Resident suggestions include more parks, commercial properties and different housing choices
The parish’s first comprehensive planning effort in almost 20 years will get underway on June 15 and residents will be called upon to be a huge part of that process, which could be completed in as little as a year.
The consultant firm chosen for the project, Wallace, Roberts & Todd, will take an all-day tour of the parish on June 15 and then outline the planning process for the council at that night’s meeting. Kim Marousek, the director of planning and zoning, said the purpose of the tour will be to orient the firm with all areas of St. Charles Parish.
“They do a lot of long-range planning and have a lot of experience,” Marousek said of Wallace, Roberts & Todd. “The tour will not only orient them with all areas of the parish, but will give us a chance to really examine the communities as well.”
St. Charles Parish was one of five communities chosen by the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) last August to participate in its Louisiana Community Planning Program. The parish was awarded $100,000 in seed funding for development of a comprehensive plan, which they matched.
The plan, which is sometimes referred to as a “Master Plan,” provides a guide for the future growth and development of a community. It addresses several different elements such as land use, transportation, infrastructure, drainage and open space conservation.
But finding a plan to guide all of those elements will be difficult.
“We’ve had a fair amount of growth over the years, but the amount of undeveloped property we have is limited,” Marousek said. “That’s why we really need to think carefully.”
To make sure that the plan works, Marousek and the rest of the parish are counting on huge support from parish residents, who know their communities better than anyone else.
“We need to open this up to public discussion so we can figure out how to get from where we are now to where we want to be 20 years from now,” she said. “I hope that the public gets engaged and is vocal in the process and that we can all agree on a common vision.
“That would bring focus to the process.”
So far, residents have offered several suggestions about what should be done around the parish. Marousek said that those comments include the need for more parks, more local commercial development and different housing choices.
“This is something that has been talked about for awhile and I am pleased to see how interested and engaged everyone is,” she said. “I have been overwhelmed by the number of people that want to get involved.”
The targeted completion date for the planning study is a year away, but Marousek said it could last up to 16 months. In its contract with Wallace, Roberts & Todd, the parish has asked the firm to meet with residents four to six times in a span of two to four days. Meeting dates have not been announced yet, but they will be held on both sides of the river.
Marousek said that once the plan is complete, the hard work will begin.
“That’s when we have to pass ordinances and start initializing land controls to get the vision accomplished,” she said.
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