Plaquemines Parish development board votes ‘no’ on Oakville zoning change
11th March 2024 · 0 Comments
By Mason Harrison
Contributing Writer
Residents of an historic Black community in Plaquemines Parish scored a major victory against a group of property developers on March 5 after a furtive plan to rezone their homes was rebuffed by local officials.
Members of the parish’s development board voted unanimously following a public hearing to reject a proposed zoning change in the Oakville area of Belle Chasse, La., to turn an agricultural plot of land into commercial space, something residents argue will increase flooding, boost traffic and affect public safety.
Residents became aware of the plan to build trailers on a vacant lot in the rear of their community in late February. The temporary structures were slated to house out-of-state workers employed at an area natural gas plant and be in proximity to a neighborhood playground and cemetery for formerly enslaved persons.
The plan, which was buried in the public notice section of the little-read Plaquemines Gazette, would have turned the quiet residential community into a mixed-use zone bustling with commercial activity, which, once rezoned, could experience development beyond the presently proposed housing units.
“We took a broad view of what the environmental impact of this proposal would be,” said Devin Lowell, an assistant law professor at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic. “An increase in traffic will add to air pollution and the land proposed for commercialization currently serves as a sink for rainwater that will produce run-off if rezoned.”
Lowell, whose clinic represents members of the Oakville community, also says the area’s narrow streets are ill-suited to support the heavy vehicles expected to be tied to the project.
“We have seniors in the community who take walks every morning and every evening,” said Angelare Jackson, whose mother is an Oakville resident. “Children play outside unattended because everyone in the area knows one another and they look out for each other’s children. This proposal would change that with the addition of hundreds of transient men over a short period who have no ties to the area.”
The meeting drew the attention of elected officials, faith leaders and activists from across the parish. Heidi Lee, a member of the development board, called the meeting the most well-attended in her tenure.
“They were not prepared for us to show up,” Jackson said. “They had to keep bringing in chairs until they finally ran out. So, we decided that we would let the seniors sit while some of us would stand.”
Organizers estimate that 80 opponents of the rezoning proposal attended the meeting, which grew heated as board chair Victor Scorsone chided Oakville residents over their opposition to the proposal. “We thought that was very insulting,” Jackson said. “He is telling us that we should welcome those who want to do business in the parish and that he knows these developers are good, God-fearing people.”
Residents were angered by the board’s decision to hold the meeting on short notice, 40 miles from Belle Chasse in Port Sulphur, with some suggesting the move was designed to suppress community participation. “The parish definitely did not make it easy to attend,” Lowell said. “But I was not surprised by the level of turnout. The Oakville community is well-organized and their muscles are well-trained for this.”
In 2006, Oakville residents sued Plaquemines Parish to force the partial shutdown of a nearby landfill which spilled debris into their neighborhood and operated without proper permits for three decades. Residents are also at the forefront of efforts to halt expansion of the area’s petrochemical industry.
The rezoning proposal will now be reviewed by the parish council beginning March 14.
“The minutes from the board meeting will be read into the record on the 14th,” said Ametra Rose, superintendent of the zoning and planning department. “Then the council will vote on it on March 28,” where, she said, the council could override the board’s recommendation to shelve the rezoning plan.
The unanimous show of hands from the board, however, is expected to heavily influence the council’s decision. “I would be very surprised,” said Jackson, “if the council approved the plan after it was vetoed.”
Editor’s Note: It was mistakenly reported in a previous story about the Oakville area that Lloyd Newsom Jr. represents the Oakville community. A member of the parish council has since confirmed that Mitch Jurisich Jr. is the representative on the parish council for Oakville.
This article originally published in the March 11, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
