Parish council gives GREEN LIGHT to more development on the east bank

St. Charles Parish Council lifted a ban on development on the east bank in a regular meeting at the courthouse, opening the door for the long-talked about Plantation Business Park in Destrehan and other projects that are expected to be good for parish residents and the economy.

The ban was adopted earlier this year and was set to expire on Dec. 31. The idea was to give the parish plenty of time to connect east and west bank water systems by running pipes under the Mississippi River without developers getting in the way.

The need for such a connection became glaringly clear when water ran short on the east bank during a heavy-use period.

Council considered extending the ban beyond Dec. 31 but decided in a 7-2 vote against the measure with Councilwoman April Black and Councilman Barry Minnick voting in favor.

The vote made the St. Charles Economic Development Council happy. Members of that agency feared an extension of the ban would send the wrong message to businesses.

Insiders say the Plantation Business Park in Destrehan isn’t the only project the vote should expedite.

Smaller “little guy” property owners were prohibited from subdividing their land under the ban as well.