The City-Parish Planning Commission will receive two prestigious awards from the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association at the Metro Council meeting today.

The Planning Commission will receive the organization’s 2009 Outstanding Planning Award for a Project/Program Tool for the Infill/Mixed Use Small Planned Unit Development Zoning District (ISPUD). The award recognizes a planning tool that has significantly advanced the cause of planning, and that emphasizes implementation and results.

In addition, the Planning Commission will receive the Association’s 2009 Public Education Award for the Land Development Application Search Tool (LDAST). The award recognizes education efforts that increase public understanding and awareness of planning principles and practices, and encourage public participation in the planning process.

The ISPUD gives developers of small sites (less than 2.5 acres) within the urban core the flexibility to mix uses within very small spaces which have traditionally been inaccessible to development. Additionally, the ISPUD provides nearby property owners and neighborhood stakeholders with greater certainty of the development by requiring a detailed Site Plan.

The ISPUD tool directly supports the stated growth scenario of the locally adopted comprehensive master plan for the City-Parish, the Horizon Plan. Adopted in 1992, the Horizon Plan focuses development patterns on infill and sustainability.

The Infill/Mixed Use Small Planned Unit Development guidelines provide neighborhoods with security and knowledge of future development, while maintaining flexibility for the developer in their use of the property. This innovative tool provides planners, developers and the public with the ability to implement effective and efficient infill development in Baton Rouge.

The LDAST uses an innovative interactive map to display monthly planning and zoning case information within an easily recognizable ‘Google Maps’ Interface. Using data contained in submitted development applications, the LDAST provides the geographic location of each case, the case number, staff recommendation, Planning Commission agenda, vicinity maps, site plans, and site photographs. This information can be easily accessed through a link on the Planning Commission website.

The LDAST addresses directives in the Horizon Plan, the Comprehensive Land Use and Development Plan for Baton Rouge, that call for the City-Parish to establish a Planning Management Information System for automated mapping and interrelational database management.

The Land Development Application Search Tool has increased access to, and awareness of, development activities throughout the City-Parish. Through technology, it encourages the public to participate in, and thereby influence, land development decisions and the planning process in Baton Rouge.

For more information, contact the City-Parish Planning Commission at 225-389-3144 or visit the LDAST website at http://brgov.com/dept/planning/meetingsagendas.htm.



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