West Feliciana Parish West Feliciana Parish Comprehensive PlanComprehensive PlanImplementing the Community’s Implementing the Community’s

VisionVision

Support Committee – May 22, 2008Support Committee – May 22, 2008

AgendaAgenda

Project TimelineProject Timeline Review Small Area Workshop Review Small Area Workshop

Results (Solitude)Results (Solitude) Discuss Comprehensive Plan Policy Discuss Comprehensive Plan Policy

CommentsComments Next Step – June 19 – brief Police Next Step – June 19 – brief Police

Jury and Planning CommissionJury and Planning Commission Committee draft reviewCommittee draft review

Project TimelineProject Timeline

The Workshop The Workshop ResultsResults

Workshop AnalysisWorkshop Analysis

All 20 maps were converted to computerized scenarios

Solitude VisionStrategies:

• Housing Improvement Strategy

• New affordable housing

• Replace existing trailers with manufactured housing on foundations

• Housing Maintenance Program

• Low interest loan program

• Commercial Service Area

• Special zone for in-home businesses in the commercial center of Solitude

• Road improvement program

• Strengthen Connections to St. Francisville

• Address low water bridge on Tunica Rd

• Incorporate Open Space

• Community park

• Trail to water features

Area of Residential Influence

Area of Residential Influence

Area of Residential Influence

Village Center

Provide for a Range of

Housing Types

Parks and Open Space

Solitude Strategies

Housing Improvement Strategy

• New affordable housing

• Replace existing trailers with manufactured housing on foundations

Housing Maintenance Program

• Low interest loan program

Solitude Strategies

Commercial Service Area

• A special zone for in-home businesses in the commercial center of Solitude

Solitude Strategies

Road Improvements Program

Strengthen Connections to St. Francisville

• Address low water bridge on Tunica Rd

Solitude Strategies

Incorporate Open Space

• Community Park

• Trail connections to water features

Review of policiesReview of policies

CommentsComments

Define “Rural”Define “Rural”Policy 1A: Identify the features that Policy 1A: Identify the features that

together define West Feliciana’s “rural together define West Feliciana’s “rural character”character”

West Feliciana’s rural character is defined as West Feliciana’s rural character is defined as having a predominance of green spaces – having a predominance of green spaces – pastures, ponds, forests and fields, heavily pastures, ponds, forests and fields, heavily treed land, and agricultural elements such as treed land, and agricultural elements such as barns, fences and animals. The West Feliciana barns, fences and animals. The West Feliciana rural environment has hills and hollows; country rural environment has hills and hollows; country roads lined with trees and tree canopies; and roads lined with trees and tree canopies; and expansive rural vistas from the roadways. The expansive rural vistas from the roadways. The parish’s rural landscape also contains an parish’s rural landscape also contains an eclectic mix of land uses and building types, eclectic mix of land uses and building types, with buildings of various designs and age, and is with buildings of various designs and age, and is characterized by a creative use of local natural characterized by a creative use of local natural resources that together create this special resources that together create this special environment. environment.

Traditional highway commercial: many curb cuts onto highway, limited housing type options, housing is far from retail and not walkable

Alternative “Town Center” Design: uses much less land, variety of housing types, housing close to main street, walkable

Future DevelopmentFuture Development

Area of concentrated development – tie to infrastructure not size

What we look like in future

The first draft of The Vision Map:

1. Focused most future growth into a new Town Center area – Star Hill - Independence

2. Centered rural growth around Villages

3. Preserved most of the Parish for agriculture, forestry and hunting

What we look like in futureHow we want the Parish to look - desired

development typesDescribe and illustrate:

Rural housing/uses Clusters [that can’t be seen from road]VillageMain StreetNeighborhood– variety of housing with streetscapesWork at home - live and work in same place

StreetscapesParkwayRural roadMain StreetNeighborhood streetscape

TransportationTransportation

Standards for each type of road/use Standards for each type of road/use planning toolkitplanning toolkit

Access standards – state and localAccess standards – state and local Connections – include connectivity Connections – include connectivity

plan with adoptionplan with adoption Rural roadbeds/gravel roadsRural roadbeds/gravel roads

Highway standards to protect rural character:

Large tree buffers and berms

Highway standards to protect rural character:

Limit intersections onto highway (Access Management)

Highway standards to protect rural character:

Allow for limited retail frontage, screen parking and other buildings with roadside tree buffer to preserve rural highway character

Main Street standards:

Storefronts face main street, most parking in the rear with additional short-term on-street parking, wide walkable sidewalks, street trees

Residential Street standards

Houses oriented towards the street to promote community, sidewalks on at least one side to allow for walking, street trees or grassy landscape strip buffering sidewalk from roadway

Traditional highway commercial with adjacent residential:

- many curb cuts, must use car to access commercial, limited housing types

Alternative “Town Center” design:

- limited curb cuts, rural highway character preserved, walkable main street, residential connected to commercial, variety of housing types

Zoning IssuesZoning Issues

Cluster zoning/subdivision regs

Form based code/hybrid tools for towns and villages

Design Guidelines

Additional CommentsAdditional CommentsVillages/Communities

Volunteer Capacity/involvement

Non-profits to organize community centers/civic associations

Language consistency – “Adopt land use map…” vs. future action items

Incentives vs requirements

Use of “Vision”

AdministrativeAdministrativeUse of plan - -”may” vs “shall”

State law: Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:109 §109.  Legal status of official plan…. Whenever a parish or municipal planning commission has adopted a master plan, the governing authority of such parish or municipality shall consider such adopted master plan before adopting, approving, or promulgating any local laws, ordinances, or regulations which are inconsistent with the adopted elements of the master plan.

Planning Commission land use/procedural training

Planning Department

Guiding PrinciplesGuiding Principles

Livable CommunityLivable Community– GrowthGrowth– Land Use/HousingLand Use/Housing– TransportationTransportation

Opportunity and EquityOpportunity and Equity Healthy EnvironmentHealthy Environment Prosperous EconomyProsperous Economy

West Feliciana Parish

New John Audubon Bridge

Villages

Rural/Agriculture Areas

The first draft of The Vision Map:

1. Focused most future growth into a new Town Center area – Star Hill - Independence

2. Centered rural growth around Villages

3. Preserved most of the Parish for agriculture, forestry and hunting

The boundaries of Star Hill-Independence established based on watersheds and sewer design

Waste Water Treatment Plant and Discharge line to the Mississippi:

Gravity flow along Grants Bayou

Interceptor lines follow the low lying forks of the Grants Bayou (east and west forks)

Pump Stations and Pressure Lines are required to traverse the high points between watersheds

A Water Tower should be located at a high point in the service area

The Audubon Bridge and new Zachary Taylor Parkway alignment will impact the area

The Zachary Taylor route is for illustrative purposes only – not an alignment

A connected road network is proposed on the high ground within the Star Hill-Independence area:

• Alternate routes in case of flooding or emergency

• Internal trips kept off major roads

• Provides more opportunities for walking and biking

The Plan Map:

Three primary commercial nodes

Access management

Internal main street

High connectivity

Integrated parklands

Design workshops for Star Hill-Independence indicated a desire for an integrated town center area with a variety of housing types, destinations and services

Model Sustainable Model Sustainable DevelopmentDevelopment

River RanchRiver Ranch

Environmental Map

Land Use

Current Zoning

Vision Map

Plan Map

The new Plan Map:

1. Incorporates current Zoning and Uses

2. Uses watersheds and sewer service to define the new town center

3. Continues to center rural growth around Villages

4. Continues to preserve most of the Parish for agriculture, forestry and hunting

Acres

0%0%0%0%2%0%4%1%4%

15%

69%

5%Town Center

Village Center

Commercial

Office

Industrial

Town Homes and Cottages

Neighborhood Residential

Rural Cluster

Civic

Parks & Open Space

Agriculture

Special

Clustered Development: Town Center and Villages

Most land still preserved for rural uses: agriculture, forestry and hunting