A plan to build a warehouse for e-commerce art deco materials was unanimously denied Wednesday by the Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury after residents voiced opposition to the plans.

Dosa Paul Guillory wanted the Police Jury to rezone just over 100 acres of property on Pinehill Cemetery Road, just north of Laccassine, from agriculture to commercial for the warehouse.

Damon Oates, who is one of the owners of the warehouse, said he planned to sell craft supplies on-line from the location with most of the supplies being materials to make wreaths. No in-person sales would be made on site, he said.

Only about two acres of the 102 acreswill be needed for the business, he said. The larger tract was requested because the real estate contract had a time constraint with no time allowed for a property survey.

“If we were buying the property as agriculture, we could build up to three percent of that land as a barn with no pushback,” he said.”That’s a three-acre barn. We are talking about a one-acre structure, right now.”

He said the business would generate about 20 jobs and do about $10 million annually in e-commerce sales, with a few 18-wheelers a month dropping off products.

“All of our stuff that leaves is the size of a Fed Ex truck,” he said.

Residents in the area voiced concerns about increased traffic, including heavy trucks, lower property value, flood problems and safety concerns for children.

“The general concern is for the road, the traffic and whatnot,” Police Jury President Steve Eastman said in addressing Oates, “I do believe you would be better off in someplace like the industrial park which is just south of where your location is.”

Richard Eugene Bridewell Jr., who lives on Pinehill Cemetery Road, said residents have multiple concerns with the rezoning, including heavy truck traffic and problems with trucks and school buses traveling the same road.

“Our road is not supposed to be a thru road for trucks and on the west end if two dually pickup trucks are going the same way, somebody has to get off the road,” he said.

He questioned if the Police Jury was going to pay to for road improvements to make it accessible to 18-wheelers.

He also voiced concerns for decreasing property value.

“We moved out there in an agriculture and residential community,” he said. “We didn’t move out there to have a commercial business going in our midst and we are afraid it is going to affect our property values.”

Donna Taylor, who lives on Pinehill Cemetery Road, said the area is a perfect setting of agricultural and rural residential.

“We are still a neighborhood, but everyone has enough room for privacy,” she said. “It’s quite. It’s quaint. It’s peaceful country living which is exactly what our residents want.”

Taylor had a list of 101 names of residents who also opposed the rezoning plans.

“We are not opposed to economic development in the community,” she said. “We are opposed to that development occurring right in the middle of a road that has houses in front of it, behind it and on both sides of it. We are opposed to our little country road having more traffic. We’re opposed to the thought that we can’t ride or walk comfortably because of the increase in traffic. We opposed to commercial buildings that may contribute to the flooding that is already an issue in many parts of the neighborhood.”

There is property in Laccassine and Iowa already zoned commercial and available for businesses, she said.

Lori Desormeaux, who lives across from the property, said the road is too narrow for two large vehicles to pass. She also voiced concerns for flood problems, heavy traffic and safety of children and adults who walk and ride bicycles on the road.

“Putting a huge commercial business in the middle of a residential neighborhood would surely have a negative impact on our property values,” she said. “If this is passed what’s to stop another individual or coming from coming in  and want to rezone another piece of property or to make this one industrial. Where will it stop?”

Jennifer Landry, who property shares a property line with the property in question, said there is plenty of commercial land available. However, she said agriculture property tends to cost less than commercial property which is an incentive for businesses to want to relocate in rural areas.

Landry said she is already considering moving if the rezoning happens.

 

Realtor Sheryl Manuel said the owners do not need the 100-plus acres and plan to rezone only a small section of the land as commercial. She said the intention is for them to also build their family home on the property with animals and gardens.