St. Charles Parish board delays tree, landscaping and parking surfacing requirements for 110‑acre boat‑launch project

The St. Charles Parish Zoning Board of Adjustments on July 16 voted to postpone three site‑improvement requirements tied to a 110‑acre boat‑launch project: the tree‑planting requirement, the 10% overall landscape minimum and the requirement for permanent, dust‑free parking surfacing. The board set an effective compliance deadline of Jan. 1, 2028, for the postponed items.

Mike Balamos, identified in the hearing as the parish chief administrative officer, told the board the project’s Phase 1 work is to make the boat launch operational and that the parish does not want to install landscaping now that will later be removed for Phase 2 development. “This is a 110 acre project overall,” Balamos said, adding that landscaping and design for the remainder of the site are in a separate planning phase slated to advance toward design late this year and into 2027.

Board members pressed for specific timing. One member asked when landscaping could realistically be installed; Balamos replied that compaction tests and surfacing plans would likely be performed in 2027 once the launch gets use and traffic, and he said the parish expected to do testing “sometime in ’27.” Planning staff noted that the 10% requirement, applied to the full 110 acres, would translate to roughly 95 trees under a code‑based analysis, while Phase 1 (about 11 acres) currently shows a small fraction (around 1–1.5%) of that requirement.

Committee members also discussed parking surface specifics. The applicant said asphalt quantities shown in the construction contract would be reconciled through change orders if not used: unused quantities would be credited back at project closeout. The parish said curb stops or parking bumpers are planned now to control vehicle movement and that a permanent surface would be installed after compaction testing indicates readiness.

During the public hearing, the parish planning director, identified as Yimmy Calabrio, told the board the request was reasonable for a site of this scale and that the administration would continue with proper site development. The board adopted three motions — each moved by Robert Lambert and seconded where recorded — to postpone compliance until Jan. 1, 2028; the motions passed by recorded voice votes.

The board directed that the variances and conditions be recorded in the case file and left open the option of staff reporting progress to the board if additional extensions or conditions are needed.