Duplexes denied

Planning Commission turns down 250-unit project in annexed area

By J.R. WELSH
jrwelsh@sunherald.com

BAY ST. LOUIS --

The city's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously denied plan approval this week to developers who want to build nearly 250 duplex units in a newly annexed section of town.

The commission voted 6-0 to turn away the application from Chapman Road Development LLC. The company plans to build Coastal Gables, a multi-family housing development, off Chapman Road.

Denial came after neighbors of Garden Isles subdivision and other nearby areas cited environmental concerns, as well as problems with high density and anticipated heavy traffic once construction is completed. The project calls for putting up 143 raised buildings, each with two units containing three bedrooms.

The project would back up to a dirt road that also borders a youth soccer field and would have two entrances off Chapman Road. Upon completion, neighbors have said, the development would have hundreds of residents and 500 or more cars crowded onto 19.7 acres.

An opposition spokesman said Thursday the Planning and Zoning Commission made a sound decision.

"We aren't opposed to development," said Sam Moore, president of the Garden Island Community Association. "We welcome well-planned developments that can make a positive difference in our community. This proposal was quite the opposite."

The issue now automatically goes on the agenda for a City Council workshop Monday. Should an appeal fail, the company can then file a lawsuit.

It's unknown how the council will vote on an appeal, but council members have thus far appeared hesitant to give Chapman Road Development what it wants. On several occasions they have delayed action on the company's request for the city to officially recognize the Coastal Gables Public Improvement District.

The designation requires City Council approval. It would allow the district to sell $3 million in tax-exempt bonds and use the proceeds to build roads, sidewalks and water and sewer infrastructure for the development. In doing so the company could cover costs without spending its own money. The bond issue would be repaid by special assessments levied on consumers who buy the duplexes.

Lucien Bourgeois, a lawyer representing the developers, has said construction will occur, regardless of how the council votes. "With or without the public improvement district, this plan will go forward," he told the council last month.