Waggoner Engineering has been selected to lead the City of Gonzales toward a Comprehensive Plan Update, the 2015 version “having outlived its usefulness after a decade of continued growth.” Last night, Waggoner’s David Einsel and Eric Jefferson were introduced to the city Planning Commission charged with plan approval by state law. None of the five current members were on the Planning Commission when the Comprehensive Plan was approved a decade ago.
The project, budgeted for $250,000 (the same as a decade ago), appeared to be dead in the water as three members of the City Council refused to adopt Mayor Tim Riley’s General Fund Budget for nearly three months. Responses to the city’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) languished in the mayor’s storage closet, unopened and forgotten until the council’s about-face on August 25 when the first-term mayor’s inaugural budget was adopted.
Waggoner’s proposal competed with Dana Brown Associates, several others withdrawing as budget chaos reigned. In-person presentations were made to a seven-member selection committee last week, five administration members accompanied by Fire Chief Preston Landry and Police Chief Sherman Jackson’s designee. All seven committee members favored Waggoner and, according to the administration, “it was not particularly close.”
All while Mayor Riley insisted that the Comprehensive Plan Update is necessary.
The “decade of continued growth” resulted in a population spike of more than 36% since Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) finalized the current plan in August 2015 (10,301 residents compared to the latest Census estimate of 13,737). That growth is, in significant part, due to zoning changes that allowed greater density in multi-family categories (25 dwelling units per acre in R-3-M25 zoning, up from a maximum 10 units per acre in previous codes) which is directly correlated to the plan.
The other reason is development of Conway Subdivision at the city’s southern tip, situated on 400 acres annexed into Gonzales before finalization of the current Comprehensive Plan.
These impacts were foreseeable, just like the hotels constructed along Hwy 30 to house workers in Geismar’s petrochemical corridor. Two apartment complexes and a 115-lot cottage complex have gone up on either side of Veterans Blvd, the half-mile connector between Hwy 30 and Orice Roth Rd.
“The CPEX model leaned heavily into the proposed rail station being talked about ten years ago, the entire revitalization of ‘old Gonzales’ hinging upon it,” recalled Councilman Eddie Williams who occupied a seat on the Planning Commission in 2015. “Obviously, none of that has come to pass and it seems unlikely that it will happen anytime soon. The plan missed the mark in other important areas.”
Commercial investment continued unabated along Hwy 30 around the Tanger Outlet Mall/Cabela’s Parkway area adjacent to Interstate 10’s eastbound lanes of travel. Residential growth ramped up on the other side of I-10. Largely ignored in the 2015 plan, 100 acres in the southwest corner of the Hwy 30/Hwy 44 intersection that became Heritage Crossing in the late 2010s.
“Hwy 44 is going to be the next economic engine for the City of Gonzales,” assured Mayor Riley whose Fall 2024 campaign highlighted the issue.
City of Gonzales south of Hwy 30, circa 2015.
From the 2015 Comprehensive Plan, Buildable Lands: Gonzales has more than 1,000 acres of developable vacant commercial and industrial land. Gonzales has three large employment sites that are available for development, shown in the image above.
No. 1: 340-acre site owned by Edenborne Development. The site is planned to include retail development (more than 650,000 square feet of built space), 453 single family dwellings, and 384 multifamily dwellings. The master plan includes amenities such as a small neighborhood commercial center and recreational facilities.
No. 2: 400-acre site known as the MP Evans property, south of I-10 on Highway 44. The site is zoned for commercial, residential and Traditional Neighborhood Development and has access to water, natural gas, electricity, and telecommunications services. Southern Lifestyle Development, a company which has created other mixed-use communities in Louisiana, plans to purchase the property and create an upscale mixed-use community of retail, apartments, and homes called Conway Plantation.
No. 3: 90-acre site located along I-10 and Hwy 44, zoned for industrial uses. The site has direct access to Highway 44 and is about 0.3 miles from I-10.
These sites provide key opportunities for a wide range of economic development. The Edenborne and MP Evans sites provide opportunities for a substantial amount of retail development, including stores, restaurants, and entertainment. They may also provide opportunities for other commercial development, such as banking or office uses. The 90-acre site provides opportunity for light manufacturing, such as business that provide goods and services to the petrochemical manufacturers in the parish and broader region.
A decade later and few of the Comprehensive Plan’s projections for the Hwy 44 corridor have come to fruition
“It is important that we focus on maximizing every acre of developable land to receive the greatest benefit we can, especially in that area of the city,” Mayor Riley stressed. “Ensuring adequate infrastructure, public safety most importantly, has to be a big part of the updated Comprehensive Plan.”
Riley said “quality-of-life issues, including future recreational opportunities” should be included in the effort. He mentioned a recent survey conducted by the city “as a starting point to find out what our residents want and providing it to them the best we can.” Survey results will be presented to the city’s Recreation Committee on Wednesday.
The mayor and his administration are confident in Waggoner Engineering’s ability to lead the effort.
“Project Manager David Einsel has a long history with the city and a keen understanding of our situation. That was evident in Waggoner’s response to our RFQ and its in-person presentation last week. We are confident that the Waggoner team will deliver a great product that paves the way for Gonzales’ bright future,” said Chief of Staff Wade Petite whose disdain for the current Comprehensive Plan is well-known.
Petite noted that Gonzales’ Planning Commission is expected to play a critical role in adoption of an effective plan. Louisiana Revised Statute 33:106 states that the “municipal planning commission shall make and adopt a master plan for the physical development of the municipality” (not the administration, nor the City Council).
“Certainly, we encourage every citizen and our council members to participate in the process that is expected to take 12-15 months,” he said. “Something to keep in mind, Mayor Riley is committed to development of a plan that results in actual projects getting done with the ability to obtain outside funding. We will express Mayor Riley’s vision during the process, hoping to convince the Planning Commission to buy in.”
Nine months on the job, Mayor Riley has frequently mentioned the need for police/fire department substations along Hwy 44 south of Hwy 30. The future of Gonzales Recreation is another mayoral talking point.
“Our Consulting Engineer (All South) and Waggoner will hammer out an agreement to include specific task orders,” Wade Petite explained. “We expect that contract to be in place sooner as opposed to later and we can begin this exciting process.”
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