St. Charles Parish Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting – November 6, 2025

The St. Charles Parish Planning & Zoning Commission met on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers at the St. Charles Parish Courthouse in Hahnville, Louisiana. The meeting covered a contested rezoning request on Almedia Road in St. Rose and a staff-led review of proposed changes to the C-2 and C-3 commercial zoning districts.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Applicant Karen Abate, 1078 River Road, St. Rose, spoke in support of her rezoning request for 180 Almedia Road. She questioned the denial recommendation, noting an auto repair shop and substantial commercial activity nearby, and said she found it hard to understand why the property could not be used commercially. She stated that the property already has approval for a mobile home under its current R-1A(M) zoning.
• Staff and commissioners advised Ms. Abate to contact her Parish Council representative, noting the commission's vote is only a recommendation and the council makes the final decision.
• No members of the public spoke at the public hearing for or against the rezoning, and no letters from neighbors were received.

Discussion Items

• Rezoning Application 2025-12-R – Karen Abate (agenda identifies the property as Lot G, Block 11, Almedia Plantation, 180 Almedia Road, St. Rose; the transcript says Lot G, Block 8): Department staff presented an analysis against the rezoning guidelines and recommended denial. Staff said the application must meet at least two of the three rezoning guidelines, but it found none were met. The property's future land use designation is low-to-moderate residential, which supports R-1A, R-1B, and R-1A(M), not M-1. Although adjacent M-1 zoning exists, the change would extend industrial zoning further into a residential area without comprehensive plan support. Staff also said R-1A(M) remains a reasonable use, with manufactured homes and single-family dwellings on adjacent lots, and prior M-1 rezonings along Almedia Road occurred only across from already M-1 areas with no residential development. Staff further stated the site sits at a transition from residential and neighborhood commercial uses toward an industrial corridor, with residential or neighborhood commercial uses on three sides, and the future land use map establishes a clear line for industrial development. One commissioner asked whether a C-1 or C-2 request would fare better; staff answered that it would still conflict with the future land use map, but a less intense zoning category might allow more consideration.
• C District Review: Staff presented a draft concept for updating the commercial zoning districts, particularly C-2 and C-3. The proposal would consolidate specific uses such as heating and air conditioning service, plumbing shops, and glass installation into broader categories; allow some C-3-type uses as special permits in C-2; and add criteria related to minimum lot size, highway access, loading docks, and building size. Staff cited their own "light manufacturing" definition as a possible model but said they would avoid the term because a light manufacturing district already exists. Staff said the next step is a draft ordinance, followed by legislative committee and council review, then a formal commission vote. The goal is to reduce rezoning and special permit requests, make the code easier to navigate, and avoid creating new non-conforming uses.
• Commissioner comments and concerns included: focusing on the scale and infrastructure impact of a business rather than a long list of specific uses; concern that a proposed 10,000-square-foot minimum lot size could prevent small businesses such as lawn care services, laboratories, and dog daycares from locating in C-3; and a warning that special permit delays of about 60 days can hurt business owners. One commissioner also noted that metal prices had risen 20% in the previous 60 days as an example of the cost of delay. Staff responded that special permits are faster than rezoning and can be conditioned, and that the minimum lot size is intended to keep small C-2 lots from being rezoned to C-3 unless they have appropriate highway access.
• One commissioner said businesses he talks to describe St. Charles Parish as bureaucratic, saying some are choosing Jefferson Parish because it is "easier, cheaper and faster"; staff encouraged those businesses to provide examples. Discussion also covered direct-to-consumer/home-based sales, which are generally not permitted if customers come to the home, and past applications for residential care facilities, which staff said can fit in limited zoning categories such as R-3.

Key Outcomes

• A motion made by Mr. Ross and seconded on rezoning application 2025-12-R failed unanimously. Because the commission's action is a recommendation, the application and denial recommendation will go to the St. Charles Parish Council for final decision.
• The commission gave tacit approval for staff to proceed with drafting a C District ordinance based on the discussion and feedback. Staff asked for additional commissioner comments by email within one to two weeks.
• At the close of the meeting, the agenda called for approval of the October 9, 2025 minutes; the transcript records a unanimous vote ("That passes unanimously") without explicitly naming that motion.