Metro Council Oks Flood-Prone Belle Arbor

The East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council Wednesday night gave final approval to the controversial 183-unit Belle Arbor development planned for south of Hooper Road just west of the Comite River.

Three Central School Board members spoke against the development — Kim Powers, Roxanne Atkinson, and Sharon Browning.

They and other citizens who appeared emphasized the long history of flooding at the site.  Ms. Browning and her daughter, Laura Gerald, explained that they lived across Hooper Road virtually all their lives and saw flood after flood at the site of the proposed development. Ms. Gerald said the proposed development would worsen flooding in nearby Comite Estates.

Unmoved after the public hearing, which was composed almost entirely of Central residents, the Metro Council voted overwhelmingly to approve rezoning the property from A1 single family to A2.7, which would increase the density of the project from 4.1 homes per acre at present to 7.3 homes per acre.  Only Metro Council members Aaron Moak of Central and Brandon Noel, who represents parts of Central, voted against the project.

Several months ago, the Central School Board voted unanimously to oppose the project. The school board said they had no objection to the development at its current zoning classification, A1, but were opposed to a high density development in this flood-prone area.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Central school board members said the Central school system is near capacity and a large influx of 400 to 500 additional students would overrun the school system, which has fewer than 5,000 students.

Belle Arbor would be located in an area of the Central Community School System which is outside the City of Central.  As a result, zoning changes have to go through the East Baton Rouge Parish Planning & Zoning Commission and the Metro Council, rather than the Central Planning & Zoning Commission and the Central City Council.  No one from Central sits on the EBR Planning Commission. So Central had no voice in their decision to approve the project.

Metro Councilman Daryl Hurst accused the opponents of the project of racism and want to keep minorities out of the Central school system. The developer, Nick FaKouri made similar allegations earlier. That charge angered Central residents who said opposition to a high-density development in a flood-prone area is not racism.  They said false charges of racism do nothing but provide cover for a poorly-conceived plan that would result in more flooding.