Quote:
Originally Posted by T-TOP
i would like to think i could build with as little impact as possible. what gets me is its not even remotely close to any real wetlands. The parish works hard and spends good money to keep the large drainage ditchs in good order around the property. LOL
$22,500 per acre for 10% wetlands that is highway robbery...... lots of bamboozling going on in the bayou state!!!
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Its definitely something unusual but in a nutshell whenever build on a wetland, you have to mitigate for that 'wetland' that was altered which sounds crazy because for example you can completely take out a wetland down in Cameron Parish and build a subdivision by buying creditsfor a wetland in Allen Parish
What is a wetland? The Corps of Engineers has developed guidelines and a wetland delineation has to take place. The delineators go out and look at the soils, hydrology, and vegetation to determine if its a wetland. We think of wetlands as a marsh or a bottom, but longleaf pine flatwoods are wetlands as well as many prairies.
Mitigation banks - these are the areas you buy credits from, however the Corps releases the credits to the 'banker'. In order to get all the credits, the banker has to restore or keep that area in good condition (no alteration, has to manage for invasive species, etc.), basically put it back or keep it in its historical condition.
It can be extremely lucrative as long as you don't have to put too much work in the restoration process. If you owned a couple hundred acres of pine savannah in Allen Parish and had it in its historic condition, you would be sitting pretty right now.
There are many players getting into this game now, so the best time to get in was a few years back.