Donaldsonville now has a rulebook for temporary worker housing, and it arrives just ahead of a construction crush expected to bring thousands of workers to the west bank of Ascension Parish. The City Council approved the ordinance Tuesday, requiring would-be developers to clear a permit process, a public hearing and a mandatory plan for removing their units. No one gets to drop a worker camp wherever they please.
The council had Ordinance 2026-20 on its Oct. 27 agenda for a public hearing and vote, according to the Pelican Post. The measure authorizes temporary workforce housing as a supplemental use in all zoning districts to accommodate industrial construction and major infrastructure activity. It also calls for permitting, public notice, operational and public safety standards, along with financial security to guarantee removal and site restoration.
The approval was reported by The Advocate, which says industrial development is bringing billions of dollars in construction activity to the area.
Permits, Hearings and a 20-Unit Minimum
Under the ordinance, applicants must win City Council permit approval, and the council will hold a public hearing on each proposed housing site. Notice will be published in an official journal, and written notice will be mailed to property owners within 300 feet of a proposed site. Permits may be approved for up to 12 months, with extensions of up to six months, but no permit can stay in effect for more than three years.
Applicants must also commit to providing at least 20 housing units per proposed property. City Attorney Spencer Long said the minimum keeps temporary houses together in one large space. He added that the ordinance sets protections and rules to prevent temporary housing from being placed indiscriminately in the city.
Applicants must submit a site plan showing unit locations, layout, access points and parking. The council may also require employee transportation, shuttle service, designated loading areas or other traffic-impact measures.
Cleanup Plans and Mayor Sullivan's Worries
Developers must file a decommissioning, removal and site restoration plan. After the units come out, they must restore the property to a safe and stable condition, and the land must then be used according to its underlying zoning classification.
Mayor Leroy Sullivan opposes temporary housing that resembles modular-building, trailer or shipping-container man camps. He said he would prefer the land become permanent subdivisions, and he is concerned property could be left with abandoned houses after industry ends.
The Projects Driving the Demand
Two megaprojects explain the urgency. CF Industries' Blue Point One ammonia plant is a $3.7 billion investment by its joint-venture members, with an estimated 3,900 construction jobs created over four years, the company says. The plant is located in Modeste and is expected to begin production in 2029.
The Hyundai-POSCO steel mill is expected to bring about 4,800 construction jobs at the peak building phase, an earlier Advocate report notes. Hyundai Motor Group announced a $5.8 billion investment in Donaldsonville, and the Ascension Economic Development Corporation says the facility will create more than 1,300 direct jobs and 4,100 indirect jobs.
One caution: Hyundai held a groundbreaking ceremony in September, but KPLC reported the project had not yet received the air permit required before actual construction of the plant can begin.
A Possible Project Taking Shape
The earlier Advocate report described a developer considering a project with between 400 and 1,200 temporary housing units on a site somewhere in the city, according to a city official identified there as Capone. The concept could include small units of about 900 square feet designed to house one or two people, and any site would need adequate infrastructure, including water, gas and roads. No specific site has been identified.
Donaldsonville is not alone in drawing up such rules. Caddo Parish's Ordinance No. 6635 establishes regulations for temporary workforce housing facilities in unincorporated areas of that parish.
