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At K+5, recovery plan becoming clearer; Lens maps mayor-backed projects
Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s list of 100 sure-fire projects as welcome news. But there’s a long list of projects to which Landrieu hasn’t committed.
City posts contracts for Joe Brown, riverfront park work
Less than a week after announcing his administration’s plans for more than 100 projects, Mayor Mitch Landrieu on Monday signed a contract for another recreation effort. The $1.7 million contract to renovate the Joe Brown Park was posted to the city’s website today. Also posted was the $23 million contract for a new riverfront park [...]
Katrina shorthand fatigue
It’s a shame Ray Lang stopped blogging at On Levee Failures & A Weather Event. Ray’s posts were a recurring reminder to defend against “Katrina Shorthand” – the tendency to describe 8/29 as a hurricane, and obscure the fact that poorly designed levee walls flooded most of New Orleans. For us, “Katrina” was a devastating [...]
Old Earhart plan causes new concerns among neighbors about appropriateness
Residents question whether the $8.9 million project to widen a section of Earhart Boulevard serve the needs of post-Katrina New Orleans
City tries to address homeowner’s elevation hassles
New Orleans city officials this week tried to smooth an uneven policy that makes it tougher – and sometimes financially impossible – for investors to rebuild certain storm-damaged properties. It’s unclear, though, whether the change satisfies two agencies that had suspended sales of affected properties – a decision that put scores of property closings in [...]
Methodist deadline extended
The owner of the site of the former Methodist Hospital complex in eastern New Orleans has granted Mayor Mitch Landrieu a two-month extension on a $40 million deal to purchase the property, Methodist Health System Foundation CEO Fred Young Jr., said Monday. “The mayor asked for 60 days so he could look over the deal,” [...]
Rosy view of blight meets Central City’s bleak reality
Reginika Tasso snorted at news that the number of vacant houses in New Orleans dropped over the past year by nearly 9,000 to a new post-Katrina low of 50,100. “Really…” the Central City-raised Harvey resident intoned. Did they count the house where I used to stay, asked Tasso, giving an incredulous eye to the reporter [...]
Committee advances bill to increase budget oversight of state housing largesse
A bill to increase legislative oversight of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency cleared a committee this week, coming out stronger than when it went in. House Bill 1414, filed by Speaker Jim Tucker, D-Algiers, intially required that a legislative committee simply review the agency’s annual budget. The bill now requires approval of the Joint Legislative [...]
City’s share of VA hospital revealed: $107.4 million
New Orleans will kick in $107.4 million for the construction of a new Veterans Affairs hospital in Mid-City. “That is the total as far as I am aware,” Deputy City Attorney Brenda Breaux told the City Council Thursday. Members wanted to know how much city money would be going to the $995 million hospital planned [...]
City’s double standard hangs up dozens of Road Home sales and renovations
By Karen Gadbois – staff writer – State and city redevelopment authorities have suspended a program to sell Road Home properties until New Orleans permit officials resolve a problem that has thwarted would-be renovators by requiring costly home elevations. Dozens of property closings across the city are on hold while the matter is resolved. It’s [...]