Variance Decisions in Caddo Parish

A variance is an authorized departure from the strict requirements of a zoning ordinance. Rather than changing the underlying zoning classification (which is what rezoning does), a variance allows a property owner to deviate from specific rules - like setback distances, building height limits, lot coverage ratios, or parking requirements - while keeping the same zoning designation. ZoneWire tracks variance activity across Caddo Parish, LA public meetings.

ZoneWire monitors Caddo Parish, LA planning and council meetings, transcribes them, and flags variance activity. As of the latest update we have analyzed 1 meetings and detected 2 variance mentions.

Tracking variance in Caddo Parish surfaces zoning and development signals early, so developers, investors, and brokers can evaluate parcels and approvals before they reach the broader market.

Land use in the unincorporated areas of Caddo Parish is overseen by the Parish Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC), a body established by parish ordinance in 2022. The PZC is made up of residents of the unincorporated planning jurisdiction who are appointed by the Caddo Parish Commission and serve without compensation. The PZC hears planning and zoning matters and makes recommendations to the Caddo Parish Commission, which acts as the final decision-making body. Zoning inside the City of Shreveport is handled separately.

Development in Caddo Parish is governed by the Caddo Parish Unified Development Code (UDC), which regulates zoning, subdivisions, and land use to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of parish residents. The parish maintains it as a living document that is amended over time by the Caddo Parish Commission. The official, up-to-date copy of the UDC is published online in the Municode Library.

Article 4 of the Caddo Parish Unified Development Code sets out the parish's zoning districts, which include rural and agricultural districts (such as R-A Rural Agricultural), single-family residential districts (such as R-1-10 and R-1-7, named for their minimum lot sizes), commercial districts (C-1 Neighborhood Commercial, C-2 Corridor Commercial, and C-3 General Commercial), and industrial districts (such as I-1 Light Industrial and I-2 Heavy Industrial). Each district lists its purpose and permitted uses in the UDC.

A change to a property's zoning is a zoning map amendment (rezoning) processed under the Unified Development Code. Applications are handled through the planning office at 505 Travis Street in Shreveport. The Parish Planning & Zoning Commission reviews rezoning and related requests for unincorporated Caddo Parish and forwards a recommendation to the Caddo Parish Commission, which takes the final vote. For questions about what is allowed on a specific unincorporated parcel, the parish directs applicants to its zoning office at (318) 673-6442.

The Parish Planning & Zoning Commission meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 505 Travis Street in Shreveport. Agendas are posted publicly on the Shreveport-Caddo MPC website, and where physically required, not less than 24 hours before each meeting, and the meetings are open to the public. Variance and special exception requests are heard separately by the Zoning Board of Appeals, which meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m. in the Government Plaza Council Chambers at 505 Travis Street.

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