Central City Neighborhood Planning District 2 Rebuilding Plan Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

Introduction Table of Contents Approximately 100 days after Hurricane Katrina Planning District 2, the subject of the following Acknowledgements A. Central City Neighborhood 3 struck, Motion M-05-592 was unanimously report, includes two geographically specific Location and History 3 passed by the City Council of New Orleans. neighborhoods: Milan and Central City. With grateful appreciation the planning team Recovery Vision and Goals 4 This motion ensured that community-based, would like to thank all the residents of District 2 neighborhood-by-neighborhood planning Basic assumptions also formed the basis for the Planning Process and Neighborhood Participation 5 who participated in this planning process and would be central to decisions associated with Planning District 2 Recovery Plan: Planning Efforts Pre-Hurricane Katrina 6 without whose participation this plan would not be the recovery of the most devastated areas of possible. New Orleans. The City Council was adamant 1) That a flood protection system will be B. Pre-Hurricane Katrina Neighborhood Existing that the people most impacted by the storm designed to withstand future catastrophic loss Conditions 7 would play a central role in defining the future from a 1 in 100 year storm and that this is a Project Directory Land Use and Zoning 7 of their communities. Overall, 47 of the 73 commitment by the Federal Government; Pre-Katrina Demographic Profile 7 neighborhoods delineated by the City’s City of New Orleans Recreation and Open Space 9 Planning Commission have had plans prepared 2) That stringent building codes will be C. Ray Nagin, Mayor Roadway Hierarchy and Jurisdiction 9 as part of this process. implemented to further limit wind damage; New Orleans City Council: Housing, Architecture and Historic Preservation 10 The City Council charged a team of consultants 3) That the basic urban structure of the city is Oliver M. Thomas, President overseen by Lambert Advisory & SHEDO with sound and that rebuilding will respect this Arnie Fielkow, Vice-President C. Hurricane Katrina Neighborhood Impacts 13 assisting neighborhoods flooded by Hurricane structure; Shelley Midura, District A Extent of Flooding 13 Katrina in developing revitalization plans that Stacy S. Head, District B Damage Assessment are thoughtful and can be implemented, for 4)That there is an organized, coherent and James Carter, District C Residential Properties Damage Assessment 13 incorporation into a citywide recovery and operable Hurricane Evacuation Program. Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, District D Commercial Properties Damage Assessment 13 improvement plan to be submitted to the State Cynthia Willard-Lewis, District E Infrastructure Damage Assessment 13 of Louisiana and federal funding agencies. This Parks and Open Space Damage Assessment 15 document is one of forty-two (42) Community Facilities 17 neighborhood plans that meet that mandate. Project Management: Lambert Advisory, LLC D. Neighborhood Rebuilding Scenarios 17 Paul Lambert Neighborhood Re-population 17 SHEDO, LLC Shelia Danzey 2 E. Neighborhood Recovery Plan 19 City Planning Commission: Planning District Plan Elements Overall Planning Consultant: Key Recovery and Development Projects 19 Designations Bermello-Ajamil & Partners, Inc. Alfredo C. Sanchez, AIA, AICP F. Implementation and Funding Strategies 27 Hewitt-Washington, Inc. Lonnie Hewitt, AIA

Neighborhood Planners: C. James & Associates Cliff James

Byron J. Stewart & Associates Byron Stewart

Cover Images from left to right:

A: Brown’s Velvet Dairy Fence B: La Salle Triangular Park C: St. Charles Church City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

A. Central City Neighborhood

Location and History social and economic strife that have plagued other American cities’ urban cores. Poverty, The Central City Neighborhood occupies a drugs, and the violence associated with the triangular swath of Uptown New Orleans. drug trade have combined to severely erode Central City’s boundaries are, roughly, St. the quality of life enjoyed by the residents of Charles Avenue to S. Broad and Toledano Central City. Street to the Pontchartrain Expressway. The neighborhood also contains Zion City, a According to research done by the Central triangular shaped area north of S. Broad that City Renaissance Alliance as part of their ends at the vertex of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Plan, the area now referred to as Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Along Central City was called “Back-of-Town.” Land with the Milan Neighborhood, Central City is in this area north of the inhabited St. Charles 3 contained within Planning District Two. Avenue corridor could not be settled until the invention, by A. Baldwin Wood in 1915, of a Though economically challenged, Central City system of pumps capable of draining this is ideally located adjacent to the Garden swampland. Prior to the introduction of this District and close to the Central Business network of pumps, drainage of Central City District. The neighborhood is ringed by was an uncertain proposition. Even this major thoroughfares and delimited by the tentative balance of man and nature was not Pontchartrain Expressway to the East. enough to stop the market-driven Primarily residential in character, Central City development of the land. was once home to several thriving commercial corridors. Its strategic location Because of unique social forces at work in near wealthy residential enclaves and New Orleans, the Central City area was never booming port facilities made it a natural a physically segregated neighborhood. home for the working class of all races and a Laborers and artisans, black and white, all logical entrepreneurial location for newly settled in the areas near the docks, train arrived immigrants. yards, and mills that were interspersed throughout the neighborhood. The working Long home to such a diverse population, class ethos of the neighborhood was Central City in recent years has become physically manifested in traditional New Images from left to right: increasingly racially homogeneous and, Orleans architectural styles. Shotgun houses concurrently, economically depressed. This dominate with larger homes occasionally A: Allie Mae Williams MSC Center shift away from ethnic and economic diversity dotting the landscape. As labor trends B: O.C. Haley Mixed-Use belies Central City’s tradition of cross-cultural shifted the number of unskilled workers in commercial activity. Recent years have Central City rose and, concurrently, the Map: Old Map of New Orleans brought to Central City the same sort of number of skilled laborers declined. This Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

change led to an underutilization of the Vision existing housing stock and the creation of tenement-level housing conditions. Central City is an historic, unique neighborhood Additional, external pressures were placed on located in the heart of Uptown New Orleans. Central City by the construction, in the 1950’s The residents of Central City envision a and 1960’s, of large public housing community in which people of varied racial and developments on the periphery of the economic backgrounds can coexist and thrive in neighborhood. an environment that is fair, equitable, and just. The resulting redeveloped neighborhood should Prior to Hurricane Katrina, many in the provide a high quality of life and opportunities community believed that Central City had for meaningful employment and home 4 turned the corner and was poised for a ownership. The restored Central City rebirth. Newfound community activism, community will be rebuilt upon the same urban championed by groups such as the Central framework that existed prior to Hurricane City Renaissance Alliance, had positioned the Katrina. neighborhood for growth. Emphasis was placed on restoring commerce to traditional Neighborhood Recovery Goals locations such as Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard and Claiborne Avenue and In an effort to rebuild and improve Central City’s returning civic institutions, such as the built-form environment to pre-Hurricane Katrina Dryades YMCA, to the area. Combined with levels, residents have communicated the the redevelopment of the adjacent housing following, basic goals for their neighborhood: developments, Central City, prior to Katrina, was poised for dramatic redevelopment. • Rebuild and enhance the streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure of the Central City Neighborhood;

Recovery Vision and Goals • Remodel and restore the neighborhood’s existing schools; The Central City Neighborhood Rebuilding Plan provides a vision and framework for physical • Preserve and enhance Central City’s improvements, new service structures, and intricate, historic architectural fabric; community development opportunities in Images from left to right: Central City. • Improve public safety by reconstructing Central City’s First Responder network of police A: Carondelet Street Apartments and fire stations. B: Brown’s Velvet Dairy Fence Above: Aerial Map of Central City Neighborhood C: 1519 Carondelet Residence City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

In addition to these basic prerequisites for appropriate, and affordable residential infill voice their concerns about their redevelopment, the Central City community construction options; neighborhood. The meetings were held as proffers the following specific recovery goals: follows: • Develop affordable housing solutions that • Saturday, May 20th, 2006 – 2:00 P.M. Create Equitable Redevelopment Options include home ownership as well as rental at Holy Ghost Church, 2015 Louisiana • The recovery of Central City should be just, options; Avenue. At this District Two meeting, humane, and democratically controlled by the residents from both the adjoining Milan people of Central City; • Aggressively restore blighted properties to Neighborhood and Central City were the marketplace or civic use; present to begin the community visioning • When possible, Community Benefits process with the New Orleans Agreements, such as the one agreed to by Home Upgrade Existing Parks and Open Spaces Neighborhoods Rebuilding Team Depot, should be negotiated between residents • Adaptively reuse empty lots as public parks; consultants. 5 and developers; • Saturday, July 22nd, 2006 – 6:30 to • Where appropriate, add attractive 8:30 P.M. at Israelite Baptist Church, 2100 • Mixed-use buildings, with appropriate, landscaping to public spaces. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. At this locally owned businesses interspersed with meeting input was sought from the private residences should be encouraged. leadership of the Central City Renaissance Planning Process and Alliance. Prior to Katrina the CCRA had Restore and Redevelop Existing Neighborhood Participation been actively engaged in a neighborhood Commercial Corridors planning process for Central City. • Turn O.C. Haley’s designation as a Main The Central City neighborhood is served by • Saturday, August 19th, 2006 2:00 to Street Program designee into a catalyst for several active associations. Included 4:00 P.M. at Central City EOC, 2020 economic growth and cultural education; among these are Central City Partnership Jackson Avenue. This was the second and the Central City Renaissance Alliance. formal meeting with members of the EOC • Reinforce Claiborne Avenue as a commercial More than any other New Orleans and the CCRA. corridor; neighborhood, Central City is well served by a multitude of Churches and faith-based • Redevelop St. Charles Avenue as Central organizations. Throughout this process City’s “Front Door;” input was gleaned from these and other sources. Provide Attractive Residential Options • Revitalize the C.J. Peete and B.W. Cooper Schedule of Neighborhood Meetings housing developments in a manner that benefits Images from left to right: both the residents of Central City and the public Over a period of four months, several housing developments; neighborhood and district-wide, meetings A-C: Milan Residences were held by the SHEDO/ Lambert Advisory D: Louisiana & South Claiborne Avenue • Create attractive, architecturally planning consultants to allow citizens to Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

Planning Efforts Pre-Katrina The 1999 Land Use Plan identified several Central City incinerator site at 7th Street key issues and challenges that affected the and Saratoga as a possible location. Pre-Katrina planning efforts in Central City quality of life in Central City. These were quite extensive due to the efforts of included: The Transportation Master Plan of 2004 the Central City Renaissance Alliance and recommended a variety of improvements in the Central City Partnership. In 2004 the • Disinvestment and blight in both District Two. In particular, it recommended City of New Orleans contracted with residential and commercial areas the creation of bicycle lanes, a study of Concordia, LLC to begin a community • Problems relative to improvements possible mass transit route extensions, and planning initiative in Central City. Funded of public housing developments designation of specific roads as truck by local and national organizations, the • Pressure from institutional uses and routes. planning team engaged various members of area hospitals 6 the community, including businesspersons, • Allowed uses that are incompatible religious leaders, artists, laborers, with quality, residential life, i.e., students, and non-profit staff members. bars, bed and breakfasts • Inadequate respect for historical At the conclusion of their nine-month properties commission, the CCRA Steering committee issued key recommendations in the In response, the Plan made several key following areas: Community Connections, recommendations for District Two and Telling the Community Story, Housing in the Central City. The most significant Community, Community Beautification, recommendation for the district was the Employing the Community, and Community application of two types of Mixed-Use land Wealth Building, An Educated Community, categories in areas where residential and A Healthy and Safe Community. Their activity has traditionally coexisted with recommendations are incorporated into this commercial interests (neighborhood-scale report’s Recovery Plan. mixed-use) and in industrial areas such as along the Pontchartrain Expressway Additionally, a series of city-wide planning (Urban-Scale Mixed-Use). initiatives were undertaken in recent years that examined both district-wide and The New Century New Orleans Parks Master neighborhood-specific issues. Planning Plan of 2002 inventoried and assessed the efforts included the City of New Orleans’ condition of District Two’s 28 acres of parks 1999 Land Use Plan, the New Century New and open spaces. Orleans Parks Master Plan of 2002 and the Transportation Master Plan of 2004. The Plan determined that Central City should be considered for a multi-purpose recreation center and identified the old City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

B. Pre-Hurricane Katrina Neighborhood Existing Conditions

Land Use and Zoning relatively high number of school-aged children is significant due to the per-pupil Changing land uses and an organic growth apportionment of education funds by pattern have resulted in a variety of zoning governmental agencies. classifications being present in Central City. The predominant classification is RS-1, The move toward racial homogeneity in which permits single-family detached Central City continued, according to the dwellings. This gives the majority of the Census. In 2000, the neighborhood was neighborhood a residential character. The more than 87% African-American with C-1, or General Commercial District, zoning Whites comprising approximately 10% of designation applies mainly to the portion of the population. Central City from St. Charles Avenue to 7 Claiborne and from Louisiana Avenue to Several indicators point to the persistence MLK Boulevard. of poverty and social distress in Central City. First, only 16.3 percent of Central When discounting open space, residential City residents live in owner-occupied uses account for about 59% of total land in housing. The national home ownership District Two while commercial uses account average is 66.2 percent. for about 29% of total land. As is the case in many older neighborhoods, Central City Residents often point out that the lack of has an opportunity to redevelop in a way owner-occupied housing contributes to that that refocuses redevelopment around many ills in the neighborhood relating to a variety of land uses that enhance the crime and safety. Secondly, the 2000 character of the neighborhood. Census identifies nearly one-fourth, 21.2%, of all housing units in Central City as vacant, compared to the national Pre-Katrina Demographic Profile vacancy average of 9%. Image at right: Prior to Hurricane Katrina, according to Most telling may be the number of children A: Erato and S. White in Zion City Census 2000 data, the population of and others living below the federally- Central City was 19,072. The 2000 Census defined poverty line. Central City, Maps at center: identified 8,147 households in the area regrettably, leads New Orleans in this Central City Neighborhood Present Land- with an average household size of 2.34 category with 75.2% of children under the Use Map (Above) persons. age of five living below the poverty line.

Central City Neighborhood Present More than thirty percent of the population This population of children in poverty must Zoning Map (Below) was under the age of eighteen. This be considered by any recovery plan due to Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

their reliance upon an intricate network of Recreation and Open Space social programs for their survival. The total percentage of residents living below Central City offers relatively few recreation the poverty line is 48.8%. areas within the neighborhood. There are, however, several recreational areas in adjacent neighborhoods such as Milan and Mobility and Transportation the Lower Garden District. The 2002 Parks, Recreation and open Space plan More than 56% of the total occupied identified three formal parks/playgrounds housing units have no vehicle available. Of in Central City: the total number of workers living in the 8 area, more than 29% rely on public buses, • A. L. Davis Playground- streetcars, taxis, and other modes of Davis playground is a large, 4.59-acre city- transportation to get to their place of owned park with a full list of amenities employment. Nearly 40% of the residents including playground equipment, basketball travel less than thirty minutes to work courts, a multi-purpose field, baseball while the remainder requires 30 to 60 diamond, and lights. Additionally, it serves minutes travel time. More than residents a dual purpose as a gathering spot for of other New Orleans neighborhoods, several tribes of Mardi Gras Indians during Central City residents’ ability to go to and carnival season and the springtime from work is a function of a reliable public parading season. transit system. • Taylor Playground- Taylor Playground is a 3.23-acre NORD playground that features a multi-purpose field, baseball diamond and swimming pool. It is located in the Hoffman Triangle section of Central City.

• Van McMurray Park- Van McMurray Park sits on a 2.61-acre site and features a multi-purpose field, baseball diamond, and a basketball court. Images from left to right:

The Recreation Plan proposed the creation A: Two-Family Home in Zion City of new parks in the area including a major B: Freret near 3rd community park at the site of the Saratoga C: Triangular Park at at Washington Source: U.S. Census 2000; the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center at http://gnocdc.org/orleans/ Incinerator. Avenue and Toleda Avenue City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

Roadway Hierarchy and replaced by bus service while repairs to Jurisdiction the Carrollton Car Barn and streetcars are underway. Central City is defined by a road network that includes almost every type of roadway In general, the neighborhood benefits classification and jurisdiction. There are from its central geographic position while roads under local control, a state highway not suffering the fate of other centrally- (U.S. 90-Claiborne Avenue), and portions located neighborhoods, such as Treme, of the federally funded Interstate Highway that are bisected by elevated System (I-10 and the Pontchartrain expressways. Central City’s street grid Expressway). remains conducive to residential and commercial development. 9 Major arterials that bisect the neighborhood include St. Charles Avenue, South Claiborne, South Galvez, Washington Housing, Architecture and Historic Avenue, Jackson Avenue, and Martin Preservation Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Housing The most important commercial corridors run along an east/west vector. They As previously noted, Central City is home include St. Charles Avenue, O.C. Haley, to a disproportionately high number, and Claiborne Avenue. Each, at various 83.7%, of renters. Of the 8,147 total times, has occupied an important, distinct occupied housing units in Central City only niche in the city’s history. Currently, 16.3% were owner-occupied, according to Claiborne Avenue serves primarily as a the 2000 Census. Significantly, 51.8% of traffic throughway while St. Charles the housing stock was constructed prior to Avenue retains more of an upscale 1949. The high proportion of rental units character. O.C. Haley’s recent designation combined with a high concentration of low as a Main Street will probably lead to to moderate income renters partially increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic explains the relatively poor condition of along its commercial corridor. the housing stock in the neighborhood prior to the storm. Rents of these homes, Central City is also bordered by the St. generally, did not support the cost of Charles Avenue Streetcar Line, which regular upkeep. This exacerbated the Images from left to right: provides service to Carrollton as well as damage done by absentee landlords who the universities and downtown New may have purchased scatter-site units A: Typical Street Central City Neighborhood - Major Thoroughfares Orleans. Currently, the streetcar has been with the intention of maximizing profits by B: Shotgun Row on Freret near 3rd Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

putting as little investment into the the area are utilitarian in design and speak property as possible or who inherited the little to the local architectural vernacular. home but live elsewhere.

This convergence of factors led to Central Historic Preservation City having the highest vacancy rate in the city at 21.2%. A significant number of The Central City Neighborhood, especially these homes, over the years, became near St. Charles Avenue, is recognized as a blighted and were either abandoned or tied local historic district by the New Orleans up in a cumbersome adjudication process. Historic Districts Landmarks Commission Blighted and adjudicated properties and a National Register District by the 10 consistently top the lists of resident federal government. The national concerns. designation covers the majority of the land mass in Central City while the local designation applies only to the most Architecture historic properties in the vicinity of St. Charles Avenue. Of the two, the local While the variety of house styles and types designation is the only one that has precludes the selection of a typical home, enforcement power. Changes to the the native architectural language of New exterior of historic structures must be Orleans is spoken in Central City. Stately approved by the HDLC. If the changes or Victorian-era commercial buildings along building plans are approved a Certificate of St. Charles Avenue give way to more Appropriateness is issued and work is humble shotgun-style accommodations as allowed to begin. one penetrates further into the neighborhood. Almost all of the significant The preservation of the historic structures homes feature above-grade construction along O.C. Haley is the key to rejuvenating with the older homes having unoccupied large swaths of Central City. The recent first floors. Most commercial buildings in designation of Haley as a Main Street will

Images from left to right:

A: Daughters’ of Universal - St. John Grand Lodge on Haley B: 1519 Carondelet - Single-Family Residence Central City Neighborhood - Community Gardens City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

allow stabilization measures to take place that will protect these structures. If this street were to be drastically improved, the resulting momentum would have a multiplying effect on other historic properties in the area.

Many of the historic structures in the area are houses of worship and public school buildings. This includes several synagogues that have been converted to Christian houses of worship. The 11 synagogues were reminders of a time when Jewish immigrants populated the area and were merchants along Dryades (O.C. Haley) Street.

One of the key concerns of the neighborhood is the judicious designation of certain buildings as historic structures. Residents would prefer that individual structures be designated rather than wide areas that might preclude them from being redeveloped.

Also, given that Central City is ripe for infill housing development, an overlay district is a palatable compromise between the two Images from left to right: points of view. Under this scenario, redevelopment is allowed to commence A: Rhodes Funeral Home on Washington under strict guidelines that govern things Avenue like setbacks and traditional building Map: styles.

Blighted and Adjudicated Properties - 1999 Land-Use Plan, City of New Orleans Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

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C. Hurricane Katrina Neighborhood Impacts

Extent of Flooding under small landlord ownership in Central City, the high concentration of seriously The Central City neighborhood experienced damaged properties raises significant severe to moderate flooding during the concern with regard to the ability and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Water inclination of non-occupying property depths ranged from six to eight feet in the owners to restore their units without some Hoffman Triangle/Claiborne Avenue area to underlying write-down, funding support, less than two feet near St. Charles Avenue. or long-term rental. Without a focused The severity of the flooding was directly rental revitalization program many of proportional to the distance from the these properties will fail to meet the Mississippi River and its natural levee. The economic threshold for quality northern portion of Central City, including reinvestment. 13 Zion City, is the center of the oft- mentioned “bowl” where flood and runoff water accumulates. Commercial Properties Damage Assessment

Residential Properties Damage While most commercial properties in Assessment Central City were heavily impacted by Damage to residential properties in Central Hurricane Katrina, and the vast majority of City mirrors the extent of flooding as the neighborhood-scale establishments previously outlined. Wind damage remain closed, there appears to be a destroyed roofs throughout the steady trend towards reinvestment and neighborhood while serious water damage revitalization of these properties. was limited to the Hoffman Triangle and Observations regarding commercial the areas north and south of the Claiborne activity in Central City can best be Maps at center: corridor. Properties classified as severely observed by studying the various nodes of Central City Neighborhood Flood Damage Map damaged by FEMA (more than 50% activity that are scattered throughout the showing inundated areas of the neighborhood. neighborhoood (above). damaged) are highly concentrated in the Hoffman Triangle and Zion City areas. Centralof New CityOrleans Neighborhood - April 2006 Assessment Map Scattered throughout the neighborhood are • O.C. Haley Boulevard from Philip showing the extent of the damage to severely damaged properties that were Street to the Expressway-In October of neighborhood structures (below). Source: City compromised pre-Katrina and further 2006, Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard was damaged during the storm. designated a Louisiana Urban Main Street recipient. Grants awarded through this Image at top: Captain Sal’s Seafood on on program will help efforts already begun by Toledano Combined with the high concentration of lower and moderate income rental housing neighborhood organizations as well as to Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

begin new initiatives in the area. The program is designed to restore once thriving commercial corridors to economic viability. Fortunately, O.C. Haley anchors like Café Reconcile and the Ashe Center are open for business. As residential developments, such as the proposed Felicity Place on the Albertson’s site, inch towards the Haley corridor a new mix of businesses is expected to open. The nature of these enterprises will be dictated 14 by the character and economic realities of the future and current residents.

• St. Charles Avenue from Toledano to the Expressway-This stretch of St. Charles Avenue is a mixed bag of commercial activity. Fast food outlets, Walgreen’s, and several upscale restaurants have reopened but several large restaurants (Bravo, Cheesecake Bistro, and others) remain closed. Given that these establishments served the larger, citywide community it is expected that, as local population rises, these locations will return to commerce. Properties along St. Charles Avenue suffered no damage from floodwaters.

• S. Claiborne From Toledano to the Expressway- Extensive flooding ravaged all commercial property along Claiborne Images from left to right: Avenue and most remains closed. The former scrap metal recycling yard at the A: Bohn Motor Company on S. Broad intersection of S. Claiborne and the Pontchartrain Expressway has closed and At center: State of the Streets in the will become the site of a Home Depot Neighborhood store. Central City community leaders City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

have negotiated several key concessions challenge has been the fact that fiber Street Signage and Way-Finding allocates virtually no funding for the from Home Depot. Included among these optic lines require aboveground connection recovery of green space and trees. is a Community Benefits Agreement that box installations, which are considered by Street signs and way-finding signs Compounding this is the fact that federal requires the company to hire employees the neighborhood to be visually intrusive sustained heavy loss in Central City. In funding for the removal of dead and from the area. Further, residents have in exposed areas. Entergy has restored October of 2006 the City of New Orleans, potentially missile canopy has been received several design concessions with power to the entirety of Central City. using a federal grant, began a systematic difficult to obtain. regards to scale and building materials in replacement of damaged street sign in the an effort lessen the big-box store’s impact Information based upon visual inspection city. This process began in the more All of the parks in the neighborhood were on the community. included specific conditions as follows: heavily populated Uptown section and will damaged including A.L. Davis Playground, missing street signs, damaged street lights, continue until the Spring of 2007. In this Taylor Playground, and Van McMurray Park. • MLK JR. Boulevard- This corridor is sidewalks and pedestrian circulation, etc. instance, Central City’s location works to Wholesale renewal of these open spaces is home to two of New Orleans’ iconic culinary its advantage in that it will be one of the in order. Since Davis Playground is home 15 institutions: Brown’s Velvet Dairy and Street Conditions first areas to be targeted. to a large FEMA trailer park the residents Leidenheimer Bakery. Brown’s has returned believe that it should be restored to a to full business, as damage to their plant Damage to the streets of Central City Street Lights condition that is better than what it was was minimal. The bakery has yet to during Hurricane Katrina and the before the storm. resume full operations at the historic subsequent clearing of debris was Individual installations sustained damage location. substantial. Based on a block-by-block, from wind, flooding, etc. Repairs have Passive green spaces, such as the neutral street-by-street assessment, it was been made incrementally. grounds in the area, suffered loss of • Industrial Corridors- The industrial determined that many streets require some landscaping and tree canopy. In addition activity in the neighborhood, particularly degree of repair or resurfacing. While the Sidewalks/Pedestrian Circulation to their aesthetic benefit it has been along the Expressway and in the Hoffman main east-west thoroughfares of S. Damage Assessment observed that the planting of indigenous Triangle/Zion City area, appears to be Claiborne Avenue and St. Charles avenue trees near homes can be a buffer to the largely restored to the pre- Katrina levels. are still in relatively good condition, most There are broad areas of sidewalks within winds and may even dissipate the force. It minor, north-south streets are is a severe Central City that were damaged as a result is strongly encouraged that these trees be Infrastructure Damage state of disrepair. Streets in the Hoffman of Hurricane Katrina. The majority of replaced. Assessment triangle and Zion City, in particular, present these sidewalks were either broken by a hazard for motorists and pedestrians. overturned trees or the weight of debris The infrastructure damage assessment removal equipment. Community Facilities, Schools carried out was limited to drive-by The CCRA Planning committee and general and Universities evaluations of street conditions conducted membership identified, on June 30th, 2006, by the Neighborhood Planning Consultant. several roadways that are in immediate Parks and Open Space Damage There is a broad range of public and No underground utilities were assessed; need of resurfacing and repair. These Assessment community facilities located in Central City. however the consultant and neighborhood include: Jackson Avenue; Josephine Street As is expected of a neighborhood with a groups were able to determine that (Hoffman Triangle); Washington Avenue; S. Hurricane Katrina had a tremendous impact large juvenile population, a large portion of BellSouth has been working to install fiber Galvez, Magnolia Street, Baronne, Erato, on the parks of Central City. Parks are the community facilities are public schools. optic lines in the area. One planning and Broad Street. particularly at risk, given that FEMA All public schools in the area sustained Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

some form of damage during Hurricane Community Center located at 2020 Jackson Katrina. One elementary school, Oretha C. Avenue and the Dryades Street YMCA Haley Elementary suffered serious fire complex located at 2220 Oretha Castle damage in an October 2006 blaze. Again, Haley Boulevard. Both facilities sustained the most serious damage was to schools in a moderate amount of damage and have the Hoffman Triangle area. New Orleans resumed a limited schedule of activities. schools, Post-Katrina, are run by myriad agencies and schedules for reopening are One community facility that has assumed a in a state of flux. As of October 2006, the prominent role in the post-Katrina cultural status of Central City’s public schools is as landscape is the Ashe Cultural Arts Center follows: at 1712 O.C. Haley Boulevard. The Ashe 16 Center serves a variety of roles including • Edgar Harney Elementary School- performing arts venue, gallery and meeting now open as Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. space. School for Science and Technology, RSD

• James M. Singleton Charter School-Open as RSD Charter

• Carter D. Woodson Middle School- Remains Closed • Thomy Lafon School-Closed

• Joseph S. Clark Senior High School- Open as Recovery District School

• Sylvanie Williams School- Closed

• John Hoffman Elementary School- Closed • William J. Guste Elementary School-Closed

Other major community facilities in the area include the Allie Mae Williams City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

D. Neighborhood Rebuilding Scenarios

The proposed recovery plan will conform to in Section E. Central City residents desire • Build community wealth by must move in, and the community as a the existing neighborhood urban structure. new and creative policy initiatives that will providing financial services to residents. whole must be convinced that this is a safe The recovery plan is predicated upon the result in increased home ownership and Hope Credit Union’s range of services and viable area. fact that residents, investors, and stake-holding in the community. should be enhanced and extended to as businesses can flourish and property values many residents as possible. Initiatives such • Central City is a walkable can be enhanced based upon the existing • Create a network of parks and green as the micro-loan program and training for neighborhood and the qualities that make it street grid and pattern of development with spaces that afford all residents of Central entrepreneurs can provide the basis for such must be preserved. Code items such limited intervention as it relates to zoning City, regardless of economic condition, economic growth. as minimum setback rules must be and other land use changes. access to the health benefits afforded by combined with pedestrian amenities that public parks. Neighborhoods parks should • Create a safe community by keep people moving through public spaces Changes that may occur will be be made more user-friendly by including involving residents in a variety of proactive and enhance public safety by keeping eyes concentrated in areas that are conducive to human-scale amenities. Recreation should crime-fighting measures. Central City on the street. 17 a wide range of development options. be decentralized by shifting emphasis away residents desire a citizen-led solution to Prime candidates for redevelopment include from large, group-oriented parks to the the gripping waves of violence that plague • The community will ensure a the S. Claiborne Avenue corridor, a variety creation of pocket parks and walking paths. their community. In addition to traditional symbiotic relationship between residents' of sites in the Hoffman Triangle area, and New Orleans Police Department techniques needs and concerns and the needs and it is suggested that crime in Central City concerns of neighborhood businesses. the entirety of Zion City. • Focus on both for-sale and rental can be combated by implementing quality- housing redevelopment and reconstruction Central City benefits from having gone of-life measures such as litter abatement, • Central City must encourage the and the implementation of key policies through two complete planning processes: empty lot management, and faith-based recovery of the small business community detailed later in this document that will the Central City Renaissance Alliance’s initiatives. in any way possible. assist in ensuring that the housing stock of Community Plan before Katrina and the City the neighborhood is restored in an sensitive Council-sponsored Danzey/Lambert The economic future of Central City is the • Central City must seek a way to fashion (particularly as it relates to the Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan after key to its recovery. Long home to a wide capitalize on the cultural assets embedded historic character) and the condition of the Katrina. The community has identified variety of seemingly incompatible land within the community. An example of this housing stock and stability of several specific goals and over-arching uses, Central City’s organic growth pattern is the culture surrounding the Mardi Gras neighborhoods in improved to a housing policies for the recovery of the must be respected by future commercial Indians, many of whom reside in the level beyond that which existed prior to neighborhood. and industrial enterprises. The community neighborhood. Locals and visitors come to Katrina; is committed that any future commercial the area for an authentic experience. redevelopment scenario ensures: Central City must find a way to capture this • Manage issues and pressure related • Restoration of basic public services revenue by adding value to the experience. to gentrification. The community wants to and utilities such as efficient trash and • Full commitment to the O.C. Haley Past plans have proposed the creation of assure that local CDC’s with the capacity to debris collection and door-to-door postal Main Street project. Revitalization of the historic, resident-led tours that would be develop affordable housing are given the service serve as benchmarks and signal to core of Central City depends upon the offered to visitors. Solutions such as these opportunity to do so. This initiative, residents that the community is viable and Images from left to right: success of this project. The Main Street capture tourist revenue and multiply it identified in the Concordia/CCRA plan, is a worthy of reinvestment. designation is but the first step. New through the local economy by employing natural companion to the “Lot-Next-Door” A: View towards Downtown New Orleans businesses must be lured, new residents neighborhood residents. policy that this plan proposes and will detail Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

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E. Neighborhood Recovery Plan

The following details the neighborhood As previously mentioned, O.C. Haley has •HealthB. Clinics-Central City Neighborhood Claiborne can be converted to full recovery plan broken down by key projects been formally accepted as an Urban Main commercial zoning. Acceptable uses for and stages of implementation. The plan’s Street project. In addition to this The community center located at 2020 these parcels include a movie studio elements fall into one of two general significant step, municipal and other Jackson Avenue currently provides mental complex, a variety of grocery stores, categories: capital projects for which there resources should target Haley in a health care while other clinics scattered museums, a library, restaurants, and is a direct investment associated with the comprehensive fashion that ranges from throughout Central City provide various various entertainment-oriented uses. project and policies which call for changes tax incentives for residential conversions degrees of general health care. Central in regulations or enforcement. and construction to enhanced city services City is underserved by neighborhood • D. Develop a separate Zion City Additionally, both capital projects and such as trash collection and additional clinics. Before the hurricane, a school- strategy for redevelopment- policies may have recurring operating costs police patrols. based health clinic operated out of Booker Due to the isolated nature of Zion City associated with them and these are noted T. Washington High School at 1201 S. (located at the northernmost tip of the within the context of the recovery plan. Main Street grants must be viewed as seed Roman Street. Hoffman Triangle), it is recommended that 19 money for future development. Enhanced further study continue related to potential It is important to note that what is services will require the city to incur Often overwhelmed with Central City and redevelopment options. This highlighted herein principally ties to the recurring expenses that need to be public housing residents, the clinic was recommendation is made because of the prioritization matrix included as part of this accounted for in the annual budget. It is never fully staffed or supplied. It is character of land ownership in this area. report. At this stage it must be noted that hoped, however, that an increase in proposed that the existing clinics have Zion City is a mix of industrial and Central City has been active in formulating captured tax revenue will offset this their capacity increased and that new residential with large swaths of the a community revitalization policy expenditure. clinics be created as part of a property controlled by a few landowners. statement and goals both before and after decentralized local health care system. Hurricane Katrina. Residents propose adaptively reusing This is consistent with recent federal Due to the difficulty in discerning their Myrtle Banks Elementary for a civic funding decisions that favor such an intentions, it is recommended that the Critical Early Action Recovery purpose, such as a Civil Rights Museum. approach. In particular, Central City market forces at work be allowed to play Initiatives and Objectives Other uses for now-vacant structures residents require enhanced care in the themselves out. The fundamental choice include restaurants, community theaters, following areas: Female Health, to be made is whether or not to let either The following are recovery projects that dance studios, art galleries, a youth center, Hypertension, Diabetes, Dental Care, and one of the predominant land uses take the neighborhood’s residents consider book stores and faith-based endeavors. Pre-Natal Care. over the whole of Zion City. Also, the lack critical to Central City’s revitalization. of residents that have returned to this Projects identified with a letter refer to the • C. Rezone Claiborne Corridor - neighborhood makes it difficult to discern map. The specific projects and All renovations or new construction must Consistent with other neighborhoods whether or not rezoning is a desirable neighborhood wide projects and policies be designed in a manner that is compatible along the S. Claiborne Avenue Corridor, outcome. are: to the existing architectural vernacular of the residents of Central City support the Images from left to right: the street. This includes the removal of rezoning of S. Claiborne to allow for a • E. Create Senior Citizen’s Village- Specific Neighborhood Projects suburban style lighting standards and the larger variety of acceptable uses. The large number of residents aged 65 A: Toledano at St. Galvez installation of historically appropriate Residents also support extending the and over requires the creation, for seniors, B: MLK Neutral Ground at OC Haley • A. Renew Oretha Castle Haley fixtures. commercial zoning through the block so of safe housing options near Boulevard - that the first entire city square south of S. transportation corridors and with access to Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

At right: Central City Neighborhood Projects Map

health care facilities. The best option is to build upon the existing presence of senior facilities along the Louisiana Avenue corridor. By concentrating resources in this area a critical mass can be reached, thus allowing for a wide range of services for seniors to be concentrated and an economy of scale to be obtained.

• F. Redevelop the Brownfield at the Saratoga Street Incinerator site- 20 Federal funds should be leveraged to remediated ground contamination at the Saratoga Street Incinerator site. Central City residents would like the remediated site to become a passive greenspace.

• G. New Public Library on S. Claiborne- It is becoming increasing clear that parking limitations and building disrepair have become major issues at the Loyola Avenue Main Library Branch. Combined with a shift westward of the city’s center of population, Central City becomes the logical choice for a proposed new Main Public Library Branch.

The proposed change in zoning will allow for a large parcel of land to be assembled for the library. This would allow for the creation of numerous parking options for citizens as well as provide a location that is accessible by a number of Regional Transit Authority lines.

A key factor in library location ought to be proximity to the local public schools. City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

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Anytime that that a synergy can be created between public projects it should be aggressively pursued.

Neighborhood Wide Projects Identified

• Repair streets, sidewalks, traffic signals/signs, street lights, and Replace missing drain, manhole, catch basins and water meter covers- Images from left to right: A significant portion of the streets in Central City require total curb-to-curb Top: Projects Map for the Hoffman reconstruction. Based on the results of Triangle the previously mentioned street survey #### linear feet of roadway in Central At right: Rendering of the Proposed City needs partial or total reconstruction. Central City Branch of the Main While many streetlights have already been Public Library Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

repaired, the introduction of more Community Benefit locations. Adaptive • Public Safety - of style guidelines will result in infill attractive pedestrian-scale lighting is reuse of these buildings and coordination A decentralized Sixth District Police Station, projects that maintain and improve the preferred in areas where reasonable. All with existing recreation facilities can create with a Milan or Central City substation integrity of the neighborhood. drain, manhole, catch basis and water a variety of redevelopment or reuse would better serve the needs of the meter covers also require replacement. options. restored community. The Neighborhoods • Bike Paths - Where possible, bike Rebuilding Plan promotes consistency lanes and paths should be created to allow • Restore Public Schools in the • Repair, Restore and Improve all between plans in adjoining neighborhoods. residents a variety of options to commute neighborhood- Underground Utilities – The Police Substation that is proposed for a to and from work or recreational activities. As part of the planning process, residents The City’s water system continues to site on Louisiana Avenue in the Milan Aside from the health benefits associated were able to prioritize which schools they require repair despite significant progress neighborhood would go a long way towards with physical activity, post-Katrina bicycles would like to see open and the order in in recent months. It is important that the providing enhanced safety for both areas. have become the primary mode of 22 which they would accept students. They Federal government and State entities The Central City Plan additionally requests transportation for many residents who live also envisioned a completely restored insure that the Sewage & Water Board has a storefront substation along the O.C. in areas that are underserved by New feeder-school network in which schools the necessary resources to quickly repair Haley commercial corridor. The resulting Orleans Regional Transit Authority. would be opened on both the Lakeside and systems and the Sewage & Water Board increased visibility promotes public safety Riverside of S.Claiborne Avenues. Unused develop a rational plan for addressing the as well as fosters improved • Add street lighting and trees along schools should be placed in the control of leaks and breaks in the system so that police/community relations. Central City’s main corridors- community-based organizations that would above ground improvements can begin. The replacement of street lighting damaged utilize the sites for community benefit The CCRA community visioning process also in the storm, coupled with the addition of purposes. • Home Depot location at S. identified several crime “hotspots” in the new lights in high-crime areas, can Claiborne and Pontchartrain neighborhood where residents would like to increase pedestrian safety by providing Specifically, Booker T. Washington should Expressway- see enhanced security or surveillance well-lit thoroughfares. The addition of be reopened as a city-wide access school Plans have recently been announced to measures such as remotely monitored trees can make designated streets for career and vocational development. construct a Home Depot in Central City. It cameras and Police/Fire Call Boxes. “pedestrian corridors”. The resulting Carter G. Woodson should be rebuilt as the will occupy an industrial site bordering on increase in foot traffic adds “eyes-on-the- centerpiece of a Central City feeder-school the expressway. Currently, the site is being • Develop an Infill Strategy- street”. system. Residents living on the Lakeside of remediated and cleared. Residents of Severely damaged, yet highly accessible, S. Claiborne prioritize the reopening of Central City have secured several areas of Central City will likely experience a • Create affordable homes and Hoffman, Chester, and Sylvanie Williams concessions from the developers with wave of demolition followed by infill mixed-income developments- schools in the aforementioned order. regards to building design and lot housing construction. To encourage the development of Riverside schools to be reopened include, placement. affordable housing units municipalities in order, Harney, Guste, Lafon, and Mahalia A successful strategy for managing this must take proactive measures to ensure Jackson. To mitigate the fact that this is still a big- process must take into account the history that the affordable units make fiscal sense box store, Home Depot will go through a of the area, the local architectural styles, to developers. Housing developers can be If not reopened as public schools, Myrtle design process that will ensure and the lifestyles and socio-economic granted variances for projects that are Banks, Durham, and Mahalia Jackson construction of a culturally and conditions of potential residents. dedicated to the creation of affordable school sites can be converted to architecturally appropriate building. Architectural review and creation of a set units. Another tool at the city’s disposal is City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

the power to grant tax abatements on the increased value of renovated housing, provided the owner continues to offer the unit at an affordable rate.

• Clean Up, Rapid Restoration of City and Other Services – One of the key elements that will restore a sense of normalcy in the neighborhood is the basic clean up of the neighborhood and the restoration of day-to-day municipal services. This includes once-a- 23 week removal of debris and hazardous substances, restoration of twice a week garbage removal, and the reintroduction of door-to-door postal service.

• Bus Shelters- Shelters that protect transit customers from the wind, rain, and cold are to be constructed on major streets such as S. Claiborne and St. Charles Avenue. If contractually permitted by the R.T.A., local artists and architects should design structures that are compatible with central City architecture and d an aesthetically pleasing to the residents.

• Focus on Rehabilitation of Damaged and Blighted Housing and Commercial Structures– The neighborhood cannot recover without a viable housing stock to accommodate displaced residents and attract new residents into the neighborhood. This can only be accomplished by addressing the large number of damaged and blighted Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

homes in the neighborhood. While the shopping as an impediment to their return. park should be reconfigured to meet the Reposition all Central City parks- As neighborhood supports the Road Home A large national chain should be pursued uses that residents demand. While team previously discussed with A. L. Davis Park, initiatives at is relates to both homeowner for a central location, such as near the sports are still popular and require field neighborhood playgrounds should provide and rental housing, the neighborhood Martin Luther King Jr. and S. Claiborne space, Davis Park is also home to many activities and uses that are appropriate to believes there needs to be a richer range of intersection Second-Line celebrations and Mardi-Gras the local population. Areas with high housing programs to address the blighting Indian events. With those given events concentrations of senior citizens, for conditions that both existed before the factored in, a new vision of the park example, should provide recreation options storm and which were exacerbated by Needed and Mid-Term Initiatives and emerges. A redesign park has designated that are age-appropriate. Katrina. Objectives parade grounds and stands that coexist o K.2 Van McMurray Park with other, traditional park amenities. o K3 Taylor Center Park The neighborhood supports the Lot Next Specific Neighborhood Projects 24 Door program, elderly housing initiative, and the reinvestment of second generation • I. Enhance MLK Jr. Boulevard, S. Neighborhood Wide Projects Neighborhood-Wide Projects funds from the sale of homes or properties Claiborne, and other thoroughfares in Central City • Code Enforcement- The City of New • Build Community Centers on or in higher income areas into areas such as - A complete landscape and near Public School complexes- Central City. These programs are more tree planting initiative is necessary to Orleans and its agencies should Using fully described below. An aggressive effort replace the tree canopy and flora that was aggressively enforce all code and ordinance the existing Dryades YMCA as a model, to support business development and the lost in Hurricane Katrina. Residents should violations, regardless of how small. more large, multi-purpose community restoration of commercial properties need select a menu of approved tree and plant Residents believe that enforcing minor, centers should be constructed in Central to be a focus of any revitalization effort as species that, when planted, would give quality of life issues leads to a respect for City. In addition to providing recreational well. Central City a unified, recognizable the rule of law. And the creation of a opportunities to residents, these centers appearance. community that is clean and safe for all. can offer a range of services to clients • Urge City Council to adopt the including health screenings and counseling. recommendations of the Planning • J. Booker T. Washington High • Fund Youth Outreach, Vocational The number and size of these centers shall Training, Crime Prevention Commission’s Land Use Plan and the School Auditorium - This New Orleans be directly proportional to the number of Techniques and a Judicial Liaison Development of a Comprehensive and African-American cultural landmark residents that return to each sub- Program to Ensure Neighborhood Zoning Ordinance – Healthy should be restored as a community neighborhood in Central City. development in the neighborhood will be performing arts and communication Safety– defined by maintaining strong controls over center. Its location next to or near It is important that a holistic strategy be undertaken to address crime in the • Extend Existing Transportation development and this can only occur several public housing developments that Options and Maintain Neighborhood through the imposition of a thoughtful land are scheduled to be redeveloped, as well neighborhood and that the strategy be Walkability Images from left to right: use plan and zoning code. as the school-based health clinic onsite, implemented at the neighborhood level. – A concerted effort should be makes it a natural cultural and artistic made to extend the various transportation A: S. Galvez Neutral Ground • Supermarkets- Currently no large redevelopment hub. options in the area through the extension B: Greater St. Stephen Full Baptist Church supermarkets are open in the Central City Desired and Long-Term Initiatives and of streetcar lines and by adding pedestrian C: Woodson School Yard neighborhood. Consistently, residents cite • K. Park Improvements Objectives and bike paths wherever feasible. the lack of affordable, convenient grocery o K.1 Redesign A. L. Davis Park-Davis Study Construction of Internal • K. Parks - Renovate, Re-imagine, and • City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

Flood Protection Levees – While the HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING Today, rapid escalation in construction additional use of CDBG funds to fill these restoration of the flood protection system DEVELOPMENT costs in the post-Katrina period has further gaps, the historic and community fabric of for the City is currently underway, the eroded the degree to which the $25,000 many of the historic moderate income residents of the neighborhood believe that There are a number of general and specific fills gaps in funding for new construction, neighborhoods of New Orleans remains it is critical to look at a layered system of housing development and policy let alone more costly historic rehabilitation. threatened. Changes in the Road Home defense with regard to hazard mitigation considerations within the historic There is a need for expanded historic and and other gap funding efforts should take and flood protection and therefore neighborhoods of New Orleans that blighted housing gap funding in order to into account the historic nature of the encourages the study of a secondary received significant damage in Hurricane ensure the long term health and character neighborhood and make enhanced funding internal flood protection system that would Katrina. The challenges of rebuilding are of these unique neighborhoods. available, which will allow the protect Central City and adjoining particularly severe in those historic neighborhoods to retain their historic neighborhoods in the event of a break in neighborhoods where a significant number Assuming that the gap for new home character while concurrently continuing to the existing levee and the broader of low and moderate income households construction (maintaining affordability for serve moderate and low income 25 City/regional flood protection network. resided prior to the storm. low and moderate income families) now households. stands at $30,000, the amount required for • Faith-Based Policy- Central City is The City of New Orleans, prior to Hurricane the restoration of a historic home could be LOT NEXT DOOR home to a large number of churches and Katrina, generally made $25,000 soft in excess of $50,000 (covering the faith-based organizations. Some of these second mortgages available through the additional cost of not only that portion The principal thrust of redevelopment groups, before and after the storm, were HOME program to write down the cost of addressed by the $30,000 in new programs and policies that encourage the active in the housing and social services acquisition for eligible families in construction, but a widened gap associated speedy redevelopment of neighborhoods arena. As the hurricane recovery projects Community Development neighborhoods with the entire unit reconstruction). must match various government powers continue, special consideration should be throughout the City. However, even before and financing tools to the local housing given to creating public-private the storm, this amount was generally not While gap financing of $50,000 per unit or and real estate market conditions. partnerships with these groups. enough to cover the gap in funding that $5.0 million for every 100 units of blighted was required to rehabilitate units that were units of historic housing is quite A key question will be how to most Brown Derby and other establishments historic structures and required special significant, it is difficult to see how the effectively encourage the redevelopment of present an opportunity to reduce the consideration. historic fabric of many low and moderate homes and residential lots that fall into number of ABO permits and, income neighborhoods will be maintained public ownership. simultaneously, eliminate several non- Typically construction costs related to without the provision of this funding. conforming uses in Milan. historic buildings is as much as 30 percent Otherwise, the character of many The “Lot Next Door” program is one of a Images from left to right: above non-historic new construction, and neighborhoods will be placed at risk by series of proposed housing policies that A number of housing initiatives are while the City made exceptions and displacement of the neighborhood’s low have been developed as part of the A: St. Charles Church proposed as part of the Neighborhoods increased the maximum funding available in and moderate income residents or the Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan and takes B: St. John the Baptist Church on Haley Rebuilding Plan and are presented in the some cases due to historic considerations, further erosion of a neighborhood’s historic direct aim at some particular market C: Church on La Salle Street overall policy element of the plan and given the limited funds available, the character. hurdles that slow the redevelopment of issued under separate cover. Below is a increase in funding for historic homes many of these properties. summary of these policies. meant that fewer units would be Currently, no gap funding program is rehabilitated overall. addressing this challenge, and without In its simplest form the Lot Next Door Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

program will offer homeowners who are experienced similar trauma. USE OF SECOND GENERATION FUNDS Given the different market factors committed to redeveloping their homes, Additionally, there are a substantial AND EXPANSION OF HOME influencing the redevelopment of housing in the ability to purchase publicly owned number of areas of the City where PURCHASER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS different neighborhoods, there are a variety adjoining properties prior to these rebuilding homes with damage in excess of of strategies that will have to be employed properties being offered to any other 50 percent will require the total One of the principal issues that has come with regard to the sale of lots acquired buyers. This option would be provided reconstruction at three feet above grade or up repeatedly in neighborhood meetings is through the acquisition program on the should the property end up in public the Base Flood Elevations, whichever is how properties that end up in public open market. These strategies include the ownership either through the adjudication greater. Many of these homes will have to ownership either through the adjudication following. process or through the sale of the property be raised close to one story making them a or buy back process are going to be resold to a public entity through the Road Home difficult housing product type for people in the marketplace. • Recycle second generation proceeds or other public acquisition program. with physical frailties. from higher income neighborhood property 26 While the Lot Next Door program provides sales to properties in neighborhoods where ELDERLY MODERATE INCOME Elderly homeowners are clearly a special one method for recycling lots in the market, values are lower. This will ensure that CONDOMINIUM ROAD HOME TIE-IN group with specific needs, and currently there are going to be numerous lots that more housing redevelopment dollars will there are no programs targeted to this are not acquired by next door neighbors follow to low-income areas than could It has become quite apparent through the subgroup of homeowners. that are going to have to be sold to third otherwise have be imagined prior to neighborhood planning process that senior party purchasers. Katrina. households, which have some of the A targeted elderly homeowner program, strongest ties to the community and have which will allow elderly households to tie Assuming that there are few new • Sell adjacent lots and blocks of lots in expressed some of the strongest voices for their Road Home grant to senior specific regulations associated with developing public ownership to experienced for-profit rebuilding and returning to the City, also elevator multi-story condominium projects housing (i.e., some requirement that and not-for-profit developers when not face some of the most significant to be developed throughout the City, is certain units must be homeownership vs. purchased through the Lot Next Door challenges in redeveloping or rebuilding needed. There has been wide support for rental) it is likely that the value placed on program. their homes. dedicated multi-family senior housing many properties for sale will determine how product in many parts of the City, but quickly that property will be rebuilt for • Re-sell properties at fair market value First, there are many areas of the City that particularly in areas where younger housing. and reduce price of lots only when very had a high concentration of elderly homeowners have aging parents living specific policy objectives are being met, homeowners (Lower Ninth, Pontchartrain nearby. Additionally, and realistically, there are a such as providing for mixed-income housing Park, and Lakeview) that sustained variety of neighborhoods throughout the in a neighborhood. substantial damage and which will require In some cases, there may be a need to City where reducing the cost of a lot or unit the demolition and reconstruction of many increase the grant amount or provide a low to essentially zero will not be enough to homes. interest loan to the household if there is a ensure the redevelopment of the property. Images from left to right: gap between the value of the buyout (and These are generally those neighborhoods Historically, the challenges of dealing with insurance proceeds) and the market value prior to Hurricane Katrina where land A: Canal Trust Bank contractors, permit inspectors, lenders, price of the condominium unit. values were quite low and homes were not B: Cafe Reconcile on Haley etc. have proven particularly difficult for built unless there was significant targeted C: Commercial Structure on Haley elderly households after they have public assistance related to construction. City of New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan

A. Central City Neighborhood

FUNDING MATRIX Each matrix matches proposed projects • Housing initiatives for which there with potential funding sources identified may be dollars already allocated through The connection between the Neighborhoods through the planning process and while not the Road Home, LIHTC, private funding Rebuilding Plan and potential funding exhaustive in its scope, it serves as a guide sources, or other sources but where the sources is graphically represented by the to where funds could originate. Substantial additional gap in funding is impossible to Implementation Priority Matrix. The costs financial commitments by federal and state determine at this point; estimates are provided on an order-of- entities are a vital ingredient in the magnitude basis. As such, variations as to recovery effort and will provide the • Other policies, including land use the scope of the project could result in necessary economic infrastructure to and zoning regulations, which the variations in the final cost of construction. attract the private investment required to community believed to be in the short and create stable and vibrant communities. long term interest of the community; and In the process of cost analyses, 27 consultations were carried out with the City Each funding matrix, based upon • Recurring operations (i.e., of New Orleans Public Works Department to consultation with neighborhood residents expanded police patrols, library operations, identify general cost guidelines typically through the community meeting process, park operations, etc.) that either tie to used for the calculation of street also ranked projects based upon priority of certain capital improvements or are improvements and reconstruction. Other need with regard to recovery: “Early important to the health of the community sources of cost identification included the Action/Critical”; “Mid-Term/Needed”; and through the expansion of existing services. Means Cost Data and our team’s “Long Term/Desired”. This ranking provides professional experience inside and outside a general guide as to what communities New Orleans. believe are the most important priorities with regard to revitalization and No single source of funding or financial redevelopment. plan will be capable of dealing with the capital improvement needs for total Finally, there are a variety of items or redevelopment and reconstruction of all the initiatives listed on the funding matrix neighborhood projects and needs. However, where a capital cost can not be attached or the funding matrix included in this report determined without further study, but the shows different funding sources that could community believed needed to be a central be made available for specific projects and part of the plan. These include: it should be expected that layering of multiple sources of funding will be required • Undertaking specific further studies in most cases. The ability to obtain these to determine the actual cost to funds will rest with the City of New Orleans governmental entities for certain and neighborhood groups and advisory public/private initiatives (for which we have committees. noted the cost of the study); Central City Neighborhood, Planning District Two

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