Does Touro Bouligny Need Post - Katrina Neighborhood Plan?
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Some ideas below. Open to comment.
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Neighborhood Planning
Neighborhood Planning has been and continues to be an essential and key topic tied to the recovery and rebuilding of our city and a critical component to an overall city plan needed to get the funding to accomplish city and neighborhood projects that will be the building blocks to Bring New Orleans Back. Up until recently, the focus has been on 50 or so severely flooded neighborhoods, but now Rockefeller funded effort, all neighborhoods, including those not flooded, are to be included.
Bring New Orleans Back Commission established 13 planning districts; Touro Bouligny is in district 2. The plans were to plan between 1/06 and 06/06 for all districts, and neighborhoods in the districts, assisted by urban planners and designers and architect consultants. FEMA funds were expected; funding for this effort failed to appear.
In the spring 2006, the City Council and City Planning Commission used $3 million or so in CDBG funds and set up a New Orleans Neighborhoods Rebuilding Plan to include about 50 neighborhoods heavily flooded, in 10 (of the 13) of the planning districts; urban planners rebuilding teams (city and urban planners, architects, etc.) were contracted to work with neighborhoods to develop plans for reconstruction strategies and redevelopment visions. Two neighborhoods in District 2, Milan and Central City, were included. This effort is ongoing and expected to finish up sometime in August 2006.
Next, now, announced 7/5/06, the Unified New Orleans Neighborhood Plan, an agreement between the mayor�s office, the New Orleans City Council, local leaders and the Louisiana Recovery Authority to advance a single comprehensive land use planning process for the City of New Orleans. The planning process will be implemented under the auspices of the New Orleans Community Support Foundation (NOCSF), a newly established public/private partnership. Funds of $3.5 million, for this effort come from the Rockefeller Foundation. The result will be plans covering the 13 planning districts, all 73 neighborhoods, (some with an individual plan, others incorporated as part of the district plan) and a comprehensive city-wide infrastructure plan. These two sets of plans will then be combined to form the Parish Plan, which is required by the Louisiana Recovery Authority as a pre-requisite to release certain federal funds. Planners and planning teams are not yet selected but are being reviewed; expected are about 15 teams. This planning project is targeted to complete in December 2006.
Does Touro Bouligny need a Post Katrina neighborhood plan!
Does Touro Bouligny need a Post Katrina neighborhood plan that would emphasize the uniqueness of our community as a separate and defined entity within the Planning District 2, and set forth some strategic development strategies going forward. The Rockefeller funded planning process in getting underway; common wisdom may be that if the neighborhood does not assert its ideas about what is in the best interest of this neighborhood, we may get the short shrift when the overall district 2 plan is finalized.
Neighborhood planning begins with neighborhood residents wanting a plan, creating a neighborhood vision, identifying building blocks that would be components to bring about the vision. and taking time to meet several times, usually for several hours on a Saturday, say, to complete the process. This would be done with the guidance of a planning team selected by Touro Bouligny from the 15 or so that will be contracted (Rockefeller funded) to focus exclusively on neighborhood efforts.
Planning Process
Usually the initial planning session will kick-off with attendees analyzing aspects of the neighborhood in terms of: S-W-O-T
Current Strengths (S)
i.e. -near CBD for workers,
-convenient transportation access to CBD and surrounding area attractions,
-greatly diverse community: residential, medical, schools, churches/synagogue, restaurants, high-end commercial outlets, hotel / B&Bs, NOPD 2nd Dt HQ,
-prime residential property
Current Weaknesses (W)
i.e. -some streets� conditions in dire need of reconstruction, including curbs and drainage,
-street signs in disrepair,
-trailer communities that could be long term,
-certain rental properties not maintained: generate mounds of trash not collected,
-crime resurfacing
Future Opportunities (O)
i.e. -work with owners of rental properties to improve trash removal,
-lobby for some major street repair,
-improve street signs, possibly with historic motif,
-approve funding for Security District on 9/30/06,
-more pedestrian friendly streetscape for walkers and bikers,
Future Threats (T)
i.e. -zoning changes that may reduce residential footprint, in favor of commercial or medical expansion,
-possibly efforts to increase population density with high-rise or oversize buildings that do not compliment the architectural environment nor the land use pattern of this neighborhood,
-lack of interest by residents in neighborhood’s past, present, or future
VISION
Touro Bouligny is a unique, historic and diverse neighborhood that did not endure the ravages of flooding but emerged post � Katrina basically an intact community with selected wind damages. Our neighborhood is bounded by 4 major transportation corridors: Louisiana Avenue, Napoleon Avenue, St, Charles Avenue, and Magazine Street, each that provides for convenient public transportation links to CBD, universities, parks, zoo, Jazz Festival venues, and French quarter. Our neighborhood is comprised of a dynamic mix of residential and commercial interest in a balance that creates a community environment so encompassing, one hardly need venture elsewhere to satisfy basic services and extra-curricular needs: banks, churches / synagogue, major medical, schools, restaurants, hotel / B&Bs, high-end shops, 2nd district NOPD HQ, retirement community, and library branch. We want our residents to recognize the importance of these community assets and enhance their presence with appreciation. We want our residents to feel good about being on the neighborhood streets with pedestrian and bike access (ability) to and from many of the above locations. We want this to be a community to encourages and promotes increased home ownership. We want zoning and building codes to be respected in the context that the architectural character and scale are of utmost importance in contributing to and enhancing the quality of life and the desirability of residing in the neighborhood. We expect the neighborhood to attract growth but not at the expense of depleting the neighborhood of its historical architectural treasures in favor of structures, such as high-rises, solely to create more population density. The Touro Bouligny mix of housing includes a healthy cross section of styles that have been constructed for residential occupancy over the past 150 years. (anyone can add, delete, revise, etc.; it is only a very rough draft!!!
Further discussion and planning issues can include:
Housing: mix of rental and owner occupied
Population and Home Ownership: Percentages
Green space / Public Space: we have so little, is there room for more?
Zoning: (mixed use) need to make sure medical and commercial does not erode the residential footprint
Education: 2 state charter schools: Nelson elementary: UNO Charter (1111 Milan) and New Orleans Free School: The Leona Group (3601 Camp), Private St. Georges, St. Stephens Catholic
Healthcare: Touro infirmary, St.Chas. General (Touro bought), 3600 Prytania med plaza, Malta Park, Special care on Gen. Taylor, med office bldgs, various other Medical service and doctors offices.
Security and Crime Prevention: 2nd district HQ, vote 9/30/06 to fund Touro Bouligny Security District: 24-hour patrol
City Services: trash,
Transportation: trolley and buses
Pedestrian and biking amenities: project to create
Etc., etc., etc.
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