By ROBIN SHANNON
Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – The St. Charles Council approved a measure Monday that will enact a six-month moratorium on the approval of new subdivisions in the Montz area so that the parish can address sewage and drainage issues.

The moratorium affects developments of more than five lots and is designed to allow the parish public works department more time to make infrastructure improvements before going forward with new construction.

Councilman Marcus Lambert, whose district includes the Montz area, said the plan is not an effort to stifle progress in Montz but an opportunity to allow infrastructure to catch up.

The action from Monday’s meeting comes on the heels of a decision this past November where the council rejected a request to rezone an area between existing subdivisions that would be used for single-family homes. At that time, the council heard from dozens of Montz residents who claimed the area could not support a new subdivision because of existing drainage and flood problems.

In other action from Monday, the council moved to table a decision to rezone a 1.5-acre Norco property along Airline Drive from highway commercial to light manufacturing so that the property owners can find a way to stay at the location.

The company who owns the land, National Fence, uses part of the area to store building materials, which is not allowed under highway commercial zoning. Property owners Robert Becnel and Daniel Becnel III requested the change to light manufacturing to avoid having to move.

The rezone measure received some opposition from the Norco Civic Association, saying that a change to more intensive use might conflict with nearby residential areas.