The Lake Charles City Council held its regular meeting on May 20, 2026, beginning at approximately 5:30 PM. The meeting addressed a wide range of items, including a high-profile appeal regarding a variance for the United Way of Southwest Louisiana, numerous demolition ordinances for hurricane-damaged properties, and several major infrastructure and recreation projects. Key votes included the overturning of a Planning and Zoning denial for United Way, approval of a new architectural firm for an indoor sports complex, and the deferral of a cooperative endeavor agreement with the parish for a buyout initiative.
This regular meeting to order. Mr. Beast now is gonna lead us in the pledge. I'm gonna lead us in the prayer. Well Heavenly Father, we pray and ask that you watch over us this day, Father God, that you give us guidance and wisdom, Lord, that you touch upon the crowd, touch upon our families that are represented here, touch upon this city, that even if we disagree, we may come into agreement for the common good of our city to help it grow, prosper, and be the example throughout the state of Louisiana. Lord, I pray and ask that you watch over my colleagues, that you give us sound judgment, sound wisdom and understanding. Give us a listening ear that we may make the right decision. In Jesus Christ's name we pray. Amen. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Here. Mr. Viceno. Mr. Pondell, and Mr. Weatherford. Here. We have a call. I want to take the uh a little time at the beginning. Uh as you can see, you can look around and see we pretty crowded in here today. So I'm gonna ask that we follow the quorum of the uh city council. If you come up here to speak, direct all your questions and comments to the council. Uh we're not gonna talk back and forth between clients and from the audience. And I would ask that you respect that as we go forward. Uh the first thing we're gonna do, we're gonna oh, let me do the deferment. We're deferring number thirteen, number nineteen, and number twenty-two June seventeenth, twenty twenty-six. Thirteen, nineteen, and twenty-two. Till June seventeenth, twenty twenty-six. And we're deleting number eighteen. Deleting number eighteen. Okay. At this time, um, if there's no objections, I'd like to move number eight up to the top of the list and we discuss that first. Any objections? Public hearing and consideration of the lake public hearings. Public hearing and consideration of the Lake Charles Planning and Zoning Commission's decision to deny a request for a variance in order to construct a new addition united way. One construction of single story building versus required two-story. Two, allow channel letters and a six-inch logo, thereby exceeding the allowable three inch in height or three foot in height within a T5 Urban Center Transect Zoning District at 815 Ryan Street. Mr. Marks, I think it was a six-foot logo. Just this is six foot. I said what six inch six foot logo. All right. Big difference. The nerves would just be crap. So Mr. President, I'm gonna be brief. The variances by vote of uh four zero. Just want to be clear. The vote was four to zero against correct. So this application is before you on an appeal just as it was presented to the commission.