New assistant planning director wants to keep Slidell green

Adam Williams has a green vision for the future of Slidell, and it involves a lot of trees.

Williams is the new Assistant Director of Planning for the city, and one of his first duties is to tighten up the rules and regulations that control development when it comes to trees in Slidell.

With a degree in architectural landscaping from LSU, Williams believes development and trees can coexist peacefully.

“Development is necessary, but we can do it in a harmonious way,” Williams said.

He sees himself and the Slidell Planning Department as stewards of the city’s land.

A recent transplant from Jefferson Parish, where he worked in the Development Review section of the Jefferson Parish Department of Planning for five years, Williams said he is excited to be working in Slidell.

“The future of Slidell is very bright,” Williams said.

He said the Summit Fremaux project, the UNO Tech Park and the revitalization of Olde Towne mean lots of growth for the city and lots of work for him, Planning Director Tim Jackson and the rest of the city planners.

But he wants to make sure development and growth do not destroy the country atmosphere of Slidell, where trees and greenery are abundant.

One of his new duties is taking over Development Review and working closely with the Board of Zoning Adjustment. He is also on the Slidell Tree Board, and he wants to save as may trees as he can.

He admits that every tree cannot be saved, but he is instituting a project called the Tree Bank. Developers will have to pay for the trees they take down to erect buildings. This money will go into the Tree Bank to be used to buy and plant more trees.

“We want to recoup our canopy trees like the live oaks,” Williams said. “The funds will be used for urban forestry. The developers will help reforest the city. I think it’s a fair trade.”

He stresses that he is pro-business and pro-development, but the growth has to be in harmony with the land.

As the new assistant director of planning, Williams said he has to wear several hats. For example, earlier this week he was out on Pontchartrain Drive helping plant magnolia and bald cypress trees along the roadway.

At the same time, he was doing code enforcement work, handing out citations to businesses along the street who were not keeping their dumpsters out of the public view, as mandated by law.

He considers his move from Jefferson Parish as a step up. In his former job, he worked out of a cinder block building after Katrina wiped out his office. Now he is in a trailer on Bayou Lane, and he thinks that is moving up.

Later this month the entire Planning Department is moving into a new doublewide trailer that was once used by the Slidell Police Department.

“I see that as a kind of upgrade,” Williams said.

The new assistant director of planning sees the city as on the brink of big things.

“Being at the intersection of I-10 and I-12 puts us in a real good position for growth,” Williams said. “But we want to grow in a responsible way.”