Calling to order the this zoning board of adjustments meeting on August 20th, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Please stand for the pledge.

All right.

We have three cases on our agenda tonight.

Whenever I call your your case, please come up.

You're going to state your name, your address, and then we're going to swear you in and you'll give kind of a little brief uh explanation about what you what you're going to want to do.

So our first case for tonight is 2026-26-ZBA requested by Evan and Lacey.

Schubert to reduce the minimum building elevation to six feet NAVD for single family residents at 430 Grand Bayou Road, the Zalmans Zoning District, OL Council District 4.

All right.

Let's see.

And state your name, your address, and I'll get you to raise your right hand.

So I am Lacey Schubert, Evan Schubert, 430 Grand Bayou Road to Zalmonds, Louisiana, 70030.

All right, thank you.

And then please raise your right hand.

Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so hope you got it.

Yes.

Alright, go ahead and tell us a little bit about what uh what y'all want to do.

Okay.

Third times of charm.

Hi.

I'm here again.

Um my name is Lacey.

This is Evan.

Um we are here regarding our home at 430 Grand Bay Road.

Um we are asking the board to allow our home to remain at its current surveyed elevation of approximately 6.2 feet in AVD.

Um I have the original grade certificate here, and I also have the new grade certificate here.

Um would you like to read it?

You just want me to go okay.

So I'm gonna just keep going.

Okay.

Um we did not intentionally build our home below an elevation requirement.

We did not disregard the parish rules.

We have tried throughout this entire project to do everything correctly and in good faith.

Um when this property was originally surveyed, Goss An Survey uh surveying established a reference elevation mark on an oak tree near the building site of our home.

Um the grade certificate identified the reference mark as four foot in AVD.

Um we relied on the professional survey and information provided to us in moving forward with the property and construction.

Um we were also told verbally by the surveyor that the reason the physical nail was actually placed in that tree at four and not seven was because he did not have a ladder in the truck with him.

So the the benchmark in the tree is at four NAVD.

Um I'm just sharing it with you guys so that way you guys understand what we were told on our part, right?

Um so at no point did we intentionally decide to construct our home too low.

Um the parish's own staff report states that the effective FEMA map places this property in flood zone X, um, which is not a special flood zone hazard area.

Um the preliminary map places my property in A.E.

Um, with a projected base flood elevation of seven feet in AVD.

Um, and the parish's current requ current requirement is gonna be eight feet in A V D.

Um our foundation forms have now been surveyed at approximately six point two feet in AVD.

Right.

Okay.

At this stage, requiring us to raise the entire home to eight foot would create an exceptional hardship.

Um this is not simply a matter of changing something on the set of plans.

The forms are there.

Um you guys came out, you inspected our plumbing already, it's capped off pressurized, everything checked out.

Um so at this stage, you know, the foundation and construction have already progressed based upon the elevations and information that we were working from.

Um we are asking the board to consider that we acted in good faith and that this was not an intentional violation, and that granting the variants would allow us to continue construction at the existing surveyed elevation.

Um we also understand that from the parish staff report uh that the board has previously granted elevation variances at 211 Old Farm, which is my next door neighbor's 221 Old Farm, another next door neighbor.

Um so we are respectfully asking the board to consider our circumstances um in the fair manner.

Um we are not asking to avoid reasonable flood protection.

We do understand that there is an additional risk associated with building below the parish's current minimum elevation, but we are willing to comply with any reasonable conditions that the board determines are necessary.

Um we are just simply asking not to be placed in the position of having to substantially alter or reconstruct our home because of an elevation situation that we did not knowingly create.

Um we respectfully ask that you guys approve the variants and allow our forever home at 430 Grand Bay Road to continue at approximately 6.2 feet in a VD.

Thank you guys so much for the consideration of everything.