To:
Governor Jeff Landry
Louisiana State Senators and Representatives
Attorney General Liz Murrill
President Cynthia Lee Sheng and Members of the Jefferson Parish Council

Subject: Urgent Call for Zoning Reform to Restore Public Trust in Land Use Decisions

Dear Governor Landry, Attorney General Murrill, Louisiana Legislators, and Jefferson Parish Council Members,

We write to you not only as concerned residents of Jefferson Parish, but also as a unified voice representing a broader community that is disappointed by a process that no longer reflects our interests, our voices, or the principles of public accountability.

The recent court ruling that overturned the Jefferson Parish Council’s denial of a $49 million, 144-unit high-density apartment complex in Marrero has left residents across our community wondering: What is the purpose of public hearings and citizen input if our voices can be so easily overruled by the court system?

🧱 A Developer’s History of Deception & Negligence

The developer of this project, CST Land Developers—led by Tom Delahaye—has a troubling record of misrepresentation and tenant neglect. Throughout the public process for the Marrero development, CST repeatedly withheld key facts, including that the proposed complex would include rent-subsidized units and receive substantial support from the Louisiana Housing Corporation through affordable housing bonds and low-income housing tax credits. Only under community pressure did they finally disclose this information.

This behavior is consistent with CST’s track record elsewhere in Louisiana. According to The Advocate, residents of The Reserve at Juban Lakes in Livingston Parish endured persistent mold, backed-up toilets, and non-functioning plumbing—hazards that lingered for months and drew public outcry from local parish leaders. Parish President Layton Ricks and Councilman Shane Mack personally visited the property and demanded immediate action, noting that their constituents had been forced to live in “deplorable and unacceptable conditions.”

In a separate case reported by WBRZ, tenants of The Crossing Apartments in Denham Springs filed lawsuits after raw sewage overflowed into their apartments. Disturbingly, some tenants claim the management attempted to conceal the issue by painting over contaminated areas rather than properly remediating the damage. These are not isolated complaints—they point to systemic negligence and a lack of accountability.

Mr. Delahaye has admitted in interviews that nearly half of CST’s 2,000+ apartment units are classified as affordable housing. While such housing is critically important when done responsibly, CST’s pattern of concealment, mismanagement, and disregard for resident well-being suggests this is not a developer fit to operate in our community.

🛣️ Incomplete Impact Assessments & Lack of Transparency

The required traffic study for the Marrero project was laughably narrow in scope. It did not assess:

• The already congested Barataria & Lapalco and Lapalco & Ames intersections
• The newly approved 324-unit complex less than a mile away (a development that residents were never adequately notified about)
• The cumulative burden on existing infrastructure, schools, drainage, hospitals, and emergency services

The proposed complex borders single-family homes, with three-story structures that would directly overlook private yards—raising privacy concerns, safety fears, and questions about long-term property values. Despite vocal and reasoned opposition, the Council's decision was reversed by Judge Chris Cox, who ruled that the denial lacked “substantial evidence” and was driven by “speculation from a vocal opposition.”

This wasn’t speculation. It was community testimony, rooted in experience, history, and daily reality.

🏛️ When Public Process Becomes a Performance

The message we’ve received loud and clear is this: Our input, no matter how organized or passionate, carries no meaningful weight. Public hearings appear designed to check a box, not to guide policy. If a development cannot be denied—no matter how incompatible or damaging—what purpose do these hearings serve?

This isn’t just about one development. It’s about an erosion of trust and a broken system that favors legal maneuvering over local voices.

We are not opposed to growth, development, or affordable housing when done responsibly. What we oppose is a system that prioritizes out-of-parish developers over the families, homeowners, and residents who have invested their lives in this community. When profit-driven projects are greenlit despite public opposition, infrastructure strain, and repeated misrepresentation, it sends a clear message: developers' interests matter more than the people already living here. That is unacceptable.

✍️ We Call for Immediate Action

We urge you to act now to rebalance power, restore trust, and protect the character and stability of our neighborhoods.

We respectfully request the following reforms:

1. Amend state and parish zoning laws to require binding public approval or referendum-style input for high-density housing projects proposed in low-density, single-family residential areas
2. Mandate cumulative impact assessments for traffic, utilities, emergency services, drainage, and schools—not just on-site traffic flow
3. Modernize notification procedures to include broad physical signage , electronic notification options, access to information online, and mailed notices to all property owners within at least 500–1,000 feet of the proposed site
4. Give legal weight to public testimony—so that lived experience and resident evidence are not dismissed as "unsupported" simply for lacking a consultant’s letterhead

We are not anti-growth. We are not anti-affordable housing. We are, however, deeply concerned about unchecked development that ignores the very people it will impact.

Restore the promise that our voices matter. Return meaning to the public hearing process. And put in place the safeguards that future residents—ours and yours—deserve.

Sincerely, 

Residents of Marrero - Jefferson Parish Louisiana