04/11/2025
Mandeville’s Future
April 9, 2025
Preserving those qualities that most everyone agrees on
Preserving that small town atmosphere and vibe.
Minimize large and/or intense public events
Be cognizant of stress on the lakefront so that the small town vibe is not erased.
Avoid high density developments
Incorporate definitions in City Planning of what success for a project might look like including any net effect of increased traffic.
Explore the possibility of evaluating potential success or failure of a project in the consideration of whether to allow it, e.g., articulate consequences and define what success is.
Things that should be pursued:
1. Improve the aesthetics of Four Corners shopping centers at Causeway Blvd. and La. Hwy. 22
a. Plant more trees in public and private areas (public and private efforts)
b. Implement or project to add indigenous trees (such as palmetto) every 30' on the medians of West Causeway Approach, Causeway and East Causeway Approach from the overpass at Causeway to the City limits.
c. To the extent necessary, connect all common parking lots and ensure uniform condition of surfaces
d. Sensitivity of lighting that can be toned down and more focused down to try and reinforce the ideals in a Dark Sky Community
2. Try to create an inventory of vacant land and buildings in the Planning Dept. that would be available to the public for sale, lease or re-use.
3. Try to create an inventory of real estate in the Planning Dept. that would be available to the public for consideration of the public purchase or privately removed from commercial or residential use. Note: Since the City can only pay appraised value for property knowledge of a target property for public use would not affect its appraised value.
3. Encourage neighborhood planting and maintenance of flowers, shrubs and other landscaping to augment efforts by the City or private businesses.
4. Encourage the burying of power lines by establishing a Memorandum of Understanding with Cleco, the City, citizens and HOA’s to try and capitalize on opportunities during road, sewerage or drainage construction or repairs that might make burying power lines more economical.
5. Encourage the City (Public Works), Cleco, Atmos and any other telephone, internet provider to minimize cutting or trimming trees so as to minimize adverse trimming effects.
a. Encourage Cleco to utilize armor coverings for overhead powerlines in heavily treed areas.
6. Implement a project to erect movable wooden walls, with hinged gates (for increased access when necessary), at least 6' tall and painted dark green around all sewer lift stations in the City of Mandeville.
7. Encourage use of lime stone (or equivalent aggregate) to be used in driveways and parking lots so that storm drainage will not be increasingly compromised by the proliferation of impervious or impermeable surfaces.
8. Encourage contractors to place aesthetic coverings (such as bamboo curtains, etc.) around outside portable toilets to try and conceal them.
9. Encourage sound barriers around air conditioning / HVAC and supplemental permanent electrical generators.
10. Conduct a review of sign proliferation in the City of Mandeville and seek to remove superfluous or unnecessary signs.
Things that should be monitored or avoided:
1. High density real estate developments
2. Large scale commercial developments
3. Large scale public events on Lakeshore Drive that result in heavy parking pressure on feeder north - south access that could adversely affect access by fire, police or EMS.
4. Activities that increase vehicular traffic, especially in areas already suffering compromised levels of service
5. Landscaping on the north and south side of Florida St. that interfere with the view of traffic from the feeder, north-south streets
6. Any general concern about unemployment in the City of Mandeville as long as the unemployment rate remains below the unemployment rate in the State of Louisiana.
a. The exception to this would be to be cognizance of the need for service employees in the City of Mandeville and affordable housing for these groups.
7. The closing or impeding of any open drainage ditches.
8. Greater scrutiny or sensitivity of any by City Planning of building project which seeks to add fill or impedance that interferes with the natural drainage that would pose a risk to adjoining properties.
