BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
People
around Southdowns are saying they want to keep the Southside residential. They
say this after one of their neighbors wants to rezone his property.
It is an
issue the Planning Commission is taking up at their meeting Monday night.
People say years ago, when a zoning change was allowed, a neighbor
was allowed to sell fruit from his home, now a tattoo parlor is there.
They say its long-term effects like that they don't want taking
away from the residential fee.
The property in question is a home at the corner of Perkins and
Stuart Avenue. The homeowner, Ben Skillman, wants it changed from single family
residential to an ISPUD, a mixed use development.
Warner Delaune, with the Idle Oaks Homeowner Association says he
and others are opposed. Delaune says Skillman told him over the summer he has a
purchase agreement with two doctors to buy his home, but in order to do so, the
zoning needs to be changed.
"The
condition of that purchase agreement is that it be rezoned. So this entire issue is not driven by
anything other than a man wanting to sell his house," said Delaune.
Delaune
says neighbors are also concerned with the long-term plans of the doctors if
the rezoning is approved. He says he's heard they would also do drug rehab
there and possibly have an inpatient process.
WAFB
asked Skillman to give us his reasons for wanting the zoning on his home
changed, he said he did not want to say anything until after the meeting.
WAFB is at the meeting and will bring you the results tonight.
Copyright 2012 WAFB. All rights reserved.
