[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6671262,"mediaKeyId","2171421-983e2eb5a790c2c7ed23341bcad48dfb","parentId",2171421,"title","Board upholds director on driveway-sign definition; approves larger internal certified-scale sign for QuikTrip site","audioSeconds",2614,"startMs",3293000,"endMs",5907000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171421-983e2eb5a790c2c7ed23341bcad48dfb&start=3293&end=5907","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171421-983e2eb5a790c2c7ed23341bcad48dfb/thumbnail_3293000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6671262/Louisiana/Board-upholds-director-on-driveway-sign-definition-approves-larger-internal-certified-scale-sign-for-QuikTrip-site","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671262-4ad710a95e2d7a2f6514ebdb535fbc4c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148351&Signature=ZYJjPI34dMkx3wAh-HsS52~kgQTP5a7VagODvIO-Y~Trig46jABcpfdZL2qqX50kJnlv4s-g4p2EYKP2F~IoZs4YdOwJGP1WniogCFf6XMvKjkqc~QLYPZ5v2EbGvjitjzT5CX9mCOZoYUHEwAPoViZ4w4BAo03WLmZIbV~MiiVhmk9DKBI8cbRLO5~Kgj2mVnMSJvp9psG1xnUYPybVhpmtXH7SBuqAgZPJ7sJR8ETaTai-E3ml-dt8o46mhjgzJpECM6M23RTkfofoiFEiFAPVTFGepJjyttMcl04OF9G9y6jmw4P~KPxZ0NTsvXIIYMfEdYhYo31Uxh-fbIP5QA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana - St. Tammany Parish Public Administrator","date","2025-01-01T05:03:20.64Z","article","The St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustments on Dec. 3 considered an appeal and related variance petitions from QuikTrip Corporation for signage at a proposed truck-and-fuel facility at the corner of Brown Switch Road and U.S. 11.

Jeff Shane, attorney for the applicant, said the signs along internal drives and at a vehicle scale are intended to separate truck traffic from passenger vehicles and direct truckers to a certified scale and entrance. Shane pointed to a prior Board of Adjustments approval for a travel center where staff and the board treated a scale sign as a directional sign and said the new UDC's definition for directional sign lacks an explicit size limit, leading to inconsistent treatment.

Planning staff told the board the director had determined the proposed signs meet the definition and intent of 'driveway signs' and therefore must not exceed 4 square feet. Staff cited UDC provisions about definitions and rules of interpretation (sections 100-12 and 600-4.x) and recommended upholding the director.

The board first voted on whether to overturn the director's interpretation that the signs were subject to the driveway-sign limit; that motion failed. The board then considered two separate variance requests: one to increase the on-site driveway/directional sign face from 4 square feet to 14 square feet at three perimeter/internal driveway locations, and a separate request to allow a large internal certified-scale sign (the 'scale' sign). The variance to increase the driveway sign area to 14 square feet failed; the board reasoned the exterior directional signs are visible from public rights-of-way and the code's size limits served the UDC goal of limiting on-site advertising.

The board approved the variance for the internal certified-scale sign by a 4-1 vote. Board members who supported the scale-sign variance said the sign sits within the interior of the site and serves a specific operational safety function: truckers must position vehicles precisely on the scale to obtain certified axle weights. The motion approving the scale sign specified the sign area excludes posts and is subject to standard permitting and inspection.

Board discussion referenced pending UDC language clarifications the parish intends to send to the council in January. Board counsel also noted the Board of Adjustments' authority to hear appeals where a party alleges a staff error in an administrative determination.

The meeting record shows no public opposition in the hearing room. The applicant indicated willingness to reduce proposed sizes if the board suggested specific alternatives, but the board approved only the internal scale sign change at this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustments : December 3, 2024","oneSentenceSummary","The board declined to overturn the planning director's interpretation that proposed on-site directional signage met the UDC's driveway-sign definition, denied a larger driveway-sign variance, but approved a larger internal certified-scale sign for a proposed QuikTrip truck facility.","taxTitle","St. Tammany Parish Public Administrator, Boards & Commissions, Organizations, Executive, Louisiana","taxId",25594,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6671267,"Board approves homeowner's 5-foot side-yard variance for 1,200-square-foot addition",349,2867000,3216000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171421-983e2eb5a790c2c7ed23341bcad48dfb&start=2867&end=3216","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171421-983e2eb5a790c2c7ed23341bcad48dfb/thumbnail_2867000.jpg","/articles/6671267/Louisiana/Board-approves-homeowners-5-foot-side-yard-variance-for-1200-square-foot-addition","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671267-4b1f67ff16d2f7d0ad4d68ff5b3831ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148351&Signature=MhofQJ1SyZASQJuVxdbYIETxCPIpsgACy5KJ6cHOdh4OhnuhAkypH5~yn5oBaLJW-nOL3P10R6F69-j3hvf1XmzDi1XezLKPoIdf-~A-q-4JfKejJeqSybZAoRQDCSCjotM~YtughuSg8ubO7vYqoa6T2XeVizs8l7kiVV5YW9rth7jg0BziYFW7~IjggR0giEV72BL-u-YdwMd7z3CxH8RE4dQjEIZrNP2e00QFGoBNAPmEIhe9aTGqOFZLrC~UtaUbeb3YDD7qPrh2vh4eUWjA-Rz-jQWZnZdBLBMKJzH7IUePoZ5INzuvkFpIFkQBVD0zjTJhd1xJl4xpv~8DUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustments on Dec. 3 approved a variance allowing a 1,200-square-foot addition to a Slidell home to be set 5 feet from the northern side property line, rather than the UDC's standard 7.5-foot side-yard setback.

Homeowner Janine Bridges told the board she had the plans drawn to move a family member into the home and said she obtained permission from the adjacent neighbor and the homeowners association president, Jeff Corbin. Bridges said redesigning the project to meet the larger 7.5-foot setback would be a financial hardship because plans and engineering work were already paid for.

Planning staff reported the requested 5-foot setback is consistent with the existing slab and roofline of the residence as originally constructed and recommended approval. Board members said stepping the addition back 2.5 feet would create an awkward appearance and that matching the house's existing profile was appropriate.

A motion to approve the variance carried by voice vote. Board staff directed Bridges to follow the usual permit process at the Planning Department and Building B for permit release.

The record shows no public opposition was present.","Janine Bridges received approval from the Board of Adjustments to build a 1,200-square-foot addition set 5 feet from the side property line, matching an existing setback and with neighbor support.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6671271,"Board upholds planning director's denial of swimming-pool permit; therapeutic spa variance denied",2605,251000,2856000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171421-983e2eb5a790c2c7ed23341bcad48dfb&start=251&end=2856","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171421-983e2eb5a790c2c7ed23341bcad48dfb/thumbnail_251000.jpg","/articles/6671271/Louisiana/Board-upholds-planning-directors-denial-of-swimming-pool-permit-therapeutic-spa-variance-denied","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671271-95029a1a6bfe451ae42fd93be9dd4cea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148351&Signature=XSjE~EIKjlEDG7K8zExfPHDt~NtNxgVvxnymhYpm-g~WwqY4RulKwndGuOOYkk7L4n1g3ymcf7KDJBMIax8FqtJ2SFzQa~F~u5KiCiTCSrTyfl-E31LlvXC~b5FuddxuR76bR8VfNZKdBWgsdbKWiUu4JfFOxwcvgS9AFJEH4ZLeiDq~3thaz0GIlJnnTnQa9KxPZTduQIlelh12nyfgrYnqdsZC-N4gPAg~~-nzPWca91c80X4vVzy6lN3-D8Ek~6prZCc04IfhOfSHdO27RexWDbyoALhVdGUioyck4WrgKMEVP0q6TNvS3TtAVjyDULZtchjXGBR0DPg6G8DxgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustments on Dec. 3 declined to overturn a planning director's denial of a building permit for a backyard therapeutic spa, concluding members were not prepared to approve a permanent exception to the parish's four-foot pool-fence requirement.

The board heard an appeal by petitioners represented by attorney Jeff Shane of Jones Fussell Law Firm, who said the homeowners planned a therapeutic spa attached to an existing rear porch and would secure the unit with a locked, hard cover. The Planning Department denied the permit because the site plan did not show the required permanent fence or self-closing, self-latching gates as required by UDC Section 400-8nn, staff said.

Shane told the board the structure is a therapeutic spa used for medical reasons, not a traditional swimming pool with apron and deck. He said the spa would be 13 by 18 feet, flush with the rear porch, and that the applicants would use a hard cover rated to hold roughly 300 pounds. Shane also gave the board copies of no-objection letters from the homeowners association and adjoining property owners and submitted photographs and a manufacturer's sample of the cover.

Mimi Dawson, identified in the record as representing the Money Hill developer and the architectural control committee, told the board the committee reviewed the plan and did not view the spa as the same type of structure the fence rule was intended to regulate. John Chapetta, a local property-and-casualty agent, told the board as a field underwriter he believed a rigid, lockable cover combined with dense landscaping would be at least as protective as some removable fences and offered that he would support underwriting the property under those conditions.

Board members pressed on safety and human-error concerns. Board member Frank Swindell and others repeatedly raised the risk that a homeowner might inadvertently leave a spa uncovered or unattended and that the cover would not prevent an unsupervised child from reaching the water if they circumvented the porch access. Several members said the parish's fence requirement was specifically adopted to reduce drownings and that the director had little discretion to ignore the rule without clear legal basis.

The board considered multiple motions. A motion to overturn the planning director's denial failed on a 2-3 vote. Board counsel and staff advised that overturning the director's decision would require four votes. After additional debate, members considered a motion for reconsideration and a conditional motion that would have overturned the denial only if the applicants submitted and obtained staff approval of a landscaping plan to create a dense perimeter barrier prior to final inspection. That motion received a 3-2 vote but failed because four affirmative votes were required to overturn the director's decision. As a result the director's denial remained in place.

The board did not adopt any modification to the UDC or issue a conditional variance. The applicant was told the door remained open to return with alternate plans, but no permit was issued at the meeting.

Board members who spoke on the record included Frank Swindell (expressed safety concerns), board member (last name) Daley (emphasized the symbolic and physical function of a fence), and others who split on whether the locked cover and landscaping constituted a reasonable alternative to a fence.","St. Tammany Parish Board of Adjustments declined to overturn the planning director's denial of a building permit for a backyard therapeutic spa that lacked a four-foot perimeter fence; motions to overturn and to reconsider failed for lack of the required votes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board upholds director on driveway-sign definition; approves larger internal certified-scale sign for QuikTrip site

Board approves homeowner's 5-foot side-yard variance for 1,200-square-foot addition

Board upholds planning director's denial of swimming-pool permit; therapeutic spa variance denied