Opinion ID: 512609
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The history of the challenged zoning ordinance.

Text: 3 Harahan, Louisiana borders on the Mississippi, ten miles upriver from New Orleans in Jefferson Parish. A levee 140 feet wide and 20 feet high protects Harahan from the river's natural meanderings. The batture--alluvial land between the river's low water edge and the inside toe of the levee--is 750 feet in width at this point. Although Harahan is essentially a residential community, the batture here has been commercially developed to participate in the commerce that flows with the Mississippi. The plaintiff, Wood Marine Service, Inc. (Wood Marine), engages in maritime operations on the river and batture that include barge fleeting and the mooring of other vessels, cargo loading and discharge, and the dredging and storing of river sand. Wood Marine's batture property is situated between two other fleeting operations and across the river from one of New Orleans' largest shipyards. 4 In 1984, Wood Marine decided to erect a mooring in the Mississippi River that would enable it to discharge dry bulk cargo, significantly expanding its operation. In February of 1984, Wood Marine applied for a permit from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to erect the structure in the river within Harahan's city limits. Prior to this time, commercial operations on the batture had remained virtually unchanged for over thirty years. 5 Wood Marine's application met with stiff opposition from Harahan's residents. Resolutions opposing the proposed expansion were passed by Harahan's Board of Aldermen, the Jefferson Parish Council, the Board of Levee Commissioners, and the Jefferson Parish School Board. Letters of protest were received by the Corps from state and federal legislators, physicians and engineers who testified about environmental and health concerns, and many local citizens. Petitions were circulated throughout Harahan's residential communities. A public hearing on Wood Marine's request attracted over 2,000 of Harahan's 13,000 residents. Following this strong expression of public opinion and the development of the government's environmental impact study, the application was denied by the Corps. 6 Harahan's residents were not protesting merely the expansion of Wood Marine's operation. The protest reflected the community's widespread concern over the effect of further commercial development on the batture and in Harahan. Further development, it was feared, threatened Harahan's quiet neighborhoods and good schools with noise and pollution. Apparently induced by this concern, the City of Harahan commenced a complete review of the city's comprehensive zoning ordinance. The city hired a special consultant who conducted over a year of study and public hearings, resulting in the city's adoption of a totally revised ordinance on July 11, 1985. 7 Development of the portion of the batture that lies within the city limits is governed by section XII of Harahan's comprehensive zoning ordinance. The purpose of the section is clear from its face--to curtail further commercial development of the batture.SECTION XII. N.U. Non-Urban Batture District. 8 1. This district is composed of lands that lie outside the protective levees between the crest of the Mississippi levee and the water level of the Mississippi River. Land uses permitted in this district are limited to temporary development consistent with traditional development in these areas and will be under conditions which will reduce the possibility of flooding due to abnormal high water in the Mississippi River. 9 2. Permitted Uses. 10 In the N.U. Non-Urban Batture District only the following uses are permitted. 11 A. Barge mooring and holding facilities. 12