EDITOR’S NOTE: When we decided to publish a Special Issue on Finance and Real Estate in the Zachary area, we wanted to talk with Mayor Henry Martinez first. As expected, his finger is on the pulse of developments throughout the Zachary area.

The process surrounding development, adoption and implementation of something called ILDC or the Interim Land Development Code are a series of very important steps being taken right now in Zachary.

“We started by putting a six-month moratorium on new residential projects. That was later extended for six more months or until November 13, 2007,” explained Mayor Martinez. “We did not touch commercial development and we did not stop anybody from building anything that had already started or had been approved. We just halted approval of new residential projects until we could catch our breath and decide what kind of community we wanted Zachary to become.”

ILDC was developed with the assistance of the Kindig/Keast Collaborative, a planning firm hired by the city.

Citizen’s Delegation
Recently Planning and Zoning and a 16-member Citizens Delegation met to consider ILDC as it was prepared by Kindig/Keast. Following a detailed review and discussion, the document was adopted. Committee members also agreed to recommend that it be adopted by Planning and Zoning. If Planning and Zoning accepts it, they will schedule a public hearing. Assuming all goes well there, ILDC will be up for discussion before the Zachary City Council in mid-November. Following the review and discussion at the City Council meeting the Council could accept the plan through an ordinance.

“Once all of that happens, we can suspend the moratorium or just drop it entirely,” said Martinez. “At that point we will have a new set of codes in place that will serve as guidelines for subdivisions and multi-family developments (apartments).”

Martinez explained that the ILDC process has been complex but exciting. “Our new land development code will provide much more control over our growth while still allowing developers the choices and the freedom they need within their own developments. Somewhere along the way we adopted as our motto: Honoring Our Heritage...Planning Our Future.”


Density and Landscaping
Of course the city had a building code which set standards, but there was nothing covering such things as density, landscaping and the different kinds of homes that might be included in a development. Now a percentage of small, medium and large lots will have to be included in each project.

“Before ILDC we had nothing about green space or buffers between very upscale housing and workforce housing,” said Martinez. “Now there will have to be buffer zones.”

The moratorium never halted construction of homes in the area. More than 1,000 lots were ready for construction to begin when the moratorium hit. “We just need to get some tools in place so we can better manage our rapid growth rate,” explained Martinez. “We can think of ILDC as our development tool box.”

Zachary.org
Anyone who is interested in viewing the new building code standards may do so at www.zachary.org . ILDC deals with density, landscaping and the different kinds of homes that can be built in each new development. Now a certain percent of small, medium and large lots need to be created in each subdivision to insure housing diversity.

Next we asked the Mayor to tell us a little about real estate developments in and around Zachary that are likely to be completed within the next 12 months. He quickly listed Marshall Bond Estates just off Rollins Road and The Oaks off Plank Road.

“Marshall Bond Estates has 125 lots and The Oaks is approved for 163 lots but there are 36 in the first phase,” said Martinez. “Starting soon right next to Marshall Bond Estates will be Maison Jolie which includes 54 lots in the first filing and many more to come in future filings.”

Commerce Center
Martinez mentioned that Commerce Center at Old Scenic (Hwy. 964) and Hwy. 64 will be filling up rapidly over the next year. Also Beaver Creek just outside of Zachary on Hwy. 964 is being built around a BREC-owned golf course and it is moving right along.

Also southwest of Zachary on Hwy. 964 is Americana. “Cheval Trails is south of Copper Mill and across Hwy. 964,” said Martinez. “That’s a Jim Tanner-Windy Gladney Development that includes 316.8 acres. It will be low density residential with eight percent commercial and 54 percent residential.”

The mayor also mentioned that there is plenty of commercial construction going on at present. “Lake Pointe Center Business Offices will include as many as12 nice office suites,” he said. “And we just completed the building that houses the offices of Keller-Williams Real Estate and Commerce Title, and the vet clinic next door is also brand new.”

Copper Mill Club House
Copper Mill is just about to break ground on their new 30,000 square foot club house which will include a large restaurant among many other first class amenities.

Lane Memorial’s Cardiac Addition and Medical Office building will be Zachary’s first three-story “sky scraper”. That one won’t be finished next year, but the major remodeling projects at Zachary High School and at the Junior High School will be completed over the next 12 months with new gyms at both schools and remodeled older gyms.

It is no exaggeration to say that construction constant in Zachary these days! It is also good to know it is not being done in the absence of careful planning, thanks to all who are playing a role in rapid completion of the ILDC!!