By T. Scott Boatright
The city of Ruston could see new housing options in the future after its Board of Alderman introduced a resolution during Monday night’s monthly City Council meeting at City Hall.
Ruston’s aldermen approved introduction of an ordinance that if passed during next month’s meeting would authorize the city to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with architectural and interior design firm Parish Line Development L.L.C. or affiliate to construct a new housing development near the Ruston Sports Complex.
Parish Line Co-Directors Alex Chapman and Blake Aaron, both Louisiana Tech University graduates, attended Monday’s meeting and after it ended talked with the LPJ about their plans.
“We want to build about 70 houses with amenities on 14 acres,” Chapman said. “But unlike many new projects in Ruston, we’re not targeting this for student housing. We’re building these for mid-level homeowners. And most new housing areas here seem aimed at becoming housing for college students.
“It’ll be 70 units – 42 single-family houses and about 28 townhouses. It’ll be the (Ruston Sports Complex) and walking trails. Some of the townhouses could be used by owners hoping to turn them into Air Bed and Breakfasts. Ideally we want to sell them as single-family housing, but that Airbnb idea is still on the table. And the townhouses would be pretty good for that kind of thing with the sports complex nearby and graduations and things like that.”
And if that happens and some do become air airbnbs, Aaron said that would only be one more win for the city of Ruston as a whole.
“Right now Ruston sometimes loses money from visitors to other cities because that’s where those people have to go to find lodging,” Aaron said. “So if there are airbnbs here, too, more people visiting Ruston could stay here and that restaurant money and everything else involved would stay in Ruston instead of being spent elsewhere.”
“It will be a gated, covenant community with restrictions put in and things like that, because we want to make sure this is a successful development and one that will be good for Ruston.”
Aaron and Chapman said the single-family houses will be somewhere around 2,400 square feet with four different options that could add a half bath, or office, if desired.
“All the units will have two-car garages,” Chapman said. “Even the townhouses. The single-family houses will have a front approach two-car garage and the townhouses will have a rear-access/ The houses will be single or two-story while the townhouses will be two stories.
“There will also be a clubhouse there that could act as an event venue that could be rented out, and a community pool with pavilion and yard space for yard games and such. There will also be more greenspace and a water feature with some walkable trails that also connect back to the ballpark.”
Ruston’s City Council also unanimously approved the final flat of the Tanyard Creek, a subdivision designed for student housing located just west of the Louisiana Tech campus, during Monday’s meeting.
Also approved during the meeting was an ordinance amending chapters 11, 13 and 26 of the city’s Code of Ordinances related to a Fire Prevention Bureau and fire safety.
“Fire Prevention in the city of Ruston went away in the early ’90s and we have not had fire prevention since those days,” Ruston Fire Chief Chris Womack explained to the City Council. Fire Prevention is educating people about fires, investigating fires and things like that.
“Basically it’s getting Ruston caught up to where we need to be in 2023. It should help with our first rating. The biggest reason for this is our rating.But it’s also fire prevention through educating and even inspecting if a business or something like that wants our advice on how to best keep their building safe.”
In other business, the City Council also passed an ordinance authorizing the publication of a notice of intention to amend the geographical boundaries of Economic Development District I and to extend the levy of the district’s existing sales and use tax into the expanded boundaries and also introduced an ordinance that if passed will authorize the city that if passed will amend the boundaries of that economic development district.
Ruston’s City Council also approved a request to start the property condemnation process for the structure located at 315 Vernon Street, reappointed Sam Costanza and Wilbert Ellis for four-year terms on the city’s Planning and Zoning Committee and adopted a resolution approving revisions and updates to the Administration Play for the city of Ruston Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and approved for Mayor Ronny Walker to sign civil rights certification relating to the public housing program.
Also approved by the City Council was the selection of Heard, McElroy, & Vestal, LLC to continue its role as auditor for the city for the financial year ending on Sept. 30.
