GONZALES, La. (AP) — The Gonzales Planning and Zoning Commission has been asked to rezone more than 340 acres along Louisiana Highway 44 and Interstate 10 that could become a major development.
The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/10gLdxs) the commission has set a public hearing for June 3 to discuss rezoning the M.P. Evans property, which carries the city’s most-restrictive residential zoning designation.
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The city annexed the land in March 2012, along with a 63-acre portion of the property previously sold to the Ascension Parish School Board.
Gary Binns, a real estate broker representing the estate of Merritt P. Evans Jr. and Ruth Walker Evans, told the commission that deals have been reached to sell a 127-acre segment for single-family housing and another 20 acres for apartments, pending approval of the zoning changes.
In addition, Binns said, a buyer has expressed interest in a 105-acre section that would be zoned light industrial and could have warehouses or storage units. He also said roughly 80 acres has been set aside for commercial development, including a potential grocery store to serve the residents of the area.
“This is going to be a community,” Binns said. “This is not going to be a neighborhood.”
The Evans development would be near the Edenborne development, which will include the new River Parishes Community College campus and regional headquarters for Emerson Process Management.
The estate is seeking R-6 and R-8 residential zoning designations with plans for 50-, 60- and 70-foot lots. Binns said.
Commission Chairman John Cagnolatti said R-6 zoning, which allows for the smaller lots, might be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
“Historically, the (Gonzales City) Council has not granted an R-6 zoning,” Cagnolatti said.
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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com
