardship case and that the applicant had pursued the appropriate permitting path.
The motion to grant the waiver passed by voice vote with five yeses and three nos (Councilmen Shavers, Coats and Erdie voted no). Council directed staff to process the waiver consistent with the ordinance and to note explicitly in the waiver record that it does not automatically place the subdivision on a permanent mobile‑home waiver list.
Next steps: Staff will document the waiver with conditions and file appropriate permit records. Neighbors indicated they may pursue civil enforcement regarding recorded covenants; the council’s action does not itself modify private covenants recorded with the clerk of court.
(Source: public hearing and recorded votes at the March 26, 2026 Livingston Parish Council meeting.)
