By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | In one of the more unusual exchanges at the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee’s Monday meeting, a homeowner seeking to demolish her South Saratoga Street property accused Councilwoman Stacy Head of calling her house under an alias, trying to convince the woman’s husband not to demolish. If the […]
Category: Land Use
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
Demolition of St. Charles Avenue landmark denied — for now; Council appeal likely
The campaign to demolish the St. Charles Avenue triplex is not over. Photo by Karen Gadbois. By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Well-heeled Uptowners turned out for Monday’s meeting of the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee, to speak both for and against a plan by liquor tycoon Jeffery Goldring to demolish a 1928 Emile […]
Posted inLand Use, Opinion
Is Avondale’s owner sabotaging possible sale of the shipyard?
A “Save Our Shipyard” rally for the imperiled Avondale facility is set for tomorrow at 10 A.M. on the Poydras Street side of the Superdome. Supporters of Avondale will then march to the Federal Building at 500 Poydras, for speeches and cheers. The event is sponsored by the AFL-CIO and other unions, and all “stakeholders […]
Posted inLand Use
BioDistrict violates state law requiring hearing to let public offer input on budget
By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer | Nearly two years into its operations, the state-funded organization coordinating development of a new biomedical district spanning downtown, Mid-City and Gert Town has never held a public hearing on its $2.5 million budget. The lack of public input puts the Greater New Orleans Biosciences Economic Development District […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
Legislator's Algiers apartment deal receives state-approved bond money
Two years after House Speaker Jim Tucker (R-Algiers) pushed for a moratorium on state subsidies for affordable housing, a board he sits on has awarded $10 million in state-backed approved bond money so a nonprofit can buy an apartment complex Tucker owns.
Posted inEnvironment, Government & Politics, Land Use
Against long odds, RTA seeks federal funds to extend streetcar line to Poland Avenue
By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer | With less than a month to go before the deadline for a final round of federal stimulus transit funding, city officials are pushing to extend the proposed Rampart Street/St. Claude Avenue streetcar line all the way to Poland Avenue, on Bywater’s downriver edge. On a visit to […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
As the Saints open season, Mayor Landrieu throws support behind sports district
By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer | At a final budget town hall meeting Wednesday in the French Quarter, Mayor Mitch Landrieu threw his support behind a new special taxing district in downtown New Orleans. “We are trying to conceptualize what the district should look like and who the major players are,” Landrieu told […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use, Opinion
Oops. Roofless Treme transplant now missing rear wall as well
Already stripped of its roof and detailing, the rear wall of the Treme shotgun fell off over the weekend. Photo by Karen Gadbois. By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Most have been stripped of their roofs and architectural detail. Some have had upper stories cut off in order to squeeze them under electrical […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
City bulldozes Gert Town neighborhood pool but without securing committee's OK
Workers on Monday prepare to haul off the demolished dome that once covered the Gert Town Pool. Photo by Karen Gadbois By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Ignoring a committee’s request for more information about redevelopment plans, the Landrieu administration on Monday bulldozed the Gert Town Pool. The pool, housed within a distinctive […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
Blight worsened by housing preservation program, Hoffman Triangle residents say
The process of transplanting this house to 3332 First St. created an intermittent pond that has become a mosquito breeding ground. Photos by Karen Gadbois. By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Hoffman Triangle residents thought they were getting a handle on the blight problem that has gripped their community since Hurricane Katrina. A […]