Patterson council considers reviewing, updating its zoning rules

PATTERSON — The city government may soon launch a review of its zoning map and ordinances, as well as land use, in Patterson.
The City Council on Tuesday heard a presentation from Tim Bourcier of the South Central Planning & Development Commission. He proposed the zoning ordinance review and steps toward a land use study.
Also Tuesday, the council passed two zoning-related ordinances; amended the 2021-22 budget to account for money coming in and a delay in federal COVID aid; and heard that the Patterson Senior Wellness Center will reopen next week.
Zoning and
land use
Bourcier’s presentation grew out of conversations with Mayor Rodney Grogan.
“In recent years,” said material prepared by Bourcier, “with the changing economy and loss of jobs in the oil and gas industry, the city has been trying to open up their economy to new entrants.
“Based on requests from potential new business owners, the City has realized uses from some newly proposed businesses are not addressed in the city’s zoning code.”
Portions of the code are outdated, the presentation said, and council members pointed to references in the code to creameries and milliners, or makers and sellers of women’s hats.
The code also lacks an adequate set of definitions, City Attorney Russel Cremaldi said.
The proposal has two parts. One is for a review of the zoning map and a study of existing land use, which would build on work already being done by the city government with additional information about types and condition of housing.
“We will also closely examine the City’s Cultural Zone and determine what areas are vital to maintaining Patterson’s historic Main Street Community,” the proposal said.
The new zoning map would also be digitized and made available online.
The first part of the proposal would cost the city $3,000.
The second part consists of workshops and a public participation plan.
The South Central Planning & Development Commission would meet with the City Council and Planning Commission to develop a broad picture of desired land uses.
Then the public would be invited to give feedback on how Patterson should be developed.
“We can discuss trailer homes in certain areas, the types of businesses the community is interested in creating and attracting, and other issues brought up by local citizens,” the presentation material says.
Finally, the City Council and Planning Commission would receive a report to be used “to help develop the city’s future land use study and map.”
The second part of the work would cost the city $4,500.
The council will consider a formal version of the presentation at a future meeting.
The zoning ordinances passed Tuesday would allow wholesale businesses, warehouses and warehouse services, and lumber yards on tracts that front on U.S. 90.
Budget tweak
The council approved 2021-22 budget revisions proposed by City Accountant Reginald Weary. The revisions account for $570,000 in proceeds from a bond issue approved by the council for road repairs and for a delay in receipt of the first portion of $2.1 million in federal aid under the American Rescue Plan Act.
The bond issue repurposed a portion of an existing tax to finance improvements on generally small streets, many of them surfaced only with gravel.
The federal money, drawn from a program designed to offset COVID expenses and stimulate the economies of smaller cities, is overdue.
The first half of the aid was originally expected in May, and a press release last week from the Governor’s Office said the money was still expected to arrive by the end of June. As of Tuesday, Patterson had yet to receive the money.
Senior center
The Patterson Senior Wellness Center, 900 First St., will have an official reopening at 10 a.m. Monday. Council on Aging Director Beverly Domengeaux invited the council members to attend.
The centers were closed in March 2020 as a measure to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The Council on Aging’s meal deliveries to homebound seniors have continued through the pandemic, but the activities and social interaction at the senior centers have been on hold for 16 months.