Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council Zoning Meeting – October 21, 2026

The Metropolitan Council held a zoning meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, with a quorum present. No agenda or minutes were supplied with the source material, so this summary is based on the transcript. The council followed its usual hearing rules: proponents spoke first, opponents second, each speaker was limited to three minutes, and proponents had a three-minute rebuttal.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Case 22-26, 979A Greenwell Springs Road: Six Park Forest-area residents opposed both the CAB1 rezoning and the requested deferral. Deborah Dow asked the council to vote no, citing past zoning behavior and concerns that alcohol sales would cause lingering. Lillian Grossley, a retired banker and Park Forest resident since 1997, said a $3 million restaurant seating about 30 people did not make financial sense and questioned an ulterior motive. Daltaneus Washington, a Park Forest small-business owner, said increasing the zoning would be hard to reverse and criticized short notice of the community meeting. Tebby Jackson described the area's decline and said the neighborhood wanted a supermarket and revitalization, not liquor stores on every corner. Jacqueline Royan Lee, president of the Park Forest Crime District, asked the council to deny the deferral because residents had already arranged to attend, and requested that residents' names be placed in the record. Ontario Carney, a 33-year resident, said the applicant has blighted properties and argued the proposed menu was similar to Popeyes except for alcohol and daiquiris.
• MCUP-1-26740, 9400-9500 Petit Road: Applicant/proponent Donovan Dugas said the site was a long-standing dirt pit and that Dirt Co. had taken steps to address dust and mud. Heath Morris gave actual volume figures: in 2025, he said, the operation moved 56,000 cubic yards, or 2,800 total truckloads over 62 working days, averaging 45 trucks per day and 4.5 trucks per hour; in 2024, it moved 18,368 cubic yards, or 918 truckloads over 37 working days, averaging 25 trucks per day and 2.5 trucks per hour. Opponents Angela Creel and Will Campbell opposed the MCUP. Creel said the operator was cited in 2015 and 2021 for working without permits, had never held a parish permit, and submitted resident signatures against the project.
• Items 9 and 10: John DeArman, on behalf of the Irene Road applicant, said the heavy industrial rezoning would be compatible with nearby uses. Brad Alexander, representing the Florida Boulevard applicant, said his company had served Baton Rouge for more than 20 years and wanted to continue investing in the facility for future technology and digital infrastructure needs.

Discussion Items

Item 1 – Case 22-26, 979A Greenwell Springs Road (C1 to CAB1)

The applicant was not present; the case had been deferred on October 19, 2026, and another deferral was requested. Opponents urged denial of the deferral and of the rezoning. Councilman Hearst moved to defer to November 18, 2026, saying the applicant had invested millions and needed time to provide details and host building tours. Planning staff said the current C1 zoning would already allow uses including vape shops, tattoo parlors, retail, and package alcohol sales, while CAB1 is a restaurant zoning with a food-majority requirement. Hearst called CAB1 a downgrade, but another council member said CAB1 was an increase in use. The deferral motion carried on a roll-call vote.

Item 2 – MCUP-1-26740, 9400-9500 Petit Road (Dirt Co.)

Dirt Co. sought a major conditional use permit for an existing excavation operation. The applicant characterized it as a dirt pit rather than sand and gravel mining and said it had addressed complaints with a water truck, street sweeper, and a proposed 100-foot asphalt apron. Opponents disputed the applicant's record, noting prior citations and the absence of a parish permit. Planning staff said the operator had never held an MCUP and had received violation letters and stop-work orders in 2021 and 2025. Staff also described conditions that would apply if the MCUP were approved, including distance requirements, stormwater and drainage plans, a reclamation plan, a bond, and operating hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday with no Sunday operations. Councilman Kenny said he would vote to deny out of respect for residents' concerns, while another council member made a substitute motion to approve, citing the operator's steps toward compliance and floodplain benefits. The substitute motion to approve failed with six votes; the original motion to deny failed with five votes. As a result, no MCUP was granted.

Other Items Heard and Decided

• Items 3 and 4, 17060 Florida Boulevard: Plan amendment and rezoning from rural to light commercial 2 approved on motion by Councilman Moak, second by Councilwoman Amoroso.
• Items 5 and 6, 17510 and 17590 Florida Boulevard: Plan amendment and rezoning from rural to heavy commercial 1 approved; the applicant stated the property would not access Old Hammond Highway. Motion carried.
• Items 7 and 8: The Burbank Drive major street plan right-of-way width was reduced from 125 feet to no less than 100 feet, and the ISPUD-126 Hayday Baton Rouge high-density multifamily rezoning was approved. Motion carried.
• Item 9, 536 Irene Road: Rezoning from rural to heavy industrial approved; no site plan was yet proposed. Motion carried.
• Item 10, 7117 and 7127 Florida Boulevard: Rezoning from commercial alcoholic beverage bar/lounge to heavy commercial 2 approved. Motion carried.
• Item 11, 7565 Jefferson Highway: Rezoning from light commercial to CAB1 approved. Motion carried.
• Item 12, 228 West Chimes Street: The C2-to-CAB1 rezoning request was deleted on motion by Councilwoman Coleman, second by Councilman Hudson.
• Unlabeled transcript item: A property on the south side of Hooper Road, west of Mickins, was approved on motion by Councilman Hearst, second by Councilman Moak.

Key Outcomes

• Deferred: Case 22-26, 979A Greenwell Springs Road, was deferred to the November 18, 2026 Metropolitan Council zoning meeting.
• Not approved: MCUP-1-26740 was not approved; both the substitute motion to approve and the motion to deny failed. Councilwoman Amoroso asked to reconsider the item and expressed concern about putting a business out of business, but no formal motion for reconsideration was made before the council took a recess.
• Approved: Items 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and the unlabeled Hooper Road item were approved. Item 12 was deleted.
• The council then took a five-to-ten minute recess to reset recording tapes before the next meeting.