Ascension Parish Planning Commission approves three family partitions after debate over private road upkeep

The Ascension Parish Planning Commission met June 10 at the Ascension Parish Courthouse and approved three family-partition subdivision petitions while also hearing a staff briefing on proposed bylaws changes and a public complaint about upkeep of a private servitude-of-passage road.

The meeting opened with the swearing-in of Marshon Spencer as a newly appointed planning and zoning commissioner. Chair remarks were limited; commissioners then heard a briefing from Mr. Nasser, who led a bylaws committee review. "There wasn't anything really wrong with the existing bylaws," he said, but the committee recommended clarifications and proposed drafting two separate sets of bylaws — one for the zoning commission and one for the planning commission — because the two bodies operate under different Louisiana Revised Statutes. The committee aims to present a draft to the commission before the July meeting with a potential adoption in August.

During the public hearing on a family partition of the Jared D. Crier property, neighbor Grace Crier asked how a narrow gravel servitude would be maintained if the parcel were split into additional lots. "It's very hard to maintain it right now...we're 75," she said, describing how neighbors have shouldered maintenance and that delivery trucks are tearing up the drive. She asked whether the parish could "blacktop" the road.

Eric Poche, the parish director of planning and development, responded that the road is a private servitude of passage and that "it is very unlikely that the parish would take it in and pave it." He said that, to be accepted for parish maintenance and paving, property owners would first need to bring the road up to parish standards, form an infrastructure development district (which would assess homeowners), and obtain a unanimous vote of the parish council to accept the road into the maintenance system. Poche advised that owners record deed restrictions among themselves to clarify maintenance responsibilities and noted a 25-by-20-foot concrete apron at the road entrance is required before rear-lot building permits are issued.

Commissioners also clarified that the tract at issue was originally created in 1995, which affects applicability of later redivision rules. After the discussion and staff assurances that subdivision conditions would be enforced, the commission approved the Jared D. Crier family partition. Two additional family-partition petitions (the JN James tract and the Lewis Turo subdivision) were reviewed; staff said comments had been addressed and the commission voted to approve both petitions. During the Lewis Turo discussion, Commissioner Sneider asked whether conservation zoning restricted density; staff explained that the family partition rules allow half-acre minimum lots in these proceedings.

Minutes from the May 13, 2026 meeting and consent-agenda affidavit items were also approved earlier in the meeting. The planning portion of the agenda was adjourned and the body proceeded to the zoning session.

The commission did not provide detailed roll-call tallies in the public transcript for each motion; votes were taken using the commission's electronic voting process. Next procedural steps noted on several petitions include completion of required aprons and any required deed restrictions or development-district steps before final permits are issued.