[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Council to vote on zoning change for proposed Chalmette microbrewery

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Council to vote on zoning change for proposed Chalmette
microbrewery

Published: Tuesday, April 03, 2012, 8:32 AM

 By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, The Times-Picayune 

The St. Bernard Parish Council this evening is scheduled to vote on a zoning
change for a proposed microbrewery in Chalmette. On March 20, the council
held a public hearing on the proposed change but did not vote on the matter,
instead awaiting a recommendation from the parish Planning Commission.

But at its March 27 meeting, the Planning Commission decided to give "no
recommendation" to the proposal, thereby essentially leaving the matter up
to the council's discretion. Sterling J. Cardon Jr.'s property, which he
bought last April for $350,000, sits alongside St. Bernard Highway, between
Gallo and Volpe drives.

There are two apartment complexes in the front and a large warehouse-type
structure in the back. Cardon would rent the property to Michael Naquin, who
would own and operate the microbrewery that he's anticipated labeling "40
Arpent," after the 40 Arpent Canal.

The parish Office of Community Development has recommended a denial of the
zoning change, stating that parish zoning laws restrict the depth of
commercial lots fronting highways or major streets to 250 feet and that the
proposed property far exceeds that -- it would have a depth of about 600
feet.

Cardon is asking to go from C-1, neighborhood commercial, and R-1,
single-family residential, to all C-2, general commercial. The rear
apartment sits on both zoning classifications.

In the community development office's denial, parish staffers also pointed
out that rezoning to C-2 would significantly increase the property's overall
allowable uses.

District C Councilman Richie Lewis, who oversees the district where the
microbrewery would sit, has spearheaded the effort to add microbreweries as
an allowable use under the C-1 classification. That would allow the parcel
to instead be rezoned to C-1, a more restrictive classification than the
proposed C-2 rezoning.

Lewis and Earl Dauterive, chairman of the Planning Commission, also have
suggested that Cardon sign a restriction stating that the microbrewery could
produce no more than 500 barrels a year and that if the microbrewery stops
operating on the property then the parcel would revert back to its old
zoning.

But as of the Planning Commission meeting last week, neither the parish,
council, nor commission had received any such written assurances from
Cardon.

Lewis and others have stated that Carbon has threatened to turn the property
into multifamily housing units if the microbrewery plan fails.

Residents who live around the proposed parcel have been critical of the
microbrewery plan, saying they fear potential noise and pollution. But, when
the likelihood of multifamily uses comes up, generally area residents have
said they'd prefer the brewery to the seeming apartment alternative.

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