The St. Tammany Parish Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the final plat and construction plans for Willow Grove subdivision Tuesday after extended public comment and questions from commissioners about a proposed secondary connection onto Cedar Drive.

Paul Moreau, attorney for Denton Bruce Development LLC, told the commission the developer will build sidewalks and recreational amenities and that utilities report sufficient capacity. "We would propose to have them constructed with time of occupancy," Moreau said of the sidewalks and amenities, which he said include a clubhouse, pool and pickleball court.

Neighbors urged the commission to remove the planned Cedar Drive access, saying the quiet residential street was not designed to handle subdivision traffic. "Connecting a new subdivision entrance here would turn a local street into a cut-through route, bringing hundreds of extra cars past our homes each day," said Catherine Taylor, a resident of Evergreen Acres. Kim Foote, another neighbor, cited safety, drainage and wear on local roads if the secondary access were used regularly.

Developer counsel said the Cedar Drive connection is proposed as a gated, emergency-only access. "We're proposing to have it gated. These will be private streets, and it will be only used for that purpose," Moreau said, adding the developer will comply with any direction from the commission.

Members of the commission sought assurances about emergency access procedures. County legal staff noted the parish passed an alarm-box ordinance requiring gated subdivisions to install a system that can open gates for responding emergency vehicles; staff said police and fire would have access codes. "Only emergency services have access to the code," staff said during the discussion.

Commissioners also reviewed staff conditions for final-plat approval, including a $40,000 funded maintenance obligation required by St. Tammany Parish Code to ensure repair of any damage to parish roads from construction. Staff listed six plan comments developers must satisfy before issuance of work orders.

After the public rebuttal period and an extended commissioner discussion weighing neighborhood concerns against emergency access needs, the commission approved the final plat with staff conditions. Commissioners emphasized the developer and staff must implement the agreed gating and emergency-access measures and provide the requested engineering and drainage documentation before work begins.

The commission did not direct the developer to remove the emergency access from the plan; the developer said it would implement the emergency-only, gated approach if the commission so directs. The approval included the standard condition that no work order will be issued until all required items are satisfactorily completed and submitted.