Bossier City council rejects rezoning for 2290 Benton Road after residents cite traffic and crash concerns

The Bossier City Council on July 7 rejected a request to rezone 2290 Benton Road from residential low-density to B1 neighborhood commercial for a proposed chiropractic office, concluding a lengthy public comment period and exchanges with staff and the applicant.

Residents from Old Green Acres and nearby streets appealed to the council to deny the change, citing traffic, safety and property-value concerns. "This is the number one accident place of all of Bossier City," said Kathleen McNair, who lives at 2300 Benton Road, recounting two crashes in a five-hour span in June and saying recent incidents have blocked her driveway and increased risks for her family. Multiple neighbors described an increase in speeding and large trucks on Douglas Drive and said adding customer traffic would worsen conditions for older residents and children.

The applicant and his representative said the clinic would be low-volume and would fit the existing commercial corridor. "We plan on paving the big backyard and have ample parking in the back," said the applicant, who described clinic volume as "three to four people an hour" and said his practice provides services to Medicaid and Medicare patients. Mike Marino, speaking for the applicant, said the site fronts Benton Road, DOTD had approved the proposed access points and the Metropolitan Planning Commission had twice approved the rezoning.

Council asked city staff for objective traffic and crash information. Richard Ray presented crash reports and said collisions at the Douglas Drive–Benton Road area rose sharply over recent years, from 0 in 2022 to 11 year-to-date through June 30, 2026, which he annualized to about 22 crashes at that intersection. "We're not talking about little fender benders. We're talking about major crashes with major injuries," Ray said.

Council debated possible mitigations including limiting access points, requiring privately posted no-parking signs to prevent client parking on Douglas Drive, and engineering changes that require DOTD approval such as median extensions or curb-cut adjustments. The council moved to amend the rezoning ordinance to require the property owner to purchase and maintain no-parking signs on Douglas Drive at the owner's expense; that amendment failed on roll-call vote.

After the amendment failed, the council held a roll-call vote on the rezoning itself. The roll-call sequence recorded the following responses: Vince Maggio — Nay; Chris Smith — Nay; Brian Hammonds — Nay; Cliff Smith — Nay; Creighton Cochran — No; Deborah Ross — No; Joel Girard — Yes. The motion to approve the rezoning failed.

Because the council voted down the rezoning, no zoning change was made and the property remains in its existing residential classification. Council members noted the MPC had placed conditions restricting further commercial encroachment north of Douglas Drive; staff and council discussed continuing coordination with DOTD and the MPC on traffic mitigation and notice procedures.

The council moved on to other business after the vote; the meeting included multiple other ordinance introductions and approvals.