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Council grants variances to Cutoff resident for fire-hydrant proximity and frontage; members raise safety concerns
Summary
Jessica Delone asked the council for a hydrant-proximity variance (under a 500-foot requirement) and a reduced frontage from 25 ft to 15 ft; council granted the hydrant variance by recorded vote and later approved the frontage reduction; members pressed staff on uniform application and fire-safety implications.
Jessica Delone appeared during public comment to request two variances related to a proposed land division affecting her property: an exception to the parish subdivision regulation requiring a fire hydrant within 500 feet of the lot, and a reduction of required frontage from 25 feet to 15 feet. Delone provided maps and letters from the fire district describing how firefighters would access water and said the district did not foresee operational problems for existing conditions.
Planning staff explained current regulations require a hydrant within 500 feet of a created lot; the planning commission had not recommended the hydrant variance. Council members emphasized public-safety considerations and the need to apply rules uniformly. Councilmember Lraine and others noted similar cases across the parish and said any rule changes should be made consistently.
The council voted to grant the hydrant variance (motion recorded in the minutes as passing with six yays and two nays; Councilman Adams was noted absent). Later the council approved the separate ordinance reducing frontage from 25 feet to 15 feet as recommended by the planning commission (vote recorded as 8 yays, 0 nays, 1 absent). Delone said she hoped to clear title issues and then purchase the adjacent frontage to make access to the highway.
Council members said they appreciated fire-district input and suggested the parish consider revising the 500-foot rule to address modern equipment and operational realities; staff said a 1,000-foot standard was under discussion at the fire-district level but not in effect.
