ST. GEORGE — A new lawsuit is asking the state to declare that St. George was never legally incorporated, the Baton Rouge Business Report writes.

The lawsuit, filed by LRK LLC in the 19th JDC on Monday, says that, even if the city was legally incorporated, it unlawfully targeted the group's property during the creation of its zoning map. 

Both the City of St. George and incorporation leaders Norman Browning and Chris Rials are listed as defendants in the case, which BRBR says pertains to a dispute over a roughly 58-acre tract owned by LRK near the newly opened Pecue Lane interchange at I-10. 

LRK argues that St. George was never lawfully incorporated because no court ever entered an order formally declaring the municipality’s incorporation date.

BRBR adds that LRK also argues that its property has carried a C-2 Heavy Commercial zoning designation since 1994, consistent with zoning in East Baton Rouge Parish, but that the overhaul of St. George's zoning code caused LRK’s tract to be assigned a more restrictive classification

The lawsuit says that the tract should retain its decades-old C-2 designation and the development rights that come with it, BRBR added.

Mayor Dustin Yates said he disagrees with the claims, but the city will address the situation in court. 

"The City of St. George is open, operating, and getting the job done," Yates said in a statement. "The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in favor of incorporation, and nothing about this lawsuit changes that. City services continue, city business continues, and we remain focused on serving the people of St. George."