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Gonzales residents question new proposed development, neighborhood connection
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GONZALES - A new development in Ascension Parish's post-moratorium era will be presented at the Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday. It's the preliminary plat for Harvest Fields, a Dantin Bruce Development, is made up of 112 homes.
The proposed major subdivision is on the west side of Highway 44, south of Highway 929. The land, currently used as a cow pasture, is zoned Mixed Use 2 and Medium Intensity Residential.
Residents living on Cotton Field Avenue, across from the proposed development, are hoping the developer and the Planning Commission will take their concerns into consideration. Bill Guidry moved to to dead-end street two decades ago and says this development will drastically change the street they're used to.
"Nobody's coming down here unless you live down here," Guidry said.
That could change. The preliminary plat for Harvest Fields shows Guidry's dead-end street being extended into the new neighborhood. He fears it will eliminate the safe, quiet dead-end they've enjoyed for decades.
"It kind of destroys what we have as a neighborhood," he said.
Homes on Cotton Field Avenue are built on half-acre lots. Harvest Fields lots would be much smaller to fit in a denser area, built on 38 acres.
Guidry and his neighbors haven't had much time to react, only learning about the proposed development about a week ago when a large yellow sign was posted nearby. But they're working fast. They are compiling signatures to prevent the neighborhood connection and keep their street a dead-end.
Mark Wilson's home is next to the cow pasture. While Dantin Bruce Developer has included park space and several ponds for drainage, he worries about flooding and if all the requirements have been met.
"We're not in a flood zone right now, but we very well could be; the water's got to go somewhere," said Wilson.
The preliminary plat shows that 25% of the development is in AE Flood Zone, an area with a 1% chance of flooding annually and a 26% chance during a 30-year mortgage.
"It feels like they're trying to fit way more than the space can handle or is designed to handle," Guidry said.
Wednesday's Planning Commission meeting starts at 6 p.m. At this stage, the Planning Commission can approve, deny, or continue the item for a designated amount of time. According to a parish spokesperson, if the Planning Commission considers a postponement to allow the applicant more time to meet with residents or make revisions, that must be agreed by the applicant. If the applicant does not agree, the Planning Commission is required to move forward with a vote for approval or denial.
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