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Ruston residents press council to require soil remediation before approving Lot 15 height increase
Summary
Dozens of Ruston residents urged the City Council at its Feb. 3 meeting to require removal of arsenic- and lead-contaminated soil from Lot 15 before granting zoning changes or height variances to the developer Terracotta, citing health risks, precedent, and the master plan; Councilmembers said the site is subject to EPA Superfund oversight and Terracotta92s Planning Commission request is scheduled for Feb. 4.
Dozens of residents urged the Ruston City Council to require removal of contaminated soil from Lot 15 before approving any increase in building height for the Terracotta proposal. "Will Terracotta commit, on the record or in writing, to removing the arsenic- and lead-contaminated soil from Lot 15?" asked resident Sophy Englund during public comment, reading a prepared statement that outlined exposure pathways and health risks associated with arsenic and lead.
Speakers including Tom Poole (representing himself and the Commencement HOA), Jody Coulston, Laura Leizear, Mary Anne Bell and others said capping the contaminated fill is insufficient, argued remediation should be required before permits are issued, and warned that approving a height variance would set a precedent they consider unfair compared with previous decisions (several speakers specifically compared Lot 15 requests to the Silver Cloud Hotel outcome). Many commenters linked long-term health risks to the presence of arsenic and lead in the fill and raised concerns about property values and oversight of past remediation efforts.
Councilmember Hedrick acknowledged the public92s concerns and said the city92s authority is limited because Lot 15 is part of a Superfund cleanup. "The City actually has very little say in how it is handled because it is a Superfund cleanup site and the EPA is the one who enforces that," he told the audience, and said Terracotta92s formal proposal would next appear before the Planning Commission on Feb. 4, 2026. Councilmember Jensen said the city should negotiate with environmental regulators while adhering to the master development plan, and Councilmember Wilson said public health is a priority and noted her background in epidemiology.
The meeting record shows no formal Council action on Lot 15 at the Feb. 3 session; the public-record statements submitted by commenters were attached to the minutes and councilmembers directed that the Planning Commission and future Council hearings will address the developer92s application and related remediation concerns.
