March 2023
PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF BREAUX BRIDGE HELD AT THE CITY HALL, 101 BERARD STREET, AT 6:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023. Mayor Ricky Calais called the meeting to order, the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance were recited. PRESENT: Ryan Breaux, Scotty Borel, Albert Menard, Neil Melancon and Eddy LeBlanc. ABSENT: None Monthly budget-to-actual comparisons of the General Funds, Sales Tax Funds, Park and Recreation Fund, and Utility Funds were distributed to the councilmen and Mayor. Upon motion of Ryan Breaux, duly seconded by Eddy LeBlanc and unanimously carried, the Board of Aldermen approved the amendment of Item #9 of the agenda: “Consider the recommendation from Chief LeBlanc to hire one patrol officer.” The change was as follows:“Consider the recommendation from Chief LeBlanc to hire two patrol officers.” At the request of Alderman Melancon and, upon motion of Scotty Borel, duly seconded by Albert Menard and unanimously carried, the Board of Aldermen added the following items to the agenda: Item # 11. Discuss plans to create a limestone parking lot behind City Hall for Downtown parking access. Item #12. Presentation of bond proposal options. Upon motion of Albert Menard, duly seconded by Neil Melancon and unanimously carried, the minutes of the February 14, 2023 meeting were approved. Mayor Calais announced that Item #10 would be taken up at this time. Upon motion of Albert Menard, duly seconded by Ryan Breaux and unanimously carried, the Board of Aldermen opened a public hearing regarding the recommendation of the Zoning Commission to deny a request to rezone a lot Parcel ID#05902C4420 located at the corner of Rees Street Extension and Julie Street from R-1, Residential 1, to R-5, Residential 5. Mayor Calais explained that neither he nor the Board pursued this issue. Alderman Breaux explained that he had sent a letter to gauge public opinion on this issue and the Planning and Zoning Commission member pursued it further. Comments were opened to the public. The developer of the proposed business explained that the development he plans to build would not be low-income or HUD-assisted housing. He stated that the structure would be townhomes in the price range of $350,000-$400,000. Some residents stated that they had not been informed of the specifics of this development. Mayor Calais stated that the request on the table was to rezone the property to R-5, which means that anything in that zone category would be allowable on that property. He expressed his concern that there would be no way for the City or neighboring residents to stop a developer from building other, not-discussed structures on that property as long as it conformed to the R-5 zoning regulations. Mayor Calais explained that this public hearing is the second part of a two-part process. The request first goes to the Planning and Zoning Board who makes the initial recommendation. That recommendation then goes to the City Council for approval or denial. The Planning and Zoning Board denied the request to rezone this property from R-1 to R-5. A resident of the neighboring subdivision raised concerns about the potential traffic issues that this development would create and also the concern that the developer was not present at the initial meeting to explain what his plans were for developing the property. A resident of North Bridge subdivision suggested that the City Council mandate that only the owner of a property could request a rezone. Mayor Calais explained that this is the requirement, however, someone can make the request on behalf of the owner with their permission, as happened in this case. Mr. Ellis Reed of North Bridge Subdivision explained that when someone buys a house or land in a particular subdivision, they do so knowing the surrounding zones. He cited Atchafalaya Trace Subdivision as an example. He stated that the front of this subdivision is zoned commercial, therefore, the residents who buy homes or property in this subdivision do so with the knowledge that at some point a commercial business could be placed at the entrance of their subdivision. He further stated that the residents of North Bridge subdivision bought their homes or property under the impression that the zone in front of their subdivision would remain Residential-1 and would likely be developed as such. Several residents of North Bridge expressed concerns over drainage and traffic issues as well as obstructed views of the road that a tall structure would create. Alderman Melancon explained that he attended the initial Planning and Zoning meeting and expressed that he thought the developer having a presence at that meeting to explain his intentions would have gone a long way to assuaging concerns. He also expressed that the Council may have some work to do to improve the Ordinances regulating these types of issues. Upon motion of Ryan Breaux, duly seconded by Albert Menard and unanimously carried, the Board of Aldermen closed the public hearing regarding the recommendation of the Zoning Commission to deny a request to rezone a lot Parcel ID#05902C4420 located at the corner of Rees Street Extension and Julie Street from R-1, Residential 1, to R-5, Residential 5. Upon motion of Ryan Breaux, duly seconded by Albert Menard, the Board of Aldermen accepted the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Board to deny the request to rezone a lot Parcel ID#05902C4420 located at the corner of Rees Street Extension and Julie Street from R-1, Residential 1, to R-5, Residential 5, with a roll call vote taken as follows: Yeas: Ryan Breaux, Scotty Borel, Albert Menard, Neil Melancon, Eddy LeBlanc Nays: None Abstain: None Upon motion of Albert Menard, duly seconded by Ryan Breaux and unanimously carried, the Board of Aldermen opened a public hearing for Ordinance #2283 (An Ordinance to contract the corporate limits of the City of Breaux Bridge as proposed in the Petition filed on behalf of Mr. Thomas Huval and Mrs. Velma Huval with the City under letter dated January 16, 2023 respecting…