A.

The Ascension Parish development standards fall into four categories:

1.

Use Regulations. These regulations determine how land in the parish can be used. The intent is to separate incompatible activities in order to protect public health, public safety, and property values. Use regulations are also designed to focus the most intensive activity into areas of the parish that fall outside the 100-year floodplain and can be supported by existing and planned public infrastructure.

2.

Structure Regulations. These regulations focus on the intensity of development. Structure regulations are designed to balance the impact of development with the available infrastructure. The intent is to insure that development projects can be supported by surrounding public infrastructure and do not aggravate traffic and drainage problems in the parish.

3.

Site Regulations. These regulations determine the character of development on the site and the access of the site to the parish highway system. The intent is to position structures on the site in such a way as to protect public health, public safety and property values. They include regulations for setbacks, minimum lot sizes and height restrictions.

4.

Other Regulations. These regulations are designed to meet specific policy goals, such as protecting the environment, protecting property values, and promoting public health and safety. They include sign regulations, parking regulations, landscaping regulations, adult business and alcohol-related business regulations.

B.

Commentary. Most conventional zoning ordinances establish districts with a single use. Unlike this traditional approach to zoning, this ordinance encourages compatible mixed uses within districts. Use regulations are common to zoning ordinances. Unfortunately, most ordinances follow confusing classification schemes that overlap or leave large gaps. To address this problem, the parish is incorporating the Land Based Classification Standards (LCBS) developed by the American Planning Association.

C.

This ordinance also regulates the intensity of development within each district. To accomplish this goal, the parish again refers to the LCBS and focuses on the types and size of structures that can be built within each district. In the case of residential uses, intensity is defined as residential units per acre. In terms of commercial and industrial development, the intensity is defined by the floor area of the project. These measures are easy to calculate. They are designed to promote high intensity development where it can be supported by existing and planned road, water and sewer investments.

D.

The following step-by-step guide provides an aid to property owners and prospective developers. It sets forth the summary of a process to determine what may or may not be permitted on a particular site, and, if permitted, the scale of the project that may be allowed.

1.

Step 1. Identify the zoning district in which the particular parcel is located. Zoning districts are outlined in section 17-2010 of this code and on the Official Zoning Map of Ascension Parish.

2.

Step 2. Determine the general use categories for the proposed project by looking at Appendix I, Table A: Permitted Uses by District. If the property owner cannot identify the appropriate activity category for the project, contact the planning office for assistance.

3.

Step 3. Determine the allowable scale of the project allowed by referring to Appendix I, Table B: Site Requirements by District. This table outlines the restrictions on the size of development that is allowable.

4.

Step 4. Determine the site requirements of the project by referring to Appendix I, Table B: Site Requirements by District. These restrictions govern the location of structures on the site.

5.

Step 5. Determine if the project falls into an overlay zone, which may impose additional requirements on development. Refer to section 17-2030, Development Standards for Overlay Zones.

6.

Step 6. Determine if any additional regulations apply to your project by reviewing sections 17-2040, Specific Use Criteria and 17-2080, Development Requirements.

(DC03-01, 1/9/03; DC09-09, 12/17/09; 1/4/18)