Meeting Summary

The St. Charles Parish Planning Commission, sitting as the interim Coastal Zone Advisory Committee, held a public hearing on an ordinance amending Chapter 26 of the Parish Code of Ordinances to clarify the committee's makeup and create staggered terms, and approved sending it to the Parish Council. The bulk of the meeting was a detailed presentation from Royal Engineers on the draft SHIELD (Stabilizing Habitats Through Infrastructure, Ecology, and Land Defense) coastal restoration plan, which lays out priority shoreline and marsh restoration projects across the parish and opens the door to future state and federal funding.

Watch Items

• Item 2: An ordinance to amend Chapter 26 Sec. 26-2 and 26-4 of the St. Charles Parish Code of Ordinances, to clarify the definition and composition of the Coastal Zone Advisory Committee, create staggered terms, and clarify that service is not a lifetime appointment, now heads to the Parish Council for final action.
• The Coastal Zone Advisory Committee itself has not yet been formally reseated. Officials said the process is still underway and did not have a firm date for when it will be complete, though they hope it happens soon.
• The next Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting has not been scheduled; officials said the date is still to be determined, in part because of timing constraints with the parish's engineering consultant contract.
• Item 1: St. Charles Parish Coastal Restoration Program Plan document (the SHIELD plan) remains open for public comment. Comments can be submitted starting at 8 a.m. the day after the meeting through July 25, either through the parish website or by email to [email protected]. Residents should watch for any changes to the plan's seven priority projects, including shoreline protection work at Lake Salvador, Cuba Island, Bayou Cuba, Tank Pond, and Bayou des Allemands, and marsh creation in the LaBranche area, as public input is incorporated.