Windermere Crossing, Buzzard Roost get nod after requirements, concessions – The Advocate

Narrow roads and traffic congestion continued to draw the focus of the Ascension Parish Planning Commission this month as the panel approved two new neighborhoods constituting 140 new homes and an La. 30 industrial park that will be first piece in a more than 600-acre development in Geismar.

In the case of both residential projects, local landowners and their developers were coming back the commission on Jan. 13 with revised proposals that either cut down home lots or proposed major traffic improvements to mitigate the impact of their new homes after previous concepts had been denied or required other traffic improvements.

With the industrial park proposed for the Buzzard Roost property, commissioners responded to concerns from the planning staff that they wanted to see more of developer Grady Melancon's plans for the large site by requiring him to supply his master road plan and where he plans to locate a community sewer plant along with approval for the 121-acre park.

Melancon, parish officials and state highway officials have been negotiating for two years to use Melancon's large Buzzard Roost property between the Cornerview Road area and La. 30 to provide the land for key access routes for a future Interstate 10 interchange south of Cornerview.

The Buzzard Roost project and one of the neighborhoods, Windermere Crossing, drew opposition from residents who live near the future projects, primarily over traffic concerns.

After the meeting, Parish President Clint Cointment, who ran on controlling growth through the development code, issued a statement on his official government Facebook page a day after the hearing. He pledged to do everything in his administration's power to tighten restrictions on development further.

"Those changes will be seeking to retain Ascension's rural character, while ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place before new development is approved," Cointment said in the statement.

He said the volunteer commissioners have a thankless job of balancing landowner rights against those of their neighbors' as drainage problems are unresolved, roads remain undersized and sewage options remain inefficient.

The 103-home Windermere Crossing proposed off the northwest corner of Roddy and Cannon roads drew the most discussion and negotiation between the developer, his engineering representatives and the commission.

Windermere Crossing is proposed on the same nearly 36-acre site where Amalfi Cove had been proposed in December 2018 and been narrowly rejected over traffic concerns.

Cannon is a notoriously narrow, substandard road. Despite the virtual setting of the meeting, several residents aired, by emails and telephone comments, their experiences with accidents and near misses with oncoming traffic and worries about more traffic ending up on Cannon.

After considerable negotiation, the developers agreed to reconstruct and widen Cannon at least to the standard 18-foot width between Roddy and O'Neal roads and have entrances for the subdivision on Roddy and Cannon. Left turns out of the subdivision onto Roddy would be prevented.

The developers had proposed widening Cannon even farther west to La. 44 and having an entrance only on Cannon Road, but cut the road widening offer in half due to cost after commissioners, responding to public concerns about only one exit for the neighborhood, pressed for a second entrance.

Parish officials raised the prospect of turning the developer's offer into a Move Ascension project to widen Cannon to more than 18 feet across but, under the commission's decision, the developer must build at least to the 18-foot width before homes can start being built.

Commission Chairman Matt Pryor and fellow Commissioners Ken Firmin, Julio Dumas and Robert Hodgson voted to approve. Commissioners Richard Carmouche and Aaron Chaisson opposed. Commissioner Shannon Hutchings was absent.

The commission also approved the 37-home Clare Court neighborhood off Cornerview Road a half mile west of Interstate 10. The site had been proposed for 43-home Evelyn Estates in May 2019, but traffic concerns led the commission then to require mitigation of traffic impacts to improve the level of service on nearby intersections, including at La. 73 and Cornerview.

The developer came back this month with a smaller development that didn't require a renewed look at outlying intersections under the parish traffic policy but also after a traffic light was added to the La. 73/Cornerview intersection.

The commission approved that development with one "no" vote from Commissioner Carmouche.

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Windermere Crossing, Buzzard Roost get nod after requirements, concessions - The Advocate