A controversial subdivision that has stoked concerns about East Baton Rouge Parish’s flood risk won approval from the Planning Commission Monday night, as the developer convinced local officials his project would actually reduce the flood risk of surrounding neighborhoods.
The Lakes at Jones Creek, which is slated for an area near Coursey Boulevard and Jones Creek Road, received the five votes necessary for approval.
The 425-lot subdivision does not have to go before the Metro Council for final approval. While it requires more approvals and permits, the Planning Commission’s meeting was the last public forum at which it is scheduled to be taken up for a vote. Metro Councilman Buddy Amoroso, who had vociferously opposed the project, says the meeting was the “only bite at the apple” for neighbors protesting the development.
But M.E. Cormier, president of the Woodland Ridge Homeowners’ Association, says neighbors are not done opposing the project and will regroup after the holidays to figure out their next move.
“We’re not going away,” she says. “We’re going to continue to vehemently protect our properties.”
Despite a renewed focus on mitigating future flooding in recent months, Monday’s vote indicates a willingness among local officials to allow large developments in floodplains, so long as they believe the flood controls are adequate. The developer, Steve Duplechain, reworked his initial plans after meeting opposition from neighbors and changes to local regulations. He has said the new plans go above and beyond what’s required and ultimately reduces the flood risk through retention ponds and other engineering.
“If you do nothing, we know it’s an area that floods,” says Planning Commission Chairman Jason Engen, who abstained from the vote citing a conflict of interest. “If he’s responsible … it should actually improve the situation for the neighboring residents. That’s what moved the commission.”
Rowdy Gaudet, a Planning Commission member who voted against the project mainly for traffic concerns, says the months-long process was a “good exercise” to go through.
“These are the kinds of thorough designs we’ve got to have going forward,” he says. “As a community, we’re having a conversation of how to develop in a resilient way.”
Residents, along with Amoroso and several Planning Commission members, disagreed with the assessment that the project protected nearby homes from increased flood risks. Cormier says the current floodplain rules, which have been tweaked slightly in recent months, are “woefully outdated.” Amoroso says the regulations on floodplain properties are designed so the new developments themselves don’t flood, but don’t adequately address the existing properties nearby.
“I just hope we’re wrong,” he says. “I hope the engineering and traffic concerns will not be an issue in the future.”
—Sam Karlin
