The parish Office of Community Development has recommended a denial of the zoning change needed
The St. Bernard Parish Council this evening is scheduled to vote on a zoning change for a proposed microbrewery in Chalmette. On March 20, the council held a public hearing on the proposed change but did not vote on the matter, instead awaiting a recommendation from the parish Planning Commission.
But at its March 27 meeting, the Planning Commission decided to give "no recommendation" to the proposal, thereby essentially leaving the matter up to the council's discretion. Sterling J. Cardon Jr.'s property, which he bought last April for $350,000, sits alongside St. Bernard Highway, between Gallo and Volpe drives.
There are two apartment complexes in the front and a large warehouse-type structure in the back. Cardon would rent the property to Michael Naquin, who would own and operate the microbrewery that he's anticipated labeling "40 Arpent," after the 40 Arpent Canal.
The parish Office of Community Development has recommended a denial of the zoning change, stating that parish zoning laws restrict the depth of commercial lots fronting highways or major streets to 250 feet and that the proposed property far exceeds that -- it would have a depth of about 600 feet.
Cardon is asking to go from C-1, neighborhood commercial, and R-1, single-family residential, to all C-2, general commercial. The rear apartment sits on both zoning classifications.
In the community development office's denial, parish staffers also pointed out that rezoning to C-2 would significantly increase the property's overall allowable uses.
District C Councilman Richie Lewis, who oversees the district where the microbrewery would sit, has spearheaded the effort to add microbreweries as an allowable use under the C-1 classification. That would allow the parcel to instead be rezoned to C-1, a more restrictive classification than the proposed C-2 rezoning.
Lewis and Earl Dauterive, chairman of the Planning Commission, also have suggested that Cardon sign a restriction stating that the microbrewery could produce no more than 500 barrels a year and that if the microbrewery stops operating on the property then the parcel would revert back to its old zoning.
But as of the Planning Commission meeting last week, neither the parish, council, nor commission had received any such written assurances from Cardon.
Lewis and others have stated that Carbon has threatened to turn the property into multifamily housing units if the microbrewery plan fails.
Residents who live around the proposed parcel have been critical of the microbrewery plan, saying they fear potential noise and pollution. But, when the likelihood of multifamily uses comes up, generally area residents have said they'd prefer the brewery to the seeming apartment alternative.