The inevitable growth in Mandeville must respect our unique two centuries of history. We must address our drainage and flooding concerns to protect our beautiful natural environment. Growth in Mandeville is governed by the Comprehensive Land Use Regulations Ordinance (CLURO), a 453-page document. In some cases, the CLURO is in contradiction with the City of Mandeville Comprehensive Plan, which has not been updated since 2007.

We need to determine where the water is coming from and how it can be mitigated. While the Lake is one obvious source, we are seeing more water coming from north of us than ever before. The city  performed an initial engineering study regarding flood protection; however, a “breaker” costing tens of millions of dollars is not the solution. It is time to study how we develop our land within and outside of the city and investigate the concept of “Living with Water”.

I will immediately sponsor the following items to ensure our city is proactive, rather than reactive in regard to our inevitable growth:

• Full review of the CLURO permitted uses.
• Full update of the City of Mandeville Comprehensive Plan.
• Update the comprehensive drainage and flood plan.
• Investigate the “Living with Water” concept to determine its viability in our City.

Too often we are playing catch up with growth, development, flooding and drainage. It’s time to identify the problem areas and implement solutions.