Ahead of major economic development along the Mississippi River's west side in Ascension Parish, including the Hyundai Steel facility, officials have been preparing for possible growth in the Donaldsonville area.
The Ascension Parish planning commission, during its Aug. 12 meeting, received a west bank overlay status report in anticipation of development that could follow the construction activities in the RiverPlex MegaPark in the Modeste area.
Maggie Gleason of Bayou Rouge Environmental and Planning, as well as former parish planning director Jerome Fournier, led the presentation to the commission in Gonzales.
"We are calling this the West Bank Resilient Community Overlay because we are going to lead with infrastructure," Gleason said during the first slide, which showed an aerial view of the river running through the parish.
The project will anticipate and guide the development of the parish's west side, incentivize housing in certain areas, address industrial uses and preserve the rural quality in certain areas.
The plan accounts for the proposed extension of Hwy. 3127 from nearby St. James Parish into the Donaldsonville area.
The planned highway would provide another way to travel through the city, other than the current connection from Hwy. 70 to Hwy. 1, which stretches north toward Baton Rouge.
The presentation included a map showing the City of Donaldsonville, which is incorporated, with overlay classes including residential growth and commercial zones.
Much of the commercial area was shown along the planned Hwy. 3127 corridor, and along the current Hwy. 3089 near the CF Industries site.
Gleason said the plan is to implement residential density bonuses with infrastructure and subdivision design features.
Also, it will prohibit new heavy industrial uses and include a large expanse of rural preservation.
She added that the small area plan will be linked to the parish government web site and a public open house will be held along the west bank at the parish courthouse in Donaldsonville later this month.
Over recent months, two subdivisions have been proposed in Donaldsonville, including one along Hwy. 945 and another next to D. Thibaut Drive, though no construction has begun.
Gleason mentioned during the presentation that no major housing developments have been built along the west bank since the 1970s.
According to census data, the city hovered around 8,000 residents in both 1980 and 1990, and the population number declined over recent decades. An estimated 7,094 residents currently live in the city.
"We are anticipating growth. However, we are very aware of the existing conditions that it may not happen," she said. "There is a lot of land in other parishes nearby. Hopefully this incentive will help spur some housing development."
Gleason added that the plan was still in draft form at the time.
She said during the presentation that questions and comments can be emailed to [email protected].
Michael Tortorich is a journalist for the USA Today Network in Louisiana.
Gonzales Weekly Citizen and Donaldsonville Chief, part of the USA Today Network of Louisiana, cover Ascension Parish and the greater Baton Rouge area. Follow at facebook.com/WeeklyCitizen and facebook.com/DonaldsonvilleChief
This article originally appeared on Donaldsonville Chief: Ahead of Hyundai Steel mill, officials anticipate potential growth