The Abita Springs Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance Tuesday evening granting a developer permission to construct small cottages on a piece of property across the street from the C.J. Finn Ballpark on Louisiana Highway 36.

The 16-acre parcel of land was formerly part of the Swiss Chalet and was zoned commercial at that time. Approximately 14 years ago it was rezoned to multi-family, and approximately 5 years ago a developer presented plans to develop it as town homes.

The roads and infrastructure were put in and the first three-unit town home building was constructed. However, Mayor Louis Fitzmorris said, there is no market for town homes in Abita Springs and the development failed and construction ceased.

A new developer, Fromherz Consultants LLC, has presented the town with a plan to develop the property with 49 single-family homes.

Small detached homes could have been built on the property, but that would require the lots to be enlarged and reconfigured. That would have greatly reduced the number of homes that could be built and would thus make the development not financially viable.

The board amended the zoning for the property to allow single-family detached homes with 10 feet between each home. Each home will have little-to-no yard, and the development will have a homeowners association, which will maintain common greenspace.

At a previous public hearing on the matter, a handful of residents expressed concern over the density of the development and the additional traffic it would bring to the area.

Tuesday evening, Fitzmorris addressed those concerns saying the number of actual units is not increasing over what was already approved when the town homes were to be built.

He said each home would have two off-street parking places and additional off-street parking would be provided, addressing up one resident’s concern that cars would be parked on the street and would block access for emergency vehicles.

He assured residents that Eight Street would not be opened up and the only accesses to the development will be La. 36 and Ninth Street.

He pointed out that this property has never been zoned strictly for single-family residential and the town cannot legally rezone the property to single family residential with all of the required setbacks that comes with that zoning classification because it would be a more restrictive zoning.

The developer plans to build the first three homes, and if they sell will continue with the development.

Bernard Fromherz said the homes will be between 1,000 and 2,800 square feet and will cost $140,000 to $250,000 depending on the size and added upgrades.

There is a 20-foot buffer surrounding the perimeter of the development.