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Draft road‑classification plan aims to set setbacks and developer triggers in Livingston Parish
Summary
A consultant presented a draft six‑category road classification to guide future right‑of‑way, setbacks and developer participation in upgrades; committee members asked for edits and said the framework would be incorporated into the criteria manual and development codes.
The Livingston Parish Infrastructure Committee considered a draft road‑classification system intended to guide future design standards, setbacks and when developers should contribute to roadway upgrades.
Preston Brown, the project engineer who presented the draft, described the classification work as a planning framework and emphasized its draft status: "This is not me looking to push an agenda of any kind," Preston said. He told the committee the intention is to create six broad roadway classes that would set expected right‑of‑way widths, typical cross‑sections and triggers for required improvements so parish staff, engineers and developers have consistent guidance.
Key features and thresholds Preston said the draft refocuses two neighborhood classifications (LPR and LPL) toward low‑volume streets and proposes an ADT threshold to identify neighborhood streets at under about 400 vehicles per day. He also described higher thresholds for parish arterials and collectors and mentioned a parish arterial threshold that could exceed 10,000 vehicles per day for certain corridors.
Developer participation and setbacks Preston proposed a mechanism by which a proposed development that is large enough to change a road’s classification would be required to participate in upgrades to that roadway rather than placing the full burden on the parish. "If a proposed development is so big or so comprehensive that it changes the classification of the road that it's connected to, we need that development to participate in the upgrade of that road," he said. Committee members emphasized that embedding setback requirements into classifications would reduce the likelihood of expensive property buyouts if future widening is required.
Design flexibility and special classifications The draft includes a special classification for context‑sensitive roads (schools, parks, town centers, mixed‑use developments) to allow flexibility for medians, sidewalks and shoulder treatments. Preston said he will edit the packet to adjust placeholder values such as suggested neighborhood speed limits (noting they will likely be adjusted to around 15–25 mph) and to add clearer ADT ranges and examples.
Next steps Committee members asked staff to incorporate the classification language into the broader criteria manual and development codes if the committee agrees on the framework. Preston said he will circulate a revised draft with the suggested edits and that further input from geotechnical and roadway professionals will be included before the committee takes any formal action.
