Residents of unincorporated Lafayette Parish could soon have new tools to shape how and where development occurs as local officials consider regulations aimed at managing growth outside city limits.
Lafayette Consolidated Government and Mayor-President Monique Boulet met with Milton residents Tuesday to discuss options ranging from minimum lot sizes and subdivision standards to growth boundaries and land-use regulations — measures that are largely absent in the parish's unincorporated areas.
The meeting was the first in a series of public discussions intended to help LCG determine how residents want future growth managed and what ordinances may be needed to guide development. It also highlighted the challenges local government faces in keeping infrastructure, drainage and transportation systems aligned with the parish's rapid growth.
Lafayette Parish is the fastest-growing parish in Louisiana, with much of that growth occurring outside Lafayette city limits in areas surrounding Carencro, Scott and Milton. Over the past several decades, residential subdivisions have increasingly replaced open fields and rural landscapes, bringing concerns about traffic, flooding and the pace of development.
What are the concerns?
In March, LCG asked parish residents to help shape future growth in the region. The survey results were presented at the Tuesday meeting, giving officials a better gauge for understanding residents' concerns. Roughly 900 people completed the survey.
The majority of residents believe that Lafayette is falling behind in providing services to current and future residents, with around 100 residents saying the area is ready to support further growth.
Of that growth, about 55% of unincorporated residents cite traffic and flooding as their largest concerns. Others worry about too many residential subdivisions and commercial developments in residential areas.
Residents said LCG should focus first and foremost on ensuring adequate services to residents. Managing flood risk and making sure new development doesn’t impact current residents were nearly tied for second and third place. More than 100 people said that LCG should focus on being development-friendly.
Around 34% of residents believe development should be focused within existing city limits, while about 41% say growth should be prioritized across the parish without limitations.
Weighing options
Residents have several options to influence future growth, including subdivision regulations, minimum lot sizes, growth boundaries and use standards.
One approach discussed Tuesday involves creating districts with specific development requirements, said David Whitley, a planner with the Center for Planning Excellence. For example, districts could require minimum lot sizes of one acre or restrict development to single-family homes in order to preserve a rural character.
Such districts could also help local government better match infrastructure investments with growth patterns and revisit regulations later if residents decide they want to accommodate additional development.
The idea is based on efforts in St. Tammany Parish, Whitley said. Following Katrina, the parish experienced rapid growth as people moved out of the New Orleans area. Unable to fully meet the growing demands, the parish created an urban growth district in 2012, which divided the parish into northern and southern sections.
The northern section used regulation to maintain its rural identity, while the southern section allowed for more growth. Since 2023, the northern district has done away with its minimum lot size requirements.
“(It) discourages having tight compact neighborhoods because they wanted to maintain that rural character as well as limit the amount of infrastructure that was taken out to the far reaches of the parish,“ Whitley said.
After community feedback is gathered, policy proposals could be presented to the parish council by the end of the year, Rachel Godeaux, LCG’s chief administrative officer, said.
“It really is about what does the local parish want to see. Just because something worked in St. Tammany doesn’t mean that it works here. That’s what all these conversations are about,“ Whitley said.