Study predicts slower growth than in the past
A land use study for St. Charles Parish predicts slower growth than in the past and calls on parish officials to encourage a variety of housing types to meet the needs of aging residents and young "millennials" who don't want to live in a typical suburb.
The projections are part of an update to the parish's proposed master land use plan, which if adopted, is designed to guide the parish's land use decisions for the next two decades.
The proposal is available at the parish's web site, where residents are also asked to comment about the plan's conclusions.
"I want to encourage all parish residents to have their voices heard by commenting on this plan," Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. said in a news release. "It represents a concrete way for residents to shape the future of their own community; while its success ultimately hinges on its responsiveness to the needs of the public."
The deadline to submit comments on the plan is June 2, when the parish's Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider making a recommendation on it. The plan was compiled by the Wallace Roberts and Todd Consulting firm.
The firm's projection of slow growth is good news for residents who said in workshop meetings over the past two years that they want to maintain the parish's rural character, but bad news for those who want a shopping mall in the parish.
Although the parish grew by almost 10 percent in the last decade to just under 53,000 residents and has an additional 17,000 acres of developable land, the planners project that the parish's population will expand slowly to about 60,000 residents by 2030.
Part of the reason for that is slow total growth in the metropolitan area in general.
The study also suggests that public resistance to higher-density housing in the parish that emerged after Hurricane Katrina will have fewer advocates.
"Studies conducted on the current and anticipated housing preferences of Americans indicated that households older than 45 - the group that includes both Gen Xers and Baby Boomers -- show particular interest in more densely configured development at more central locations. These households will represent over 30 percent of potential homeowners by 2030, their housing priorities driving a sizeable share of the market," it said.
The move toward "low-maintenance, highly social" housing including "walkable" communities is probably about 10 years away, but should be planned for, the study said.
"Lacking these choices, the parish may not be able to accommodate its older residents who wish to 'age in place' or to retain younger residents," the report said.
Eighty percent of the parish's housing units are single-family homes, with multi-family dwellings making up 11 percent of the market and mobile homes comprising the remaining 9 percent.
In transportation, the plan also calls for ensuring that there is room for pedestrians and bicyclists along the parish's thoroughfares, along with planning for other transportation modes such as rail, and that the parish's historical sites are protected.
In economic development, the report also suggests that the parish, whose economic prosperity is closely aligned with the petrochemical plants in the parish, attempt to diversify its jobs base into advanced manufacturing along with trade and logistics industries that would capitalize on the parish's location on the Mississippi River.
The plan also prioritizes the construction of a hurricane protection levee on the parish's west bank, portions of which are vulnerable to tidal flooding.
The study is is available at www.stcharles-la.gov.