The debate over how strict Baton Rouge should be when it comes to building in floodplains is taking on a new tenor, with a local official proposing a six-month moratorium on new developments in low-lying areas.
Councilman Buddy Amoroso filed the measure this morning for an Oct. 11 hearing at the Metro Council. Amoroso, who recently asked planners to review the city-parish rules for floodplain development, says he now wants builders to hold off on certain new projects until that study is complete and the Metro Council adopts changes to the UDC.
“If there’s another event like what happened a year ago and I haven’t done everything in my power, I won’t be able to live with myself. I have to follow my conscience,” Amoroso says.
If passed, Planning Director Frank Duke says four projects that have applied but not yet been approved would be halted, including the controversial subdivision Lakes at Jones Creek, as well as TopGolf, which is eyeing the vacant site at Siegen Lane Marketplace that was once home to Tinseltown movie theater. The city-parish would likely have to refund $13,000 in application fees, most of which came from the Lakes at Jones Creek.
Amoroso has been outspoken in his opposition to the Lakes at Jones Creek, which is planned for an area surrounded by subdivisions that flooded last year. But he says the new measure is not aimed at any specific project; he wants to spur local leaders to act on flood mitigation.
Baton Rouge is still wrestling with how to plan for and mitigate future flood events, as many experts say thousands of residents remain at risk to storms—which could happen more frequently than previously expected.
Compared to other parishes in Louisiana, East Baton Rouge is fairly restrictive in its rules on floodplain developments, Duke says. But compared to many cities throughout the country, the Capital Region has lax standards, he adds.
Mayor Sharon Weston Broome has hired an engineering firm to conduct a broad study on stormwater, but it’s unclear when it will be finished. Amoroso says the city-parish can’t wait and should make moves now on flood management.
“We have an issue with a city that is growing tremendously,” Councilwoman Barbara Freiberg says. “New houses are being built, new subdivisions are being built and we’ve got to figure out a way to take care of a need for new construction and to be concerned for our waterways and flood plans.”
Freiberg says she is concerned the six-month moratorium could be too long, but she is open to working with Amoroso.
The proposed moratorium would halt most new subdivisions and large developments in floodplains. But many developments already underway would be spared, as would small subdivisions without new roads. The measure largely targets bigger subdivisions and site plans, and doesn’t impact most zoning, building permits or large projects outside the floodplain. The measure excludes the cities of Baker, Central and Zachary.
Check out the proposal for more details.
—Sam Karlin
