Youngsville City Council unanimously voted Thursday to deny a land-use variance for an electrical substation that was to be located on Savor Road, effectively killing the project.
The substation was to be located next to the entrance to the Cypress Gardens subdivision, in front of what is to be Phase 2 of the residential development.
The property in question was purchased by electric utility company SLEMCO in 2024 for $1.2 million.
SLEMCO representatives approached the city council Thursday to request multiple land use variances, including a reduction to the requirement to the 100-foot green belt for businesses that abut residential areas. Additionally, SLEMCO requested a variance requiring them to plant new trees on the property to replace four trees the company wanted to remove due to root rot. According to Youngsville mayor Ken Ritter, without the variance SLEMCO would be required to plant around 100 trees should they decide to remove the existing trees.
While SLEMCO has not officially cancelled plans for construction of the substation on Savoy Road, failure to receive a variance to the 100-foot setback requirement makes the placement of a substation on the property difficult.
Currently Youngsville’s electrical grid is mostly powered by a substation off of Almonaster Road. According to SLEMCO, some of the circuits extended from the station are over 7 miles in length, which, according to the electricity provider, can lead to longer wait times for restoration of power and more frequent outages.
“The need for a new station in Youngsville was yesterday. The community needs this right now for the present electrical load brought about by the community’s growth,” said Glenn Angelle, SLEMCO’s engineering supervisor associated with the project.
Residents from the neighborhood who spoke at the Thursday council meeting were unanimous in their opposition to the approval of the variances. The chief concern was that the substation would cause property values in the neighborhood to be substantially reduced.
“I’ve lived in Cypress Gardens since 2016 because I love it. Everybody in the neighborhood I talk to says they’re worried about property values with this new substation”, said one neighborhood resident.
Many residents argued that the substation would be unsightly and potentially unsafe and scare off new prospective buyers in the neighborhood.
“I’ve got real concerns with safety,” another resident said. “Fire hazards, noise pollution, lighting issues, EMFs – there’s a reason why we have land use regulations: to protect the residents.”
Questions surrounding whether the company can find a different plot to build a substation that could serve the community were raised during the meeting.
“We wanted to build the substation on an existing transmission line, so that we don’t have to acquire a new line and a new right-of-way. That process is lengthy,” said Angelle. “You also need these stations to be relatively equidistant, so going far outside the city limits doesn’t really put us in a different situation”.
SLEMCO representatives said moving the substation even to an adjacent property would tack additional years onto the project and would potentially balloon the total cost of the project.
The variance requests were ultimately denied by the council in a unanimous decision. Several councilmembers expressed that SLEMCO should have approached the council regarding the need for variances sooner.
“You have had this property for two years now,” said councilman Lindy Bolgiano. “Why are you coming forward today asking for a variance today as opposed to when you were looking to purchase the land?”
SLEMCO representatives said the company was only reccently made aware of the need for variances.
Councilman Matt Romero echoed concerns from residents that the prospective substation would lead to a reduction in Youngsville’s overall quality of life.
“Quality of life is the most important thing that we have in Youngsville,” said Romero. “It is very important that we need the electricity, but at what cost?”
It’s unclear whether SLEMCO will attempt to purchase new property for a substation in Youngsville. The company indicated that the timeframe for completion of a new project would be 5-6 years should the variance requests be denied.