Planning Commission, Metro Council to take up Rouzan plan revision

Developer Tommy Spinosa will go before the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Commission later this month seeking permission to make a major revision to the concept plan for Rouzan, his traditional neighborhood development off Perkins Road in Southdowns.

But while the requested change is considered major because it deals with land use, Spinosa characterizes it as a minor change and "significant improvement" to the project.

Spinosa is asking the commission to let him change a portion of the Creekside section of the TND from green space to mixed residential, which will effectively cluster more residential components near Glasgow Avenue in an area of the development that had been earmarked as open green space in the concept plan.

The proposed revision is considered major because it involves a land use change, says Glenn Hanna, planning manager for the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning Department. But Spinosa says the change only affects approximately 1% of the total 120-acre development and is an improvement to the concept plan.

"We're not taking anything away. We're simply reallocating a very small section of green space, to put it in the area that makes the most sense to enhance the entire site," Spinosa says. "The reason we're doing the reallocation now is because we have much better topographical information than we had when we first did the concept plan, and we want to make the best use of every part of the property. We don't want to build houses over areas that are better suited for green space."

While the proposed revision to Rouzan's concept—or design—plan is considered significant, Hanna confirms it would not change the overall density of the project, nor would it reduce the total amount of green space inside the TND; rather, it would reallocate it to other areas.

"They're not changing their density," Hanna says. "We would not even entertain that."

The Planning Department staff is recommending the Planning Commission approve the proposed change when it takes up the matter at its Feb. 13 meeting. The Metro Council is scheduled to hear the issue Mar. 21. It will be the Metro Council's first opportunity to revisit the controversial Rouzan project since lenders initiated foreclosure proceedings against Spinosa on another major development of his, Perkins Rowe. Both boards meet on the third floor of the Governmental Building at 222 St. Louis St.

Local planners, who have been involved with Rouzan since it was first approved more than five years ago, were caught off guard by the proposed change.

"This is the first we've heard about it," says Elizabeth "Boo" Thomas, director of the Center for Planning Excellence. "But Mr. Spinosa has been very good about keeping me informed about what is going on, so I am sure I will be hearing from him soon."