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Committee recommends one‑year extension of PUD moratorium for areas north of U.S. 80
Summary
Staff recommended and the Road/Subdivision Regulations Committee recommended a one‑year extension of the Planned Unit Development (PUD) moratorium for the Benton MPC and the Bossier City‑Parish MPC area north of U.S. Highway 80 to Kingston Road, citing problems with current PUD practice and a need for consultant‑led revisions and community input.
Carlotta Askew‑Brown, executive director of the Bossier City‑Parish and Benton Metropolitan Planning Commissions, presented maps and urged the committee to extend the current Planned Unit Development (PUD) moratorium in the hashed Bossier City–Parish area north of U.S. Highway 80 and across the Benton MPC jurisdiction.
"Extending the moratorium in these areas is the recommendation of staff," Askew‑Brown said, explaining that the moratorium would give planners time to work with consultants and hold community meetings so "everyone has a voice in future development." She recommended a one‑year extension and said standard subdivision applications would continue to be processed normally while PUDs seeking deviations from development guidelines would be paused.
Parish Attorney Patrick Jackson told jurors that, in practice, PUDs in the parish have allowed reductions in sidewalks, streetlights, street widths and setbacks without reliably securing the compensating amenities that theory assumes. "The goal for updating PUD regulations is to remove the staff’s arbitrary ability to pick winners and losers as PUDs have been a failure in the parish," Jackson said.
Jurors debated scope and timeline. John Ed Jorden said he had asked previously to remove his district from the moratorium and said he supported development; Eric Hudson, parish engineer, noted much of Jorden’s district lacks community water and sewer and is therefore ineligible for PUDs. Philip Rodgers, attending by Zoom, said he supported the extension to allow a more usable product to guide future development.
Doug Rimmer moved, and Julian Darby seconded, a recommendation to extend the current PUD moratorium one year in the Benton MPC and the Bossier City‑Parish MPC area north of U.S. Highway 80 to Kingston Road. The motion carried with Mr. Jorden opposing. Dr. Ken Ward said the extension will be placed on the July 1, 2026 regular meeting agenda for a police jury vote.
Why it matters: The committee’s recommendation pauses developer requests for PUD departures that could alter local standards for setbacks, street widths and utilities while staff and consultants work on revised regulations and community engagement plans.
