The New Iberia City Council approved a zoning change to account for some major changes happening at Squirrel Run Golf Course at Tuesday’s meeting.

The council unanimously approved a recommendation made from the Planning and Zoning Committee to convert Squirrel Run Golf Course from single family residential to an open land designation.

Councilwoman Natalie Lopez, who represents the area, said the process was part of a purchase of Squirrel Run by Hugh Andre, and a meeting with residents in the area was recently held and approved.

“We had a meeting with Planning and Zoning a little over a week ago, and everything went fairly smooth,” Lopez said.

A representative from the Squirrel Run Neighborhood Association confirmed Lopez’s sentiment, saying there were some initial concerns about the rezoning but after hearing from Andre and the Planning and Zoning Commission, residents were largely in favor of the move.

Lopez said she had received concerns from nearby neighborhoods about the re-zoning.

“I understand there are some neighboring residents that are concerned that we are transferring this to open land, but at the end of the day you have to pick the better of two evils, and letting Squirrel Run go is extremely scary for me and more detrimental than what Mr. Andre will provide for this community.”

Andre is in the process of acquiring the golf course, and Lopez said he plans to renovate as much as he can. The parts that aren’t being used will be converted into a sod farm.

Lopez said there was a concern that trucks would be running through nearby neighborhoods, but after talking to Andre she confirmed that would not happen.

“We’re not turning Squirrel Run into a farm, it’s not going to be sugar cane,” she said. “Mr. Andre is trying to bring as much life to Squirrel Run as possible.”

Mayor Pro Tem Dan Doerle said the move would be for the benefit of not only the Squirrel Run community, but also the city itself.

“This is just something that needed to be done to make the deal happen,” Doerle said. “Many people are excited and can’t wait for this to happen. It took a lot, sometimes it takes a lot of work to make things like this happen and not much for it to fall apart.”

“We had quite a few meetings I think this is overall a good thing,” Mayor Freddie DeCourt concluded.