GONZALES - Monday night, the Gonzales City Council voted no on a plan to create an economic development district along Veterans Boulevard.

The development district would have been on a vacant lot east of I-10, which was being considered for the placement of a BJ's Wholesale Club.

Council members say they had concerns about the plan, especially regarding a cooperative endeavor agreement tied to the proposal.

Adam Parker, an attorney representing the Ascension Economic Development Corporation, says the district's intention is an anchor retail tenant that would be about 20 acres worth of the 30-acre parcel.

"There's a potential project with about $47 million of investment. They plan to pay for all that up front. No taxes and bonds or obligations to the city. It would be about 130 jobs also with this particular project," Parker had told the City Council at a September meeting.

Monday night's vote was to decide whether or not to create the Veterans Boulevard Economic Development District.

"There would also be a resolution that needs to be passed where we designate a sales tax increment. The one that is being contemplated is the one that voters approved in 2005 to the 1% sales tax to be for economic development purposes. It would only be the incremental revenues, no increase in revenues," Parker had said in September.

Monday night, Parker told the council the vote was to make sure that "we would have the tools to attract hopefully this tenant that would be there right in that Veterans Boulevard area."

However, Councilwoman Terri Lambert had concerns.

"Could you explain to the rest of the council why there wasn't a cooperative endeavor agreement attached to this because if we're going to take in that much money, then I would really like to know where that $600,000 a year is going to be spent?" Lambert asked Parker.

Parker says the cooperative endeavor agreement in question would be attached to the next resolution and would've been provided at the Oct. 26 council meeting had the vote passed.

"We also were working with the landowner just to make sure that his interests were accommodated, so that if there are additional parcels that were added, that we could preserve the increment for this company," Parker said.

However, it didn't suffice for the council.

"I'm not comfortable with this. I would've rather seen the Cooperative Endeavor before we signed off on the economic development district," Lambert said.

All but one of the council members voted no on the district.

Parker says they'll have to go back to the drawing board and try to reintroduce it down the road.

Gonzales residents had concerns about the plan because of the amount of construction going on along Highway 30, which is just off of Veterans.

"I actually like the idea of more businesses. It's like this is a very developing area. The only thing about it is that, with all the construction, there's a lot of congestion," Gonzales resident Jessica Green said.

"Me personally, no. I just think the construction should be done first; that's the main priority right now," Breuna Barrow added.

Council members tell WBRZ it could be two months before the economic development district could be reintroduced.