Density calculation changes adopted by council in 5-0 vote

Would have altered Sucette Harbor application

MANDEVILLE — The Mandeville City Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 26-03 in a 5-0 vote on April 9, clarifying how density and site development standards are calculated within the city’s Planned District zoning.

Authored by Councilman-at-Large Jason Zuckerman and co-sponsored by District II Councilman Kevin Vogeltanz, the ordinance amends the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Regulations Ordinance (CLURO) to ensure that density calculations for mixed-use developments are based only on the portion of a site designated for each specific use.

Read the meeting transcript here.

Clarifying longstanding interpretations

During the meeting, Zuckerman described the ordinance as a clarification of what he believes the CLURO already required but had been subject to differing interpretations.

“This ordinance… clarifies and reinforces what I strongly believe the CLURO already requires,” Zuckerman said, explaining that allowable residential units and building areas must be calculated using only the land allocated to each use within a mixed-use development. 

He emphasized that the measure is intended to prevent scenarios in which developers use the total acreage of a property — much of which may be dedicated to other uses — to increase residential density beyond what would otherwise be permitted. 

Background

Ordinance 26-03 was previously reported alongside Ordinance 26-02 as part of a broader set of proposed CLURO amendments affecting rezoning, conditional uses and planned district reviews. While Ordinance 26-02 addressed separate procedural aspects, Ordinance 26-03 focuses specifically on density and site development calculations within mixed-use Planned Districts.

Ordinance 26-03 dramatically reshapes how certain development applications are evaluated, a shift that — had it been in place in 2023 — would likely have altered the timing, structure and public visibility of the Sucette Harbor application path.

Ordinance 26-02, adopted 5-0 by the City Council on March 26, requires that these applications start with a proposed ordinance when being reviewed by the Planning & Zoning Commission. An ordinance wasn’t added to the Sucette Harbor application until after it was approved by Planning & Zoning, which drew criticism at the time by certain council members.

Excluding water areas from density calculations

A key provision of Ordinance 26-03 specifies that land extending into or beneath Lake Pontchartrain or other water bodies cannot be included in density or site development calculations.

Zuckerman noted that in at least one previous development proposal, acreage under the lake had been used to determine the allowable number of residential units, a practice the ordinance now explicitly prohibits. 

Amendments narrow the ordinance’s scope

Before final adoption, the council approved two amendments. The first incorporated recommended modifications from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The second, proposed by Zuckerman, removed references to the PM-1 and PM-2 marina zoning districts, thereby limiting the ordinance’s application solely to Planned District (PD) zoning. 

District I Councilwoman Cynthia Strong-Thompson sought clarification on whether narrowing the scope could be perceived as targeting a specific property. City Attorney Elizabeth Sconzert responded that the ordinance applies to an entire zoning district rather than a single parcel, alleviating such concerns. 

Balancing flexibility with regulatory clarity

Councilman-at-Large Scott Discon raised concerns that the ordinance might reduce the flexibility traditionally associated with Planned District zoning, which is designed to encourage creative and efficient land use. Zuckerman and Sconzert clarified that the ordinance does not limit the range of allowable uses but instead standardizes how density is calculated for each designated portion of a site. 

District III Councilwoman Jill Lane added that the change ensures each component of a mixed-use development — such as residential, retail or marina uses — is evaluated independently for compliance with applicable site development regulations. 

Council support and final passage

The ordinance received unanimous support from the council. Vogeltanz expressed strong backing for the measure, remarking that “the only problem with this bill is it wasn’t passed two years ago,” a possible reference to the rejected Sucette Harbor application of 2023. 

Following the vote, Zuckerman reiterated in a public statement that the ordinance aims to prevent overdevelopment and eliminate “loose interpretation” of the CLURO. He emphasized that future density calculations in Planned Districts will now be tied strictly to the land area designated for each use.

Key provisions of Ordinance 26-03

• Use-specific density calculations: Residential and commercial density must be calculated based only on the acreage designated for each use.
• Exclusion of water areas: Land extending into or beneath water bodies, including Lake Pontchartrain, cannot be counted toward density calculations.
• Limited scope: Amendments removed references to PM-1 and PM-2 marina districts, confining the ordinance to Planned District zoning.
• Planning and Zoning input: Recommended modifications from the Planning and Zoning Commission were incorporated prior to final adoption.
  

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