Twodays before Thanksgiving, the Zachary City Council took the first step toward doing something that local political candidates and elected officialshave flirted with on and off for the past decade: imposing amoratorium on residential development.
The council, on a3-2 vote that came after alengthy debate, introduced an ordinance Nov.26that would ban manyhomes from being constructed in Zachary for up to one year CouncilmemberBrandyWestmoreland,who put the measure
Leila Pitchford AROUND ZACHARY
Christmas events on tapinarea
Christmas in the Village is Dec. 13 from 6p.m.to9 p.m.in downtown Zachary.Itwill include lights in the park, asnow globe photo opportunity, Santa and Mrs. Claus as well as the Grinch’ssleigh, “snow,” train rides, atree lighting and agingerbread wonderland.
Christmas parade: The Zachary Chamber of Commerce announced it will have its first Christmasparade grand marshal, arole that willbefilled by Zachary Mayor David McDavid. The Christmas parade, which will march Dec. 14 down Main Street, is themed “Luau Under the Mistletoe.” Theparade begins at 10 a.m., withthe lineup starting in the Rouses Market parking lot, 2300 Church St., and continues east along Church Street to Main Street in downtownZachary Chase Santa: The Zachary Charity League Chasing Santa5K &Kids Half-Mile Fun Run is Dec. 14 at 4100 School St.Chase Santa through the streets of
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on theagenda,stipulated that the moratorium could be lifted sooner if certainconditions aremet such as adopting anew master plan, which is in the works and could clarify several planning and zoning questions the council has raised at recent meetings. The moratorium would apply only to new residential developmentsofmorethanfive lots.The ordinance states that “this moratorium will notaffect the issuance ofindividual building permits for constructingresidentialsingle family structures, buildings and/or sheds.” Planned unit developments and traditional neighborhood developments also would be exempt.
The council must votetoformally adoptthe moratorium ordinance at its next meeting, Dec. 10, when it also will entertain public comments on thematter
If approved, this won’tbeZachary’s first moratorium. The city halted residentialconstruction during aperiod of growth in the late 2000s.
In the ensuingyears —during which the city’spopulation doubled —the idea of enacting another moratorium has been tossed around regularly as apossible way to give thecity time to come up with solutionstoinfrastructure woes like traffic and drainage problems.
ZacharyCityCouncil considers restrictiononresidential development
During election seasons, it has been common for candidatesto take astand on the controversial tactic.
It has been all talk —until now.A lot has led up to this point.
The current and previous councils have passed ordinances aimed at slowing the pace of development, such as increasing minimum lot size requirements andholding developerstostrictconstruction and designstandards.
They seem to have worked: BryantDixon, planning and zoning director,noted that just one subdivisioninside city limits —the Americana Crossing planned unit development —has been approved
since he began working in Zachary in late 2021.
Still, with its population approaching 20,000, Zachary is feeling the effects of asurge in newcomers to the area. Longtime residents have become frustrated with the strain being put on roads, schools and other resources as they watchnew houses go up, many of theminsubdivisions authorized years ago under aprior administration.
Thecity also hasbeen impacted by projects cropping up along the La. 964 corridoroutside city limits. In these areas, developers don’t
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The Pride-Chaneyville Branch Library hosted dance lessons in November taught by theLagniappe Historic Dance and PastimeSociety
The society members shared their expertise in 18th- and 19th-century dances, such as the“hole in the wall.”
ZacharyHigh’shoopdreamsrootedintalent,
Coach Jon McClinton andthe Zachary High boys basketball team have had asizzling start to the2024-25 season. Four early season games in November resulted in four victories over Captain Shreve (57-45), St. ThomasMoore (79-46), Port Allen(73-37) and Sophie B. Wright (79-43).
Xavier Ferguson is the sole returning starter for the Broncos but, as is typical with McClinton’s previous teams, several players
have logged minutes. Ferguson earned All Metro honors last season.
“Weare very talented, athletic, not as big as we have been in the past but we can shoot it better,” McClinton commented.
McClinton further noted that “they work hard, play hard and if we can rebound and share the ball we will be all right.”
As usual, District 4-5A is loaded and McClinton expectsLiberty (the 2023-24 Division ISelect State
Champion)tobevery good and the team to beat. Scotlandville is strong, as always.
“Catholic is going to be good, and Ithink Central may surprise people because they will be better thanthey have been in thepast,” McClinton said.
To add to the intrigue, the Broncos will have to travel to Central, McClinton’salma mater,onFeb.
18.
Statewide, McClinton indicated thatRuston hadmost of theirteam
preparation
coming back andshould be very good
“Natchitoches Central always plays hard andmadeittothe state championship last year andshould compete,” McClinton said. He also indicated that Denham Springs hasa good team andcould make adeep run. TheBroncos scrimmaged theYellowJackets earlierthis year andsaw them up close andpersonal.Though they
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Warren Brady
ZACHARY SPORTS
PHOTO BY SONYAGOSS
AmeliaGodbee, JaclynMoffett, Kent Caperton and Walter Godbee demonstrating the ‘holeinthe wall dance’ of the late 18th centuryduring lessons at the Pride-Chaneyville Library ä More photos. PAGE 4G
Zachary and win aspecial prize if you catch him. Hot cocoa and cookies will be served after the race. Allrunnerswho registerbyDec. 1will receive aT-shirt. Kids half-mile finishers will receivea toy from Santa’sbag. Register at runsignup.com/Race/LA/ Zachary/ZacharyCharityLeagueChasingSanta5K. Email zacharycharityleague@ gmail.com with questions.
The 5K is achip-timed event. Finishers will receive aChristmas ornamentmedal. Runnersinthe 5K mayalsoparticipatein the half-mile run for no extra fee. Strollers are welcome. The race starts and endsatZachary High School. Stay for the Zachary Christmas Parade at 10 a.m.
The family-friendly eventraises funds for Zachary CharityLeague. Race proceeds go toward scholarships, teacher grants and the Snack Packs4 Kidsprogram, which provides healthysnacksover the weekend forchildren living in foodinsecure homes. The race route passes by five of Zachary’sseven schools, whichare the heart of the league.
HolidaylightsatLane
The Lane Foundation is hostingits inaugural HolidayLights at Lanedisplay
The walking track at Lane Regional Med-
ical Center is decorated with lights,and people are invited to stroll the half-mile path for some holiday merriment.
Theentrance to the Holiday Lights at Lane is behind the hospital at the end of West Park Drive, 6300 Main St., Zachary It is open nightly,5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., through Jan. 5.
Four photo stations are set up. For information or to donate to the Lane Foundation, visit LaneRMC.org or call (225) 658-6699.
Lane services available
FLU SHOTS: Lane Rx, located in front of the hospital at 6400 Main St., Zachary,isofferingfree walk-in flu shots Monday to Friday from 9a.m. to 7p.m., and Saturday from 9a.m. to 3p.m. The vaccinations arefree with most insurance plans. The standard Fluzone, for ages 6months to 64 years, is $32 for cash pay,and the Fluzone High Dose for ages 65 and older is $92 for cash. Forinformation, call (225) 658-4022.
Save thedate
Dec. 13: 6p.m. to 9p.m., Christmas in the Village and Mistletoe Holiday Shopping Market.
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Give Yourself the Gift of Health
As the hustle andbustle of the holidayseason approaches, don’t forget about you. Take the time to take careof yourself and achieveyour best health. Dr.Nyirenda and Dr.Richardson at Lane Family Practicecan help you manage chronic health conditions as well as unexpected illnesses and injuries so youcan enjoythe holidayseason. Thebestgiftyoucangiveyourselfisthe giftofgoodhealth!
Councilgetsupdate on businessrecruiting
BY OLIVIA MCCLURE
Contributing writer
Zachary may be abletoattract more retail businesses if it offers developers incentives and spruces up its shopping centers —initiatives that also could boost economic activityinthe eastern side of town and other areas that often get passed over by developers.
That’saccording to Ashleigh McHugh, the city of Zachary’seconomic development director.Speaking to the City Council on Nov.12, she provided updates on her work and that of Retail Strategies, an Alabama-based firm that the city has contracted with for the past few years.
McHugh and the firm arein touch daily,she said, exchanging information on residents’ requests for certain types of retailers, businesses that may be agood fit for Zachary and sites that are available for lease or sale. Retail Strategies approaches companies and tries to get them to come to Zachary Several companies areeyeingZachary fornew locations, McHughsaid. While the market and its demographics fit the profile many businesses are looking for,some are turned off by the lackof incentives fromthe city
She said communities that have incentives tend to get faster responses from businesses. Examples of incentives include offering abreak on sales taxes or utilities, among aplethora of other options.
“There are alot, so that’s something that we’re looking into, and we feel like that will make the difference,” McHugh said.
She also is exploring whether it would help to create new economic development districts like the one already in place in the Americana development.
“There are other areas that it would make sense —east Zachary,for example, where there’salot of business leakage,” McHugh said. “Something likethatwould make sense in that area to really jump-start. They need grocery desperately,and we’re confident that if we can get an incentive in place, they would be more likely to lookatthat area of town.”
DEVELOPMENT
Continued from page1G
have to adhere to Zachary’s building standards —but they are still able to offer sought-after homes within the boundaries of the Zachary school system, which was No. 1inLouisiana for two decades until dropping to astill-high rating of No. 5 earlier this month. More recently,council members clamped down further on residential development, barring theconstruction of both single- and multifamily homes in the city’sprimarycommercial zone earlier this month. Backers said the move was needed to ensure commercially zoned properties are available to businesspeople who want to bring sorely needed variety to Zachary’s limited retail scene.
Westmoreland said the city needs to stop allowing homes to be built until leaders can answer akey question: “What are we doing?”
“I think there’salot of things that need to be looked at …toprevent any kind of ill development,” Westmoreland said. “I don’twant to keep putting the cart before the horse. Ithink we need to do this the right way.”
Ambre DeVirgilio and John LeBlanc joined Westmoreland in voting for themoratorium.Jennifer Landry and James Graves opposed it. Discussion preceding the vote featured asignificant amount of back-and-forth between Westmoreland and Landry,who urged her colleagues to do research and seek communityinput to ensure that such drastic action
Another stumbling block in Zachary is alimited amount of retail space that appeals to companies.
“It just comes down to site,” McHugh said. “And that’stypically the hard part, andsometimes that’s where things come to astop.”
Alot of retailers are on the hunt for suites in shopping centers. They struggle to find suitable units in Zachary
“Wehave Americana, which is top-notch, topof the line, very high-quality product,” McHugh said. “I can’tsay the same for other shopping centers thatwe have. We present them over and over and overand dayin and day out,and price is too high, updates havenot been completed, business owner doesn’thave to sell or lease for whatever reason—just not motivated.”
Mayor David McDavid noted that theshoppingcenter anchored by Rouses Market is set for an overhaul. He said he recently talked with the facility’sowner
“Theyhave gota newgroup in. They’re coming in to redo the whole complex,” he said, adding that he hasgotten word of other businesses being interested in comingto that area.
He said he wants everyone to know that Zachary is open for business.
“We’re working hard …to make sure that we get the needs here for the peopleof Zachary and thewants,” he said. The discussion soon turned to thetopic of Zachary’s appearance and what kind of an impression it makes on potential investors and developers.
Council members raised the issue of development code enforcement, asubject that has comeupfrequently at recent council meetings. The city has been working withVillavaso and Associates to rewrite its development code so that violations can be punished with civil penalties rather than criminally.Officials also have been studying the possibility of establishing ablight court to handle complaints and issue fines.
Council membershave previously complained that the updates are taking too long. They’ve reportedgetting calls from constituents about junk issues going unad-
is truly necessary “Moratoriums are used when there are serious infrastructure problems and when there are serious threats to health, safety and welfare,” Landry said. “I’ve not heard from anybody that the city of Zachary is in an emergency situation with infrastructure or with welfare.”
Westmoreland and DeVirgilio disagreed.
“I feel like I’ve gotten the facts from my citizens, and Idonot think Iwill have very many who do not agree with this,” DeVirgiliosaid. “They don’twant any more houses.”
She added that other municipalities and parishes, including neighboring West FelicianaParish, haveinstituted moratoriums. “I think they are thriving,” shesaid.
Unmoved,Landry said the moratorium couldworsen housing shortages, especially when it comes to affordable options and rentals. She also worried themovecould backfire and harm the local economy —apoint Graves also made.
“I would liketoslow down theresidential as much as possible —which has happened. Imean, we haven’t had any major subdivisions since we took office in the last two years,” he said. “I don’twant to put abig closed sign on the city of Zachary.” Mayor David McDavid didn’ttake aside on the issue but voiced concern about causing confusion for commercial developers, whoseprojects would not be subject to the residential moratorium
“We’ve got several commercial projects that are right hereabout ready to go,” he said. “I just don’t wantthem to get spooked.”
BRADY
Continued from page1G
dressedand illegalsigns such as feather flags and “for sale” notices cropping up around town. “The way that we present thecity to these commercial businesses, investors, it is important,” said Council member Ambre DeVirgilio. “I have concerns …particularly on the east side of Zachary where we have broken signs and the properties are just starting to decline. Iwant this process hopefully to get put in place as soon as possible.”
don’tcount in the power rankings, early competition has seen the Broncos defeat Southern Lab in the jamboree and St. Augustine in the Hall of Fame game.
Sophomore DeMarcus Collins hit six 3-pointers in the Broncos win over St. Augustine.
The Broncos have added assistants Jared Sam and Austin Stewart to the coaching staff this year.Sam played at Scotlandville and Stewart played at Central and Southern.
They will be working with sophomore point guard Ian Edmond. McClinton on Edmond commented that
“he can really score theball and is asmart kid that plays with alot of passion and emotion.”
Cambren Price, ajunior guard, was also singled out by McClinton as “a bigger guard that, with Edmond, can really score.”
Mason Newman was also identifiedasa“very athletic, very skilled,solid big that has great bodycontrol for his size” and McClinton commented that Aiden Givenscan “shoot the lights out.”
The Broncos will be home to take on Northside Dec. 3, Mandeville Dec. 10 and Glen Oaks Dec. 17, before the holiday break.
The break will be short as the Broncos will compete in the Walker Invitational, Snoop Johnson Tournament
We cantalkMedicarewhere youwant
inDallas, Texas, and ring in the New Year at the Hoopfest Classic. For the tournamentin Dallas., McClinton laughed that “they better pack their Wheaties for that one.” Top teams from Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas will compete to be the top team in the four-state area. McClinton encourages folks to come and check out agame “we are trying to do some different things to increase the excitement and create an experience at games and Ican’twait for folks to see what we have in store for them.”
Warren Brady covers sports for The Plainsman. He can be contacted at zachary@theadvocate. com.
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Librarywelcomes Lagniappe Historic Dance and Pastime Society forlessons
ZACHARYPOLICEBOOKINGS
The followingpeoplewere booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison or issued asummonsbythe Zachary Police Department from Nov.14-20:
CASEY BENNETT: 35;6643
LowerZachary Road, Zachary; first offense DWI, battery of apoliceofficer, general speed law, operating vehicle with suspended license, two counts of failuretoappear on outstanding bench warrants, vehicle registration expired, turningmovements and required signals, careless
operation
NICHOLAS BERGERON: 34; 4807 Tristian Ave., Baker; possession of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, license platelight
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Julianne Caperton, 11th grade; Jaynie Moffett, eighthgrade; JaclynMoffett, third grade; and SarahRobertson, eighth grade, during dancelessons at the Pride-Chaneyville library.
Jaynie Moffett and Sophie Pugh leading up
dance movement.
Children and adults attending the Lagniappe Historic Dance and Pastime Society dance lessons at the Pride-Chaneyville BranchLibrary.
