While Baton Rouge is still working to update the Unified Development Code, Shreveport has surged ahead to enact its own UDC.
The Shreveport Times reports, that city’s UDC—an effort by the city government to streamline planning and zoning ordinances—went into effect on Monday.
Mark Sweeney, executive director of the Shreveport-Caddo Metropolitan Planning Commission, says the UDC will be instrumental in the city’s future growth.
The code outlines almost every aspect of development, including signage, lighting, streets, building permits and rules on size, shape and design. It also requires builders and developers to consider how their buildings appear at eye level to make Shreveport more appealing to pedestrian traffic.
Sweeney says the successful passage of the UDC is a major step the city council has taken to actively implement the goals and objectives of the citizen-driven 2030 Great Expectations Shreveport-Caddo Master Plan.
“The new code is long overdue, business friendly, and seeks to level the playing field for land use and development throughout the city,” he says. “The ratification of the UDC will serve as a major milestone in shaping the future of the city of Shreveport for decades to come.”
