Council approves Babin Road parcel rezoning, defers nearby rezoning after court-order review

The Central Parish Council voted on two zoning matters at its Jan. 8 meeting, approving one petition and deferring another for further legal review.

PZ-3793.25 (Nathan Gautreaux): The council considered a zoning change on the east side of Babin Road to amend the parish zoning map to medium-intensity residential/mixed-use. The zoning commission recommended approving Parcel 51422800 and denying Parcels 2007990 and Lot 5041200. Justin Breaux, an adjacent resident who said he lives at 13060 Babin Road, spoke in support of approving Parcel 51422800 (described in the packet as a restaurant site) and urged denial of the two other parcels to preserve the neighborhood’s residential character. The council adopted the zoning commission’s recommendation.

PZ-3822.25 (Lot 4B for Mickey Robertson / Patrick Catanilano): A separate petition sought to rezone property on LA Highway 621 from rural to medium-intensity residential; engineer Chad Stevens said the owner (Mister Benny Johnson) wants to revert a prior rezoning that had been imposed after a 1990s court case. Councilmember Francis moved to defer the item until Feb. 19 so members could examine the court order; the motion to defer passed. The parish president told the council he had spoken with legal counsel (Spencer Long), who advised the court order would not bar rezoning; nonetheless, the council opted to review the document before taking a final vote.

Both items illustrate the council balancing neighborhood preservation and property‑owner requests while seeking legal clarity when prior court rulings are involved. The deferred rezoning will return to the council agenda on Feb. 19, per the substitute motion.