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IS GONNA ROOM WHEN IT COMES.[Planning Advisory Board on April 28, 2026.]
EVENING EVERYONE.UM, FOR EVERYONE THAT DOESN'T KNOW ME, I KEEP FORGETTING.
I'M THE PLANNING DIRECTOR HERE FOR JEFFERSON PARISH.
THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME TONIGHT TO BE HERE AS WE INTRODUCE, UM, THE UDC UPDATE.
SO WE ARE UPDATING, UM, OUR UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE, WHICH INCLUDES NOT ONLY DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS, BUT ALSO THE OUR ZONING REGULATIONS.
UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW CURRENTLY, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, OUR DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS ARE SPLIT BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT CHAPTERS.
IN OUR CODE OF ORDINANCES, WE HAVE CHAPTER 33, WHICH IS THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE, UH, WHICH HAS DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND SOME ZONING.
AND THEN WE HAVE CHAPTER 40, WHICH IS OUR ZONING ORDINANCE.
UM, AND THAT HAS THE MAJORITY OF OUR ZONING DISTRICTS IN IT.
THE BIGGEST, UM, THING THAT WE'RE ASKING IS, UH, OUT OF THIS PROJECT IS TO COMBINE THE TWO SO THAT WE HAVE A TRULY UNIFIED, UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE SO THAT THE PLANNERS AND THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY AND OUR SURVEYORS, UH, DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT CHAPTERS.
AND, UM, WE'D REALLY LIKE TO DECREASE THE COMPLEXITY INVOLVED WITH THAT.
SO, UH, WE DID RECEIVE SOME GRANT FUNDING TO GO AHEAD AND UPDATE OUR UDC.
UM, WITH THAT FUNDING WE HAVE HIRED, UH, CAMARO'S CONSULTING GROUP, OR ROS, EXCUSE ME, ROS, LTD.
WE WERE CHOSEN BY THE COUNCIL IN FALL OF LAST YEAR.
WE HAVE STARTED WORKING, BUT THIS IS NOW WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO AMP UP THE PROJECT.
SO TONIGHT IS THE FIRST OF OUR PROJECT INTRODUCTION MEETINGS.
WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON THE WEST BANK TOMORROW NIGHT, AND I'LL LET, UH, ROS WITH ARISTA TAKE IT FROM HERE.
UH, WELL, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING.
REALLY APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME OUT TO COME AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
I AM A PRINCIPAL AND PARTNER IN CAMAROS.
I'VE BEEN THERE FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS AT THIS POINT.
UM, I AM JOINED BY ANOTHER PRINCIPAL OF THE FIRM C JEANETTE.
UH, HE'S BEEN THERE 13 YEARS, 10 YEARS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, AND OUR THREE YEAR VETERAN, UH, MITCH CORONA.
AND WE WORK TOGETHER, UH, REALLY RUNNING THE ZONING SIDE OF THE FIRM.
SO WE'RE HERE, UH, TODAY TO REALLY TALK ABOUT KIND OF WHAT THIS PROJECT IS AND, AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING MOVING INTO THE FUTURE.
UH, WE ARE A PLANNING AND ZONING FIRM LOCATED IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
UM, THOUGH THESE ARE OUR TWO REMOTE EMPLOYEES FROM LOUISVILLE AND NORTH CAROLINA, RESPECTIVELY.
UH, WE WORK ON A VARIETY OF PROJECTS.
SO IN ADDITION TO ZONING AND UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODES, WHICH IS KINDA MY AREA OF PRACTICE WITHIN THE FIRM, WE HAVE OTHERS THAT WORK ON MASTER PLANS, DOWNTOWN PLANS, NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS, KINDA THE FULL GAMUT OF THINGS.
SO WE HAVE EXPERTISE WITHIN THE OFFICE THAT WE CAN DRAW UPON AS WE BRING THINGS FROM, UH, KINDA THE POLICY LEVEL DOWN TO THE REGULATORY LEVEL, WHICH IS THE RULES AND THE TECHNICAL DETAILS.
UM, IN THE 50 YEARS THAT CIRRUS HAS BEEN AROUND THIS NOVEMBER, IT'LL BE 50.
UH, WE'VE WORKED ON ZONING PROJECTS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
UM, WE'VE WORKED ON PROJECTS, UH, KIND OF AROUND HERE, SUCH AS SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, UM, AND OTHER PLACES SUCH AS KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS, UH, BUFFALO, NEW YORK, CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.
UM, THESE ARE SOME OF THE BIGGER CITIES, BUT WE'VE WORKED ON PARISHES AND COUNTIES AND SOME SMALL, SMALL PLACES ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO WE'RE REALLY KIND OF BRINGING, UM, THE KIND OF LESSONS WE'VE LEARNED FROM ALL THOSE PLACES HERE TO THIS PROJECT.
UM, ALSO, YOU, MAYBE I'M FAMILIAR TO SOME, I RECOGNIZE A COUPLE FACES HERE.
UM, I AM FROM, OBVIOUSLY CAMAROS WORKED ON THE INDUSTRIAL ZONING UPDATES.
SO WE WERE HERE WORKING ON THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND SOME HELP WITH THE CONDITIONAL REZONING PROCESS.
UM, THIS IS WHERE WE LEARNED YOU'RE OPERATING UNDER TWO CODES, AND I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS FAIR TO YOUR GREAT STAFF TO HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WORK UNDER TWO CODES.
IT CREATES A LOT OF PROBLEMS AND INCONSISTENCIES AND, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ONE OF THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF ZONING IS PROBABLY MAYBE HAVE EVERYTHING ALL IN ONE PLACE RATHER THAN SPLIT IT UP BETWEEN TWO.
UM, OUR PHILOSOPHY, WHEN WE APPROACH A ZONING PROJECT, WE'RE NOT DOGMATIC.
UH, WE'RE NOT COMING TO TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A FORM BASED CODE, OR YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PERFORMANCE BASED CODE.
WE WANT YOU TO HAVE A CODE THAT ADDRESSES YOUR ISSUES, YOUR CONCERNS, YOUR GOALS IN THE WAY THAT'S BEST APPROPRIATE FOR THAT.
SO WE PULL FROM ALL THOSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF ZONING TECHNIQUES.
WE'RE WELL VERSED IN ALL OF THEM TO CREATE WHAT WE TYPICALLY CALL A HYBRID CODE, UH, WHERE WE'RE USING THE BEST OF WHAT WE'VE GOT, THE BEST TOOLS WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC ISSUES AND CONCERNS HERE IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT ALL OF THOSE, AND AS WE START TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, WE'LL BE ABLE TO KIND OF PULL THOSE TECHNIQUES INTO THE CODE, UM, AS NEEDED TO ADDRESS, UH, WHAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS WITHIN IT.
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WELL, ZONING IS A VERY TECHNICAL THING.UH, SOME OF YOU, IF ANY OF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IT OR YOU'VE LOOKED AT THESE CODES, IT'S A VERY TECHNICAL, TECHNICALLY BASED PROCESS.
THESE ARE THE RULES FOR DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE TO TAKE KIND OF AN ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO HOW WE ADDRESS THE CODE.
SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE LOOK AT, UM, AS WE START TO WORK ON A CODE UPDATE PROCESS.
UH, WE DO AN A LOT OF ANALYSIS BY GIS.
IT'S REALLY MITCH'S AREA OF EXPERTISE, UH, WHERE WE KIND OF TAKE A LOOK AT DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS, THINGS LIKE LOT SIZES.
UH, IT'S REALLY ASSESS WHAT'S GOING ON ON THE GROUND.
UH, WE ALSO TALK A LOT TO STAFF TO UNDERSTAND KIND OF WHAT REALLY HAPPENS OUT THERE IN THE REAL WORLD AND WHAT HAPPENS ON THE BOOK.
SO WE KIND OF TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT GAP IS BETWEEN WHAT'S WRITTEN DOWN, BUT HOW THINGS REALLY OPERATE.
UH, WHEN SOMEBODY COMES IN WITH A DEVELOPMENT, A APPLICATION, UH, WE DO A LOT OF RESEARCH WHEN ISSUES COME UP AND THINGS WE WANNA ADDRESS, WE IDENTIFY ISSUES, AND THEN WE START TO, TO DO A LOT OF ANALYSIS, A LOT OF RESEARCH, UM, EVEN THINGS LIKE A BUILD OUT ANALYSIS TO TEST THE STANDARDS THAT WE'RE DRAFTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WORK.
SO REALLY KIND OF UNDERSTANDING IF WE SAID THESE ARE ALL THE SETBACKS, WILL THIS BUILD A NORMAL SIZED HOUSE? JUST AS AN EASY EXAMPLE, UM, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, YOU'LL SEE THERE WILL BE A LOT OF EDUCATIONAL AND EXPLANATORY MATERIALS THAT WE PRODUCE.
THE BEGINNING OF A PROCESS LIKE THIS IS REALLY INFORMATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL.
IT'S GONNA GET EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE.
SOME PEOPLE ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH ZONING, OTHERS ARE NOT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS WHAT ZONING CAN AND CAN'T DO.
SO WHAT IS THIS PROCESS THAT WE'RE UNDERTAKING? AND WE'RE AT THE VERY, VERY BEGINNING OF THIS.
SO SOME OF THIS IS, UH, ONGOING TASKS THAT ARE GONNA HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
THE FIRST IS THE PROJECT WEBSITE.
WE'LL PUT THAT ADDRESS UP FOR YOU AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, BUT IT'S JP UDC.COM.
UM, THAT IS THE HUB THAT CONTAINS ALL THE MATERIALS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE RELEASING, AN ABILITY TO COMMENT, CONTACT INFORMATION, UM, ALL KINDS, ALL KINDS OF INFORMATION WILL BE LOCATED THERE.
SO FOR US, IT'S KIND OF THAT CENTRAL HUB THAT KEEPS EVERYTHING TOGETHER.
UH, WE DO HAVE A PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, WHICH IS REALLY MORE OF A TECHNICAL STAFF COMMITTEE THAT WILL HELP US KIND OF UNDERSTAND ITEMS AS WE'RE DRAFTING THEM.
YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH THE CODE EVERY DAY.
IS WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING FEASIBLE? DOES IT WORK? THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT AS WELL AS A PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMPRISED OF OTHERS FROM PLACES LIKE JED CO AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO REALLY KIND OF UNDERSTAND, UM, KIND OF TAKE THE INFORMATION, UNDERSTAND THEIR PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS THAT WE'RE DRAFTING, AND TAKE THAT INFORMATION OUT TO PEOPLE THAT THEY KNOW.
UH, INFORMATIONAL MATERIALS WILL BE PREPARED AT EACH STEP.
I KIND OF TOUCHED ON THAT ALREADY.
UH, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT STUFF READY TO GO WHEN WE'RE RELEASING SOMETHING SO THAT IT EXPLAINS THESE KIND OF MORE TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS.
UM, AND THEN KIND OF AS PART OF THIS BIGGER PROCESS, UH, WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE PARISH.
SO WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS THAT THE PARISH CAN TRANSLATE TO OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECTS THAT COME FORTH INTO THE FUTURE? SO THAT'S REALLY, THESE ARE ALL ONGOING, ALL PART OF THIS WHOLE UDC UPDATE PROCESS.
SO THE FIRST PART IS, UM, THE UDC UPDATE PROCESS.
PHASE ONE, UH, US LEARNING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, GATHERING BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
UH, A FEW MONTHS AGO WE HAD AN INTERNAL KICKOFF WHERE STAFF DROVE US AROUND THE PARISH FOR A COUPLE DAYS, GETTING A SENSE OF KIND OF HOW THINGS LOOK ON THE GROUND, REALLY COMING TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
UH, WE'VE STARTED TO REVIEW PILES AND PILES OF MATERIAL, WHICH IS IMPORTANT.
BACKGROUND PLANS, OTHER ZONING STUDIES.
AND THEN WE CONDUCTED SOME LISTENING SESSIONS WITH SOME BDC USERS, JUST KIND OF FOLKS THAT WORK WITH IT ON A, A REALLY PRETTY COMMON BASIS.
UM, THINGS LIKE DEVELOPERS OR ENGINEERS, JUST TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY'RE INTERFACING WITH THE CODE RIGHT NOW.
SO IT'S REALLY NOT SO MUCH THAT WE'RE GETTING DIRECTION, WE'RE JUST UNDERSTANDING TECHNICALLY HOW THESE DOCUMENTS ARE WORKING.
AND THEN FINALLY, WE'RE HERE, UH, THE PROJECT INTRODUCTION MEETINGS.
SO WE'RE HAVING THIS MEETING TONIGHT HERE ON THE EAST BANK.
WE'LL BE GOING TO THE WEST BANK TOMORROW.
YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME TWICE IF YOU'D LIKE.
UH, REALLY JUST TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND, UH, GET EVERYBODY KIND OF ON THE SAME PAGE OF WHERE WE'RE KICKING OFF THIS PROJECT.
SO MOVING FORWARD, PHASE TWO WOULD BE THE CODE FRAMEWORK REPORT.
AND WHAT THIS IS, IS A DOCUMENT THAT TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE CODE AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.
SO IT'S KINDA THAT 30,000 FEET.
WHAT WE DO IS WE IDENTIFY SOME OF THE ISSUES, WE IDENTIFY SOME OF THE CONCERNS.
WE IDENTIFY WAYS THAT IT MAY OR MAY NOT ALIGN WITH CERTAIN PLANS.
AND THEN WE PROPOSE APPROACHES AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO IT'S A REALLY HIGH LEVEL DOCUMENT THAT DISCUSSES WHERE WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO GO, AND WE BRING THAT OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
EVERYBODY WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND TO THAT, TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THAT DOCUMENT.
TELL US WE'RE DOING, WE'RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, OR NO, YOU'VE GOT THIS COMPLETELY WRONG.
SO WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KIND OF, WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING ALL THE INPUT THAT WE CAN.
SO THERE'LL BE MEETINGS WITH, YOU KNOW, BOTH THE PUBLIC AS WELL AS THE DIFFERENT PARISH ADMINISTRATORS.
JUST TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS, IS SETTING THE STAGE FOR WHERE WE'RE GONNA GO IN THE NEXT PHASE, WHICH IS PHASE THREE.
UH, THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT
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CODE.SO WE START THIS PROCESS WITH AN INTERNAL DRAFT, UM, THAT'S GOT A LOT OF HOLES IN IT, A LOT OF THINGS WE MAY NOT UNDERSTAND.
AND WE GO THROUGH A REVIEW PROCESS WITH STAFF TO GET THAT DRAFT INTO SHAPE FOR THE FIRST PUBLIC RELEASE, WHICH IS THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE UDC COMPLETE WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, GOES OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
AND WHAT WE DO THERE IS REALLY, WE HAVE A VERY, VERY ROBUST ENGAGEMENT PROCESS THERE.
WE DO OPEN HOUSES, WORKSHOPS, VIRTUAL COMPONENTS, TALK TO THE DIFFERENT, UH, PARISH ORGANIZATIONS, PARISH COUNCIL, ADMINISTRATION, REALLY KIND OF A VERY INTENSIVE PROGRAM TO BRING THIS DOCUMENT OUT THAT HAS ALL THE RULES TO GET THAT INPUT AND FEEDBACK THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO CRAFT A DOCUMENT THAT WORKS WELL FOR JEFFERSON PARISH.
AS PART OF THAT KIND OF, IT, IT LOOKS LIKE A NICE CLEAR LINE, BUT THIS IS ALSO KIND OF HAPPENING IN THE BACKGROUND.
WE START TO LOOK AT A ZONING MAP ANALYSIS, AND WITHIN THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
WE'RE DOING SOME GIS ANALYSIS, AS I TALKED ABOUT THE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CURRENT ZONING MAP, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DISTRICT STRUCTURE.
WE'RE PROPOSING IN THE FIRST DRAFT AND STARTING TO LOOK AT WHERE THESE DISTRICTS WOULD GO ON THE MAP.
UM, WHERE ARE THEY WORKING, WHERE SHOULD THEY KIND OF BE CHANGED TO ANOTHER DISTRICT.
IT'S THAT FULL ANALYSIS THAT HAPPENS TO REALLY HELP IMPLEMENT THAT FIRST DRAFT OF THE UDC.
SO FOLLOWING THAT, WE END UP AT THE SECOND DRAFT, AND THAT IS WHERE WE TAKE A LOT.
WE'VE TAKEN THE PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'VE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS.
UH, WE, WE'VE RECEIVED WRITTEN COMMENTS, WE'VE ANALYZED AND WE PREPARE THAT SECOND DRAFT.
THE SECOND DRAFT WILL BE A RED LINE DRAFT.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE CHANGES GOING FROM THE FIRST DRAFT TO THE SECOND TO SEE HOW THE INPUT WE RECEIVED HAS MODIFIED WHAT WE STARTED WITH IN THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE UDC.
AGAIN, THIS WILL COME OUT WITH THE MAP AS WE JUST TALKED ABOUT IN THAT PHASE, UH, TO SEE KIND OF WHERE THESE DISTRICTS ARE LANDING ON THE MAP.
AND AGAIN, ROBUST PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AT THIS POINT TOO.
GOING THROUGH PUBLIC MEETINGS, UH, PRESENTATIONS AT THE PARISH, JUST REALLY MAKING SURE WE'RE GETTING EVERYBODY'S FEEDBACK ON THAT SECOND DRAFT OF THE CODE.
SO FOLLOWING THAT, THE HOPE WOULD BE WE'D BE HEADING INTO UDC ADOPTION.
NOW, THE ADOPTION PROCESS, IT FOLLOWS AN ADOPTION PROCESS THAT COMES DOWN FROM THE STATE, WHICH IS VERY SIMILAR TO PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER STATE.
UH, WE START BY PREPARING A PUBLIC HEARING DRAFT.
WE HAVE A WHOLE SERIES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON THAT DRAFT.
WE TAKE THOSE RECOMME RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, BRING THEM TO THE PARISH COUNCIL WHERE WE'RE LOOKING AT THE FINAL CODE AND HOPEFULLY EVENTUALLY BRINGING THAT TO ADOPTION.
UM, AS PART OF THIS, ONCE IT'S ADOPTED, WE LOOK AT A COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS.
UH, WE CREATE A CODE MANUAL TO HELP BOTH STAFF AND THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND WHAT'S IN THAT CODE.
WE UPDATE ANY APPLICATIONS THAT NEED TO BE UPDATED, AND THEN WE DO SOME STAFF TRAINING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS NEW CODE IS OPERATING.
SO AS WE LOOKED AT THIS, UM, WE HAVE THE ANTICIPATED PROJECT TIMELINE.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THIS GOING ALL THE WAY INTO WINTER 2027.
UH, WE UNDERSTAND THIS IS AMBITIOUS, UH, BUT IT CAN BE DONE.
WE HAVE DONE IT BEFORE AND WE'RE STRIVING TO DO IT AGAIN.
THIS IS REALLY HOW WE'RE GONNA KEEP PROGRESSING.
SO REALLY COMING OUT WITH THAT CODE FRAMEWORK SOMETIME THIS SUMMER.
SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE IT STARTS TO KICK OFF AND WE KEEP MOVING.
SO, AS WE SAID, UH, WE HAD A WHOLE SERIES OF LISTENING SESSIONS.
THESE ARE CONDUCTED, AGAIN, WITH KIND OF TECHNICAL CODE USERS TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT FOLKS ARE STRUGGLING WITH.
UM, SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS JUST A SUMMARY OF WHAT WE'VE HEARD.
UH, THESE ARE NOT NECESSARILY OUR OPINIONS.
THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY ANYTHING HAPPENING IN THE DRAFT, JUST WANNA BE VERY CLEAR ON THAT.
BUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD ARE, ARE ISSUES THAT HAPPEN, UH, WITHIN THIS CODE, THESE TWO CODES AS THEY EXIST RIGHT NOW.
UM, THE FIRST IS, AS YOU PROBABLY COULD GUESS, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TWO CODES.
SHOULD HAVE ONE CODE MAKES IT VERY CONFUSING.
IT CREATES UNINTENTIONAL INCONSISTENCIES AND CONFLICTS, AND IT NEEDS TO BE OVERHAULED AND MODERNIZED.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING.
UM, IT SHOULD ALSO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE TO ALLOW THE TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT, UH, THAT FOLKS DO WANNA SEE WITHIN THE PARISH.
UM, AS WE LOOKED AT ADMINISTRATION, WE HEARD FOLKS TALKING ABOUT MORE ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS AND ADMINISTRATIVE FLEXIBILITIES.
AGAIN, KIND OF LOOKING AT WHAT PEOPLE WANNA SEE IN THE PARISH AND KIND OF
UH, BEING VERY CLEAR ON WHAT BY RIGHT DEVELOPMENT MEANS, UM, AND HOW THAT PROCEEDS FORWARD.
SO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF REALLY ARTICULATING THAT.
UM, LOOKING AT EXISTING STRUCTURES AND LOTS AND WHAT KIND OF FLEXIBILITIES WE CAN BUILD INTO THAT.
UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE HERE, UM, SOME OF THEM MAY BE VERY VALUABLE, MAY BE VERY SENTIMENTAL.
WANNA MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT FLEXIBILITIES IN PLACE THERE.
UH, MAKING SURE THINGS ARE EVALUATED WITH OBJECTIVE STANDARDS, UH, AND CLARIFYING WHEN NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGS WOULD BE PART OF A PROCESS.
KIND OF MOVING ON FROM THAT, UH, FOLKS STARTED TALKING JUST ABOUT SOME OF THE DISTRICT STRUCTURE.
UH, AND WHAT WE HEARD IS THAT CURRENT ZONING DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEET WHAT'S ON THE GROUND.
SO YOU COULD HAVE STANDARDS IN PLACE.
THEY DON'T ACTUALLY ADDRESS WHAT THE SIZE OF THE LOTS OUT THERE REALLY ARE.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THAT RIGHT.
IT'S KIND OF RIGHT SIZING THE DISTRICTS.
UM, ALLOWING FOR THINGS LIKE MORE MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT, MORE AFFORDABLE OR WORKFORCE HOUSING, DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING TYPES
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TO BE ALLOWED WITHIN RESIDENTIAL AREAS.SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE CODE KIND OF STRUGGLES TO ALLOW, AND THAT WE'VE HEARD THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME FOLKS SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE WANTED TO DO THIS, WE REALLY DO NEED TO KIND OF LOOK AT THIS WITHIN, WITHIN THE CODE AS IT IS NOW.
UM, INCLUDING THINGS LIKE DESIGN AND FORM STANDARDS FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT.
UH, SO MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN DEVELOPMENT'S COMING IN, IT'S OF HIGH QUALITY DESIGN, UM, AND INCORPORATING A BIT MORE GREEN SPACE INTO NEW DEVELOPMENT.
IN TERMS OF THE USES, UM, IT WAS TOLD TO ME THAT THE USE MATRIX MAY BE 60 PAGES LONG.
UH, I THINK THERE'S A WAY TO MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT SIMPLER, A LITTLE BIT MORE NIMBLE, A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE, ALLOW FOR THE WHOLE KINDS OF USES YOU WANNA SEE, AS WELL AS POTENTIAL NEW USES YOU WOULD WANNA SEE INTO THE FUTURE.
AND LOOKING AT MAYBE PERHAPS LESS CONDITIONAL OR SPECIAL USES, UH, WITHIN THAT USE MATRIX AS WELL.
THEN FINALLY, UH, THE LAST KIND OF SITE ELEMENTS THAT WE'VE GOT.
SO KIND OF ABOUT THE DISTRICTS AND THE USES.
SO OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPEN, UH, IN TERMS OF SIGNS, WE'VE HEARD SIGNS THAT ARE FREQUENT SOURCE OF VARIANCES.
SO REALLY MODERNIZING THOSE, ALLOWING FOR ALL THE TYPES OF SIGNS THAT CAN HAPPEN AT A PARISH LIKE JEFFERSON PARISH AND NEW SIGN TYPES THAT YOU MAY NOT BE SEEING YET, BUT COULD BE ANTICIPATED.
UM, WE'VE HEARD THAT THE AMORTIZATION CAN CAUSE SOME ISSUES.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, KIND OF LOOKING AT THAT PROCESS.
AND THEN OTHERS EVEN TALK TO US ABOUT POTENTIAL PERMISSIONS FOR DIGITAL BILLBOARDS AS WELL IN TERMS OF PARKING.
UM, SOME HAVE SAID THAT THE PARKING RATIOS ARE TOO HIGH, SO THAT MEANS TOO MUCH PARKING REQUIRED FOR A CERTAIN USE, AND THAT WE NEED TO BE REALLY CLEAR ON PARKING FACILITY DESIGN REQUIREMENTS, UH, WHETHER THAT'S FOR A PARKING LOT OR FOR A PARKING STRUCTURE, SO THAT YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN BUILD AND WHAT'S REQUIRED.
UH, THAT WAS ANOTHER ONE WHERE IT WAS CITED.
FREQUENT SOURCE OF VARIANCES, UH, CAN BE OVERLY COMPLICATED BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT NOT JUST YOUR LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS, BUT NOW OVERLAYS THAT REQUIRE MORE LANDSCAPING OR DIFFERENT LANDSCAPING.
UM, HEARD FROM OTHERS THAT WE NEED TO PROTECT MORE TREES.
WE NEED TO INCREASE THE TREE CANOPY WITH SOME SPECIFIC PROTECTIONS FOR LIVE OAKS WOULD BE DESIRED BY MANY.
AND THEN PREVENTING CLEAR CUTTING OF SITES WHERE POSSIBLE.
SO AGAIN, THINGS WE'VE HEARD, WE'RE NOT SAYING THIS IS THE DIRECTION WE'RE GOING IN.
WE'RE SAYING THESE ARE SOME OF THE INITIAL THINGS WE'RE HEARING.
SO WE'RE HERE AT MEETINGS LIKE TODAY TO HEAR FROM YOU WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE US TO PAY ATTENTION TO WITHIN THE CODE, WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE FROM NEW DEVELOPMENT MOVING FORWARD AS WE START OUR REALLY BIG DEEP DIVE INTO ALL THE MATERIALS TO REALLY ASSESS KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CODE AND HOW WE CAN HELP TO IMPROVE THAT.
SO FINALLY, UM, AS I PROMISED, AND THIS IS NICE, THIS IS THE SHORTEST POWERPOINT YOU'RE ALL GONNA HAVE TO SIT THROUGH IN THIS PROJECT.
'CAUSE AFTER THIS, LET'S BUCKLE IN.
'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE, IT'S GONNA BE A LONG RIDE.
THEY GET A LOT MORE TECHNICAL.
UM, SO THIS IS THE JP UDC.COM WEBSITE.
IT EXPLAINS WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE PROJECT.
IT WILL BE THE HUB FOR ALL THE DOCUMENTS.
THIS POWERPOINT WILL END UP THERE, UM, WHEN WE GET BACK OR WHEN WE GET A CHANCE TO JUST POST IT UP ON THERE.
BUT THE POWERPOINT WILL BE THERE.
UM, AND WE INVITE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK TO SUBSCRIBE SO THAT WHEN, UH, YOU WANNA GET AN, WHEN YOU WANNA SEE UPDATES COMING, YOUR EMAIL WILL JUST GET A PING TO LET YOU KNOW WE'VE UPDATED, WE'VE ADDED A DOCUMENT, WE'VE MADE A NEW BLOG POST.
UM, AND THEN REALLY YOU CAN ALSO PROVIDE COMMENTS.
THERE IS A COMMENT FORM THAT YOU CAN USE.
THERE'S EMAIL CONTACTS THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE FOR US.
IT IS YOUR ISSUE, YOUR CONCERN, AND YOUR VOICE PRESENTED TO US THE WAY YOU WANT US TO READ IT.
UM, SO WE REALLY DO ENCOURAGE YOU AS THE PROCESS GOES ON TO REALLY PROVIDE US WITH ANY AND ALL COMMENTS THAT COME TO MIND.
AND SO WITH THAT, THIS IS THE BEST PART.
WE GET TO OPEN IT UP TO EVERYONE HERE.
AND IF ANYBODY WILL HAVE MITCH, UH, FROM ROS, HE'S THE ROVING MICROPHONE GUY, IF YOU'D LIKE TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN COMMENT, I WE SEE YOU, UH, JUST, I I THINK YOU'RE ON.
HAPPY TO TAKE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
I'M ACTUALLY THE PRESIDENT OF MY LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHICH, UM, IS THE MET TERRACE CIVIC ASSOCIATION.
UM, I HAVE READ THE JEFFERSON 2040 PLAN VISION PLAN.
AND IN THAT PLAN, IT'S TAKING MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND TURNING IT INTO URBAN RESIDENTIAL, WHICH WE ARE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED TO BECAUSE IN THAT ZONING AND EVEN A PICTURE SHOWS A PRETTY LOW END APARTMENT BUILDING.
AND ACTUALLY WE HAVE SOME, UM, BIG LOTS THAT ARE COMING AVAILABLE.
AND, YOU KNOW, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THAT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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AND I, I REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO YOU PUT IT? BUT WE ALREADY HAVE AS MANY DOUBLES AS WE HAVE SINGLES, PROBABLY MORE, AND WE'RE HAPPY WITH THAT.UM, WE HAVE TOO MANY TOWNHOUSES.
I WOULD LIKE A MORATORIUM ON THAT.
I MEAN, THESE ARE VERY SPECIFIC THINGS TO MY PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT BECAUSE IT IS GETTING A WHOLESALE ZONING CHANGE, WE JUST NEED TO LET Y'ALL KNOW HOW WE FEEL ABOUT IT.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KIND OF KEEP IN MIND, UM, THAT THAT IS THE, THE MASTER PLAN FOR JEFFERSON PARISH AND WHAT'S REFERRED TO IN THERE.
AND I'M GONNA JUST, I, I'M, I ASSUME I'M RIGHT.
THIS IS THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP.
SO THAT IS NOT A ZONING CHANGE THAT DOES NOT INSTIGATE A ZONING CHANGE THAT TALKS ABOUT WHAT SOMETHING CAN EVOLVE INTO IN THE FUTURE, WHETHER IT BE MORE IMMEDIATE OR LATER ON IN THE FUTURE.
SO WE'RE NOT, THAT PLAN DOES NOT DICTATE THAT YOUR ZONING'S GOING TO CHANGE RIGHT AWAY.
BUT IN, IN DOCUMENTS THAT I'VE READ, IT DOES SAY WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THAT PLAN.
AND ALSO, I JUST WANNA BE KIND OF CLEAR, WHEN YOU HAVE A FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE PLEA MAKING AND WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT, OR IN THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP, THAT CREATES A CATEGORY CALLED URBAN RESIDENTIAL.
IT TYPICALLY ISN'T A ONE-TO-ONE TRANSLATION OF THAT URBAN RESIDENTIAL THAT YOU SEE BECOMES ONE SINGLE ZONING DISTRICT.
USUALLY A FUTURE LAND USE CATEGORY IS KIND OF LIKE A BASKET AND IT HOLDS A SERIES OF DIFFERENT ZONING DISTRICTS THAT ARE DIFFERENT IN INTENSITY, DIFFERENT IN PERMISSIONS, DIFFERENT IN DESIGN, DIFFERENT IN LOT SIZES.
SO REALLY JUST WHAT THE PLAN DOES IS OUTLINE THE FUTURE LAND USE CATEGORY IS, BUT THE ZONING GETS VERY SPECIFIC.
AND SO I'M JUST COMMENTING ON KIND OF HOW IT WORKS.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT SPECIFICALLY AT THIS POINT.
UM, BUT REALLY THE IDEA IS IS THAT AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE FUTURE LAND USE CATEGORIES, WE'RE CREATING A SERIES OF DISTRICTS THAT HELPS TO IMPLEMENT THEM.
AND I MEAN, PLEASE PROVIDE US COMMENTS AS YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS A CONCERN WITH THAT.
WE'RE NOT IN CHARGE OF THE PLAN, WE'RE NOT CHANGING THE PLAN.
UH, BUT WE ARE WORKING ON THE ZONING ASPECT OF IT TO HELP IMPLEMENT THAT INTO THE FUTURE.
BUT LIKE I SAID, IT'S NOT A COMPLETE SWITCHOVER FROM WHAT'S ON THAT FUTURE LAND USE MAP INTO WHAT'S ON THE ZONING MAP.
UM, JUST HISTORICALLY I'VE BEEN IN COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF CONDITIONAL USES MM-HMM
BUT AS A NATIONAL TENANT, THE PARISH MAKES NATIONAL TENANTS ADHERE TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW, AND GENERALLY LOCAL TENANTS CAN GET AWAY WITH A WHOLE LOT.
JUST, THAT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE.
WHO'S NEXT? I KNOW IT'S EARLY ON.
I KNOW WE'RE ALL FRIENDS RIGHT NOW.
I KNOW WE MIGHT NOT BE FRIENDS AS WE MOVE INTO THE FUTURE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WANT TO BE, UH, BOB EVANS, MY CIVIC ASSOCIATION IS BARNABLE.
UM, I HAVE A LITTLE EXPERIENCE WITH, UM, WITH ZONINGS OR REZONINGS.
DIDN'T MEAN FOR MY LIGHT TO COME ON.
UM, I WANNA SUPPORT WHAT THIS LADY JUST SAID.
UM, THE WAY I WOULD, I WOULD PHRASE IT IS THAT OUR, OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS ARE THE BACKBONE OF EAST JEFFERSON.
AND WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS TO ME, UH, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH IT FOR A LONG TIME, UH, PLAYING DEF SEVERAL DIFFERENT ROLES, UH, WHILE STILL BEING PRO BUSINESS.
BUT I'M EVEN MORE SO PRO RESIDENTIAL BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE INVESTED IN THEIR HOMES.
UM, YOU'RE SURELY AWARE BY NOW THAT, UH, WE'VE HAD NO POPULATION GROWTH.
UH, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DEVELOPMENT, UM, I WANNA BE OPTIMISTIC MM-HMM
AND HOPE THAT THESE NEW RULES WILL APPLY TO SOME NEW DEVELOPMENT.
UM, BUT IF I CAN WAVE A FLAG AT YOU, IT'S GONNA BE A FLAG THAT TELLS YOU TREAD LIGHTLY ON THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, SO MY INTEREST IS IN HOW THIS ALL TIES INTO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT.
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MM-HMMFLOOD RISK REDUCTION, UH, AND HOW THAT SHOULD BE, IN MY OPINION, I'M A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND A CERTIFIED PLANNER.
SO I'M GONNA HAVE, SO IS HE
THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS DO THAT.
WE USE TWO DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR PROPERTY TO DO WHAT COULD BE COMBINED TO ONE.
UM, BUT I'M SURE YOU KNOW BY NOW WE FLOOD SOMETIMES.
AND SO, UH, I, THAT'S SOMETHING I WANTED TO, TO SUGGEST THAT SORT OF, UH, INTEGRATED MM-HMM
UM, AND I'M SURE YOU'RE ALREADY GONNA LOOK AT, UH, INTEGRATING IT WITH, UH, OTHER KINDS OF REQUIREMENTS THAT, FOR INSTANCE, THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT HAS FOR STREETS MM-HMM
AND FOR DRIVEWAYS AND CURB CUTS AND ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS THAT END UP AFFECTING THE PATTERN OF DEVELOPMENT.
SIGNIFICANTLY SO THAT, THOSE ARE MY MAIN COMMENTS AND YEAH.
AND, AND WE'VE BEEN HEARING THAT AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, IT DOESN'T OPERATE IN A, A VACUUM.
WE KNOW THAT LANDSCAPE DOES WORK WITH STORM WATER MANAGEMENT, WITH DRAINAGE, WITH GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO OUR HOPE IS TO KIND BRING THEM TOGETHER AS, AS MUCH AS WE CAN, WHEREVER THAT ENDS UP.
UM, SOME OF THE PLAN GONNA, UH, RECOGNIZE URBAN HEAT AND WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, WE'VE HAD PAST DEVELOPMENT THAT'S JUST HAD SO MUCH CONCRETE ON IT MM-HMM
AND IN AN AREA THAT'S AS HOT AS OURS ANYWAY, IN THE SUMMER, THESE PARTICULAR SPOTS WILL GET 15, 20 DEGREES HOTTER.
AND WHAT IT SEEMS LIKE IS IN THE PAST THERE WASN'T AS MUCH FOCUS.
AND NOW WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE INFORMATION.
AND SO WE UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THESE THINGS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT CAN DO.
AND WHAT THIS GENTLEMAN WAS TALKING ABOUT WITH, WITH GOING LIGHT ON THE RESIDENCES IS WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE HOMEOWNERS HAVE INVESTED SO MUCH IN THEIR HOMES, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS LIKE WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS MM-HMM
REDUCTION IN HEAT, A NICE TREE CANOPY.
IT DOES SO MUCH FOR US AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN HAVE GREAT DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE CAN ALSO HAVE A GOOD TREE CANOPY AS WELL AND HAVE ENJOYABLE NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO I'M HOPING IT WILL ADDRESS SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT DON'T APPEAR TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE PAST.
WE WILL ABSOLUTELY BE LOOKING AT THAT.
I THINK AS YOU START TO TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE DRAINAGE AND STORMWATER AND LANDSCAPE, HE AND ISLAND EFFECT IS, IS PART OF THAT AS WELL.
I MEAN, WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF PAVING AND NO LANDSCAPE, IT'S A BIG PROBLEM AND IT'S TOO MUCH PAVING, IT'S A BIG PROBLEM.
SO, UM, DEFINITELY ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING AT.
REALLY, JUST TO PIGGYBACK ON THAT COMMENT MM-HMM
UM, WILL THIS PLAN INCLUDE A WATER MITIGATION SUBMIT SUBMITTAL FOR ANY NEW DEVELOPMENT? I DON'T KNOW.
WE'RE AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS.
I CAN'T ANSWER WHETHER IT WILL OR NOT OR HOW THAT WILL ALL SHAKE OUT, UM, AT THE END.
I MEAN, WE APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING IT UP AND WE'LL DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK AT IT, BUT RIGHT NOW WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING.
UM, IT, IT, IT MADE ME THINK OF, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE DEVELOPMENT BY, RIGHT? MM-HMM
I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO, AND I'M NOT A DEVELOPER, BUT IF YOU'RE GONNA DEVELOP, YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT I CAN DO AND CAN'T DO.
AND DON'T SURPRISE ME AFTER I SPENT ALL THIS MONEY.
UM, AND I, I, I ALSO, I GOT EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
NOW I'M LOSING MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT.
BUT, UH, OH, I KNOW IT, IT'S ABOUT VARIANCES.
I THINK VARIANCES SHOULD BE LIKE ALMOST NON-EXISTENT.
IT SHOULD BE CLEAR WHAT PARAMETERS ARE IN THINGS THAT ARE FLEXIBLE MM-HMM
AND THEN IF YOU FALL INTO THAT, THEN THAT'S IT.
THAT, THAT'S JUST MY OPINION ABOUT IT.
AND, UM, AND YEAH, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THAT.
I THINK WHAT WE WANNA DO WHEN WE ALLOW FOR BUY RIGHT DEVELOPMENT, WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT RULES IN PLACE TO ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN.
I THINK IF YOU HAVE CERTAIN THINGS, WE'VE USED THE EXAMPLE BEFORE, YOU GOT ONE AREA OF TOWN WHERE EVERY, EVERY OTHER DAY THEY'RE ASKING FOR A VARIANCE FOR ONE FOOT SETBACK BECAUSE OF THE LOT SIZES.
THAT'S NOT WHAT A VARIANCE SHOULD BE FOR.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CORRECT SO THAT IT'S NOT COMING FOR VARIANCES.
THAT VARIANCES ARE TAILORED TO WHAT, YOU KNOW, WEIRD LOTS.
THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE F FOR.
WHEN SOMETHING IS OUT OF THE NORM OR THERE'S A TYPE OF HARDSHIP OR SOMETHING OCCURS, YOU
[00:30:01]
KNOW, TO TOPOGRAPHICALLY ON THE LOT THAT VARIANCES ARE TARGETED FOR THAT.SO WE WE'RE DEFINITELY GONNA BE STUDYING THOSE.
WE DON'T HAVE TOPOGRAPHY, SO DON'T WORRY ABOUT I KNOW, BUT I JUST LIKE SAYING THE WORD.
SO I'M FROM CHICAGO, WE DON'T HAVE ANY TOPOGRAPHY EITHER.
SO DOES THE UN UNIFIED CODE WHEN YOU DEVELOP IT, IS IT GONNA ADDRESS CONSEQUENCES WHEN YOU DON'T FOLLOW IT? AND THE REASON I ASK THAT IS BECAUSE MY CONCERN SOMETIMES IS PEOPLE TEND TO DO NOW AND HAVE TO FORGIVE THIS LATER.
AND I'VE NEVER, I'VE NEVER SEEN PARENTS OR ANY PARENTS FOR THAT MATTER ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT SEVERE CONSEQUENCES.
AND, AND I'M WONDERING IF WE, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT CURRENTLY IS ADDRESSED AS, AS PENALTIES AND ALL THAT, BUT IT IS UP IN A LEGAL BATTLE.
AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S NOT A METHOD YOU NEED PUT CODE TO ESTABLISH SOME OF THOSE STRICT CONSEQUENCES WRITTEN UPFRONT.
SO THERE'S NO QUESTION IN ILLEGAL ABOUT THAT IT, THE FIRM, THIS IS THE WAY IT IS.
OTHER WORDS, SOMEBODY CAN'T SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE DID IT AND IT IS A HARD MONETARY HARDSHIP AND ALL THE OTHER STUFF.
IT'S CLEARLY DEFINED AS A UNIFIED CODE.
IN IN, IN A WHAT COURT OF LAW? BLACK AND WHITE.
I MEAN WE CAN LOOK AT ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS.
TYPICALLY THOSE, THE PARAMETERS OF, OF WHAT YOU CAN USE AS TOOLS OF AN ENFORCEMENT COME DOWN THROUGH THE STATE.
AND SO WE CAN'T CHANGE WHAT THE STATE ALLOWS YOU TO DO.
WHETHER THAT BE, UM, AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
BUT WHETHER THAT BE WHAT THE FINES ARE, WHAT THE PENALTIES ARE, HOW THAT WORKS, I THINK, UM, I THINK WHAT WE WANNA KIND OF DO HERE IS JUST CREATE A CODE THAT'S VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND CLEAR SO THERE'S VERY CLEAR WHAT THE RULES ARE.
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU'RE KIND OF ADDING TO A CODE AND REACTING A SITUATION, THE CODE GETS A LITTLE MUDDY SO PEOPLE CAN PLAY GAMES WITH THAT.
IF YOU'VE GOT A CODE WHERE THE RULES ARE A LOT MORE CLEAR, UM, THERE'S REALLY A WAY TO KIND OF, IT BECOMES SELF-ENFORCING TO A CERTAIN DEGREE.
AND SO IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO AND YOU VIOLATE THAT, WE'VE GOT THE ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS.
BUT YOU KNOW, AS YOU TAKE IT TO THE COURT LEVEL, THE COURTS LOOK AT A CODE THAT SAYS, NO, NO, NO, THIS IS VERY CLEAR THAT YOU COULDN'T DO THAT.
AND THAT, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE WANNA GET TO.
DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? NO.
IF I COULD DO MORE, I WOULD, BUT IT'S RULES.
I MEAN, WE COULD HAVE PUBLIC FLOGGINGS BROUGHT BACK
I ALSO AM CONCERNED ABOUT HISTORIC STRUCTURE.
ADDRESS, ADAPTIVE REUSE ADDRESSES REHABILITATION.
IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S, THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN SOME KIND OF FORGIVENESS IN CODE GENERALLY ABOUT DOING A STORAGE STRUCTURES SUCH THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, THEY MAY BE A LITTLE LEEWAY, AS YOU SAID, FLEXIBILITY IN HISTORIC STRUCTURES.
UH, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT CONTINUE SUCH THAT YOU PROMOTE HISTORIC RESERVATION AND WE ADAPT REUSE AS OPPOSED TO DEMOLITION.
WHETHER THAT'S STRICT DEMOLITION OR, OR MORE, UH, FLEXIBILITY.
I THINK THERE'S A NUMBER OF WAYS TO ADDRESS ADAPTIVE REUSE WITHIN A CODE.
I THINK BUILDING IN THOSE FLEXIBILITIES, WE'VE BEEN DOING IT WITH A NUMBER OF CITIES OVER THE YEARS THAT ARE VERY OLD AND HAVE VERY WEIRD QUIRKS.
UH, THE BUILDINGS MAY NOT FIT EXACTLY WHAT'S THERE, BUT THEY'RE VALUABLE.
THEY'RE CHARACTER GIVING, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT DESIGNATED HISTORIC, THEY'RE THE CHARACTER OF THOSE BUILDINGS ACTUALLY PROVIDE PEOPLE, UH, WITH A SENSE OF PLACE THAT WE WANNA MAINTAIN.
SO THERE'S WAYS THAT WE CAN WORK IN DEGREES OF ADAPTIVE REUSE THROUGHOUT THE CODE, UH, TO REALLY HELP PRESERVE WHAT YOU'VE GOT, WHETHER OR NOT IT IS ACTUALLY DESIGNATED OR IT'S JUST A CHARACTER GIVING STRUCTURE THAT YOU WANT TO, UM, ALLOW TO CONTINUE INTO THE FUTURE AND MAKE IT EASY FOR IT TO CONTINUE OPERATING INTO THE FUTURE.
YOU KNOW, CHANGE, CHANGE, DEMOCRACY IS A PROBLEM WHEN YOU ARE OTHER GOVERNMENT.
THAT'S THE KIND OF THING YOU NEED THAT'S SELF-DEFEATING BECAUSE IF BE SOME KIND OF FLEXIBILITY IN BEING ABLE TO ADAPT, WE REUSE IT FOR.
UM, MY QUESTION, SOMETHING THAT JUMPED OUT TO ME, IT WAS IN REGARDS TO THE MIXED USE MM-HMM
AND I WASN'T SURE IF THERE WAS A PLAN OR ANYTHING IN PLACE IN TERMS OF A TARGET FOR HOW MANY MIXED USE DEVELOPMENTS THAT THEY MAY HAVE IN THE MET AREA.
AND IF SO, UM, WHAT TYPE OF PROTECTIONS ARE WE GONNA HAVE FOR FLOODING AND SOME OF THE OTHER PARKING AND SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE MENTIONED AND WHETHER OR NOT THE PARISH IS GONNA TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE EXTRA STRESS THAT'S GONNA PLACE ON THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
[00:35:01]
THANKS.UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS CREATING ZONING DISTRICTS THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR MIXED USE.
UH, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT WHAT THE PLANS SAY ABOUT WHERE THEY COULD POTENTIALLY GO USE THOSE TO HELP CRAFT DISTRICTS.
BUT AT THIS TIME, WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE'RE PUTTING THOSE ON THE MAP OR WHAT THOSE DISTRICTS EVEN LOOK LIKE AT THIS POINT, OR HOW MANY UNITS THEY COULD HAVE.
WE'RE AT THE VERY BEGINNING STAGE OF THIS PROCESS.
WELL THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING.
IF YOU'RE VERY CURIOUS, THIS IS A BROKEN ARM.
THE EXCITING STORY IS I WAS TAKING THE TRASH OUT AND I FELL DOWN.
SO, UH, IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHY I'M DOING WEIRD SIGNALS, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU GUYS, IT IS JUST, JUST ME AND MY WEIRD ARM.
UM, BUT THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TONIGHT.
WE'LL BE DOING THIS AGAIN TOMORROW NIGHT ON THE WEST BANK.
IF YOU WANNA SEE THE PRESENTATION AGAIN OR YOU JUST WANNA COME TALK, YOU CAN COME LIKE 15 MINUTES LATE.