LIVINGSTON - On Monday a deal was officially reached between the developers of the proposed Deer Run subdivision and Livingston Parish officials.

Parish President Randy Delatte ordered that work stop on the development earlier this year. Until Monday Ascension Properties, the company behind Deer Run, was locked in a lawsuit with the Livingston Parish government over the storied subdivision. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick called off the trial before it could get started. She ordered the subdivision could move forward with development and parish leaders cannot block building.

Residents near the development say they’re not excited about the subdivision likely moving forward. Many have complained about an increase in traffic and a lack of infrastructure surrounding the rural area.

In 2022, the developers of the proposed subdivision tried to get approval. At the time, they promised a 2,000-acre development with 400 apartments and 689 lots. Then there were changes which amended how many lots could be built and what at size.

William Elgin lives on 4-H Road, next to the lot developers have left vacant since the stop work order. Although he’s not opposed to something new, Elgin said he wants to see a plan. 

"I have no problem with expansion. I have a problem with expansion without preparing for expansion," Elgin said.

During parish council meetings, others have echoed the same sentiment — saying 4-H Road isn’t built for the kind of expansion expected for Deer Run. Council members say they are looking to take caution on how the subdivision grows and a new development agreement is in the works. 

“It gives parameters for the development to proceed. The prior consent judgment is going to allow or did allow the deer run development to proceed under 22-hundred homes. Under this development agreement – it's a little bit stricter,” Jullie Quinn, the attorney for the parish said.