Kenner, LA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Kenner's downtown design controls live in Article VI, Section 6.13 of the Unified Development Code as the Rivertown Historic District (RHD), bounded by Williams Boulevard between Airline Drive and the Mississippi River and the area bounded by Kenner Avenue, the river, Webster Street and Oxley Street. Section 6.13(f) states the design guidelines exist to review the architectural style, substance, and urban spatial impact of any new construction or renovation in the District, and Section 6.13(f)(2) gives the five-member Historic District Design Commission, four residents and one licensed architect appointed by the Mayor with City Council approval, the power to make design, siting, and landscaping recommendations that must be satisfied before the permitting process begins.

Section 6.13(j) requires any owner planning to erect, alter, add to, paint, repaint, or demolish a building fronting a public street or alley in the District to apply to the Commission first; the applicant must submit elevations, a site plan, a landscaping plan, floor plans, and a roof plan, and the Commission votes to approve the project or require changes before the Director of Inspections and Code Enforcement will issue the actual building permit. The design standards themselves, in Section 6.13(k), regulate fascia depth, façade materials such as wood, brick, Hardiboard siding and stucco, paint color families like the Sherwin Williams Vieux Carré collection, canopy clearance, and sign size, limiting most single-faced wall signs to eight square feet.

Within the Commercial Core shown on Figure VI-1, buildings are exempt from the district's underlying area and setback rules under Section 6.13(e)(1); outside the Core, the zoning district's normal setbacks still apply.