LAFAYETTE PARISH — A Lafayette homeowner is struggling to rebuild her home after a fire destroyed it, and she discovered that official records do not acknowledge her property’s existence.
Vanessa Pastor, who purchased the home in March 2022, is still in the process of obtaining a building permit, a process she says has come with a slew of obstacles.
"On their GIS map, it shows my neighbor's metal garage as 2308. The tax assessor map shows my property, all of my property documentation and proof of ownership show my property, but the main point is that the Lafayette Parish Map shows my neighbor's metal garage," Pastor said.
Pastor says she was informed that her property wasn't located on a lot of record and she would have to apply through a hearing examiner process and have the plot resurveyed.
Instead of an approval, she said the city imposed conditions of development, including a new land survey, annexation into the city, and other requirements.
"This has prolonged the entire process," Pastor explained. "I've made payments on the building; I've spent over $60,000. The house has been here since 1980. There are previous owners."
Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor, Conrad Comeaux, confirmed the property’s existence in their records. "In our records, the home has existed for a while, and in 2023 we showed the home on the account. Our records in 2024 show that the house burned, and we removed it from our records. As far as my office is concerned, we've had this address in our records," Comeaux said.
The Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) issued a statement acknowledging that they did not issue Pastor's address, though she had been using the 2308 Pinhook Road address for years.
A statement from Chief Communications Officer, Jamie Boudreaux said: “The property, represented by Vanessa Pastor, was not issued an address by LCG and has been using 2308 E Pinhook Rd. At the Hearing Examiner meeting, the Hearing Examiner responded to Ms. Pastor that LCG staff would research the addressing issue as the facts on-hand at the meeting did not support the subject property having been issued an address at all. I am happy to report Staff researched and performed a field verification, and will issue 2308 E Pinhook Rd. to the property being represented by Ms. Pastor.”
Pastor says she is running out of time and wants the issue resolved so she can rebuild and move into her home.
