LIVINGSTON, La. — The regular meeting of the Livingston Parish Planning and Zoning Commission on April 7, 2026, was called to order to discuss zoning for a new mobile home park (MHP) adjacent to an existing MHP, as well as several infrastructure improvements affecting residential areas and water quality in the parish.
Zoning Commission
The most intensely debated item was Hobart Pardue's request to rezone a 25-acre lot on La. Hwy. 42 from residential to MHP. The proposed MHP would have around 100-125 lots, each measuring around 40 feet wide, with new asphalt streets.
"I want to make it nice for everybody," Pardue said. "We're willing to do this because we have a market for people who want to buy and live in a nice mobile home area that is upgraded and better than the ones like I have that are not satisfactory for a lot of people."
One point of contention was that Pardue already operates an MHP on a 12-acre lot he established 50 years ago, where residents rent lots for their mobile homes. That lot currently has around 30-40 trailers on it, according to Pardue, though its original layout accommodated 78.
Jacob Erdey was first to voice his concerns, noting that "a quarter of the current trailers that are in [the original MHP] are either falling apart or abandoned… the roads are rough. I just don't think that it's going to be an improvement to the area to add more piling-on in the area."
Pardue pushed back, explaining that "the reason some of those trailers are old… I have people that are on social security and they have no place to live whatsoever, and rather than try to put them on the street, I let them stay rent free if they want to."
Not every commissioner shared Erdey's reservations. Gerald Burns stated that "it's mostly all mobile homes in there… I don't see it as a detriment to the community. If you put in a mobile home park with asphalt streets, it's surely going to be a major improvement in the area and it fits in, it doesn't clash."
Commissioner David Danna also commented that "a large influx of illegal immigrants" often "take up all the affordable housing," leaving young, aspiring homeowners in need of starter options like mobile home parks.
Ultimately, the request passed with only Brian Clemmons, Erdey, and Brady Wax opposing.
Two individuals, John Claridy and Sammy Claridy, then came forward to discuss an acre of land they had purchased several years ago that, unbeknownst to them, had been rezoned from residential to commercial. The property sits on a dead-end road surrounded by other residential properties and a mobile home park.
John discovered the commercial zoning while checking on the status of a light pole permit from 2018, which remained valid despite the zone change.
Commissioner Danna noted that several surrounding lots also appeared to be zoned incorrectly and "should be labeled as residential" as well.
Commissioner Clemmons acknowledged the commission's general interest in protecting commercial corridors. "The idea is that we're trying to encourage businesses being in that area and not residences, because once we fill them up with residences, businesses have no place to go except up among the residences."
"But," Clemmons continued, "I see you've owned this one before we rezoned it and really it probably is a clean-up issue to return it back to your hands the way you bought it."
The commission voted unanimously to rezone the property back to residential.
Linda Babbin was next with a request to rezone her property from residential to commercial. Babbin purchased the property 30 years ago and described it as "practically rural" at the time, but said the surrounding development has made the current zoning feel increasingly out of step.
"We've kinda just been swallowed up by all the commercial around us," Babbin said. "Walmart, fixing to have a Waffle House in my front yard… so we felt like if we ever decided we wanted to move, we would do better going commercial."
Babbin's request was also unanimously approved by the commission.
Planning Commission
Luke Landry, owner of Sneaux Candy, was first to request a conditional use permit for his mobile snowball stand. The permit would allow Landry to store the stand on property along Springfield Road during periods when it is not in use for events. Landry noted that he also intends to eventually meet the additional requirements needed to establish a drive-through at that location.
The commission unanimously approved the conditional use, allowing the request to move to the Livingston Parish Council for final approval.
Shawn Hima of Alvin Fairburn & Associates was next to present a final site plan for a new well in the South Satsuma Road area. The Colyell community water well suffered a casing flaw in the nearly 2,000-foot-deep well, which led to water quality issues and the eventual closure of the well.
Hima's plan calls for plugging and abandoning the original well and drilling a new one approximately 20 feet away, then tying it into the existing piping for the area.
Landry returned to the podium to voice his support for the proposal, confirming that water quality in the area had indeed suffered.
Commissioner Clemmons also expressed strong support for bringing clean water to the community, and the commission echoed that sentiment with a unanimous vote of approval.
Rudy Sinco with McLin Taylor, LLC then came forward to request a preliminary plat to develop 14 lots in the Crystal Lakes subdivision within the North Park residences. The lots, which will front the existing Alex Box Boulevard, were originally intended to be part of the subdivision's initial development but were set aside when plans changed. Installation will occur in three separate filings as approvals and construction proceed.
The engineering department representative noted that lots 11, 12, and 13 do not meet minimum square footage requirements, but said the boundary lines could be adjusted through a contingency built into the commission's approval.
Sinco agreed, saying a small amount of square footage from lots 10 and 14 could be redistributed to bring the three lots up to the 7,200-square-foot minimum.
The commission approved the request unanimously with the contingency in place.
