IHT
May 4th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 1 Comment
→ 1 CommentTags: No Tags
IHT
May 4th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
→ No CommentsTags: No Tags
IHT
April 30th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 8 Comments
When will the City get it right?
Speaks for itself.
→ 8 CommentsTags: No Tags
Interesting Comment
April 30th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 3 Comments
This comment was left on this blog
Another distressing aspect of LSU/VA footprint is that the public is generally unaware that a neighborhood is being obliterated to make way for a PROPOSED development.
In 2005, someone convinced the Regional Planning Commission to adopt the currently-considered footprint (S. Claiborne to S. Rocheblanve and from Tulane to Canal). None of the pre-Katrina hospital expansion or replacement plans called for the wholesale destruction of a residential area.
There are acres of blighted commercial property, medical property and parking lots on the South side of Tulane, close to the existing University Hospital and VA. Why disenfranchise an entire neighborhood to provide more space to healthcare providers who have chosen not to utilize the lands and facilities already at their disposal.
The community deserves to know who was the constultant who selected the currently-proposed hospital footprint. It deserves to know if the project consultations involved even the slightest hint of corruption or conflict of interest. If all project planning is found to have been open and honest, that would be wonderful. But is anyone even looking?
→ 3 CommentsTags: No Tags
NCDC Agenda {formerly HCDRC}
April 29th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 1 Comment
Neighborhood Conservation District Committee
Meeting on May 5th , 2008
Public Notice
The Neighborhood Conservation District Committee of the City of New Orleans will hold its meeting on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at ntary2:00 p.m. at 1300 Perdido Street, City Hall in City Council Chambers on the 1st floor. This meeting is to review the following demolition applications submitted to the Department of Safety and Permits:
Agenda
NEW BUSINESS:
2516-18 S. Johnson St APPROVED
2223-27 Onzaga St APPROVED
2425-27 S. Derbigny St. APPROVED
6309 N. Claiborne Ave. APPROVED
2339 Roffignac St. APPROVED
2233 Bartholomew St. APPROVED
3617 General Pershing (rear Bld.#2) Approved earlier at City Council to make way for new School Bldg.
2767-65 Tulane Ave. APPROVED
2763-61 Tulane Ave. APPROVED
1913 Gentilly Blvd. APPROVED
3221 Lowerline St. WITHDRAWN
Voluntary 2611 Erato
Voluntary 2825-27 S.Johnson
Voluntary 5018 LaSalle
Voluntary 2624 N. Dorgenois
Voluntary 902 Alabo Approved
Voluntary “2242 Benton”:
Voluntary “1727 Desire”: Approved
Voluntary 2422 Deslonde Approved
Voluntary 1629-31 Deslonde Approved
Voluntary 1212 Forstall APPROVED
Voluntary 1419 Forstall APPROVED
Voluntary 5318 N.Johnson
Voluntary 3129 N.Miro APPROVED
Voluntary 2636 Piety APPROVED
Voluntary 2259-61 Cambronne APPROVED
Voluntary 3212 Live Oak APPROVED
Voluntary 3218 Live Oak APPROVED
Voluntary 8733 Olive APPROVED
Voluntary 3506 Derby Approved
Voluntary 1858 N. Dorgenois Approved
Voluntary 2724 Hamilton Approved
Voluntary 1915 N.Tonti WITHDRAWN
IHT 213 S. Johnson WITHDRAWN
IHT “2504 S.Johnson”:
IHT 2023 Washington
IHT “1104 Brooklyn”:*ALREADY DEMOLSIHED*
IHT 3917 N.Derbigny DENIED
IHT 3139 N.Dorgenois APPROVED
IHT “5226 Florida”: APPROVED
IHT 6223 Law APPROVED
IHT 3029-31 Law APPROVED
IHT 1540 Poland APPROVED
IHT 1409-11 Poland WITHDRAWN
IHT 2911 Audubon APPROVED
IHT 2612-14 S. Dorgenois WITHDRAWN
IHT 4101-03 N.Claiborne Denied
IHT 5426-28-30 N.Galvez DENIED
IHT 3521/3701-03 S.Tonti/General Taylor defer
→ 1 CommentTags: No Tags
Non-Noticed demolition of Residential Structures
April 23rd, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 7 Comments
Over the last year that has felt like a million lifetimes we have come across a number of people who have had their homes demolished by the City.
It reminded me of a book I read a number of years ago, The House of Sand and Fog The premise of the book is that a woman loses her home because she ignored notices from the City that resulted in the seizure and sale of her home. At the time many people thought the initial premise was flawed. In our work Post Disaster I would suggest that the premise is not only believable but worse. The City does not even have the obligation to send notification via registered mail. They can just send a letter and as many of us know Post Disaster mail is not working as well as it should.
A number of property owners who have lost their homes have contacted us.
If your home was demolished without proper notification or against your wishes please e mail me.
karen.gadbois@gmail.com
→ 7 CommentsTags: No Tags
Moton School
April 21st, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
→ No CommentsTags: No Tags
Public Space
April 16th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
Last month we walked with the Mardi Gras Indians by the landscape of change.
With all the talk of the buildings coming down I found little discussion of the impact of changing the public space, and what that means for future walks through the City. I found this lecture series very interesting
In it they discuss the reconfiguration of public space and what that means for 8 blocks in Chicago. I found this article from 2003 which seems to suggest that the plans for Stateway would set policy for the rest of Public Housing nationwide. This map illustrates a little of what I am talking about.
The buildings may be gone but who was there before will continue to struggle with identity and place.
→ No CommentsTags: No Tags
Ashley Morris
April 13th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
Ashley was a passionate, generous soul. His funeral was a fitting tribute to a friend and again closed a sad circle.
How could anyone have suspected on that day in January of 2007 as we marched to show our outrage as a City, our outrage over the murders Dinneral Shavers and Helen Hill as well as countless others that we would find ourselves sending another Warrior Drummer Home.
Don’t forget the Family, they need our help and support. If you find any of the Nola Bloggers a valuable source of information, please consider donating to Ashley Morris Fund. Most of the New Orleans bloggers do it for love. Give em some back.
And tell someone you love them, it may be your last words, and make them words that count.
and oh yes, dance
→ No CommentsTags: No Tags
HDLC demolition applications
April 10th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 1 Comment
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS
THE NEW ORLEANS HISTORIC DISTRICT LANDMARKS COMMISSION WILL HOLD ITS NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING ON FRIDAY, April 11th AT 9:30 A.M. IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS IN CITY HALL AT 1300 PERDIDO STREET . THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME.
MEETING STARTING TIME IS 9:30 A.M.
727-29 N. Robertson Street Howard Herbert, owner applicant, New Orleans Demolition, contractor. Proposal for demolition.
1726 Bayou Road New Orleans Affordable Homeownership owner City of New Orleans , applicant. Proposal for demolition.
457, 459-61, 463-65 and 467-73 Jackson Avenue Mona Flanagan, Wholesalers Development, owner; Richard Albert, Albert Architecture and Urban Design, applicant/architect . Proposal for demolition.
622-24 Deslonde Street Paulette Guerra, owner; Adolph Klundt, applicant. Proposal for demolition.
4905 Dauphine Street/ 5002 Chartres Street: Holly Cross College, Inc., owner; Broadmoor Design Group, applicant; Dean M. Duplantier, architect. Proposal for demolition of the gymnasium, weight training building, high school building, vehicle maintenance building, central services building, Brothers� residence building, middle school building and Bengal band building.
1361 Columbus Street Andre Wilson, owner/ applicant. Proposal for demolition.
763 N. Claiborne Street Clarance Duke, owner; City of New Orleans Code Enforment , applicant. Proposal for demolition.
→ 1 CommentTags: No Tags
News from the Archdiocese
April 9th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 2 Comments
Death and life are in the power of the tongue
The words and deeds of Archbishop Alfred Hughes
Our action or inaction failed to protect the innocents among us, the children. I ask for forgiveness
→ 2 CommentsTags: No Tags
Ashley Morris Family Fund
April 6th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
Ashley Morris..I remember reading this post back Home with a Vengance
I have thought a lot about the idea of after anger comes hopelessness and how much hopelessness is being offered then and now. So Ashley managed to fan the fire that we all hold within us. Greg thought it was gone, but it is not . There is still fire with the laughter and tears.
And the voices from all over the nets confirmed his impact, “and the love
We owe him a debt of gratitude for helping us to map properties which the City was intent on tearing down. He wasn’t just angry he was focused too. He mentions our work in this video but never mentions helping us. That is a gentleman. Sinn Fein
He leaves behind his wife and 3 young children. There will be expenses which will strain the family resources.
Taken from the obituary we are working on, here are the funeral
details. Please publicize them.
“Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Funeral
Services from SCHOEN FUNERAL HOME, 3827 CANAL ST on Friday, April
11, 2008 at 1:00 pm. Visitation will be from 9 am until 1 pm
Interment to follow in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3″
→ No CommentsTags: No Tags
Incarnate Word at night
April 5th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 1 Comment
This is what I see from my front porch. Even though they opened up after the flood, the Archdiocese shut them down while they made a plan now the Archdiocese gets ready to spring their plans, but who knows what they are.
→ 1 CommentTags: No Tags
Ashley Morris
April 2nd, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
→ No CommentsTags: ashley morris
Demolition Dust
April 2nd, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 1 Comment
Every demolition job is required to have dust control. Yesterday while driving down Washongton Ave I was enveloped by a cloud of dust.
This dust is harmful and is wafting over a very large area of Central City, creating a toxic dust cloud, anyone have Alphonse Jacksons phone number? or even Rene from HUD? it is all a joke anyway isn’t it?
→ 1 CommentTags: No Tags
CJ Peete
March 30th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 2 Comments
UPDATE
Based on this article the funding for these projects is not yet closed.
Perhaps we can look forward to a new Urban Prairie
→ 2 CommentsTags: No Tags
NCDC formerly HCDRC
March 29th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 1 Comment
Neighborhood Conservation District Committee
Meeting
April 7, 2008
1st Floor
City Council Chambers
2:00 P.M.
NEW BUSINESS
CITY INITIATED DEMOLITIONS
Voluntary 2611 Erato Street
Voluntary 2825-27 South Johnson Street
Voluntary 5018 LaSalle Street
Voluntary 2624 North Dorgenois Street
Voluntary 902 Alabo Street
Voluntary 2242 Benton Street
Voluntary 1727 Desire Street
Voluntary 2422 Deslonde Street
Voluntary 1629-31 Deslonde Street
Voluntary 1212 Forstall Street
Voluntary 1419 Forstall Street
Voluntary 5318 North Johnson Street
Voluntary 3129 North Miro Street
Voluntary 2636 Piety Street
Voluntary 2259-61 Cambronne Street
Voluntary 3212 Live Oak Street
Voluntary 3218 Live Oak Street
Voluntary 8733 Olive Street
Voluntary 3506 Derby Place
Voluntary 1858 North Dorgenois Street
Voluntary 2516 Frenchmen Street
Voluntary 2724 Hamilton Street
Voluntary 1915 North Tonti Street
IHT 2504-06 South Robertson Street
IHT 1104 Brooklyn Street
IHT 3917 North Derbigny Street
IHT 3139 North Derbigny Street
IHT 6223 Law Street
IHT 4101-03 North Claiborne Street
→ 1 CommentTags: No Tags
A “House of the Future”: Almost a house of the past
March 26th, 2008 by Sarah · 3 Comments
Today I received an email from XXNO that a striking house on Canal Boulevard was about to be demolished. Since I live about half a mile away, I have enjoyed the sweeping curves of the building since I was a girl. Amidst brick ranches and post-Katrina modulars, this building truly stands out as a marriage of form and function. And even though it has been vacant since the flood, I take note of it several times a week.
According to XXNO:
This Art Moderne-style house first appears in the New Orleans city directory of 1940 (Polk 1940). It was the home of Emile P. Hymel, vice president of the Commonwealth Homestead Association, a building and loan company. It was a ‘house of the future’ designed by architect August Perez, Jr. in 1930. The house was likely a model home of sorts as development began to extend up Canal Boulevard to Lake Ponchartrain in the late 1930s. It was also likely designed by Perez, although its construction date was about 1940 rather than 1930.
The property’s owners have been trying to sell since Katrina, but without any takers they decided to demolish the house and replace it with a new one. The bulldozer arrived and took down the fence.
Demolition was about an hour away when a buyer called the Realtor and had her call off the dogs. We arrived soon afterward with our video camera, and you can see the joy in the new owner’s face as she talks about her love for the house itself and her excitement in being able to save it.
→ 3 CommentsTags: No Tags
Charity Hospital and Public Records
March 26th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 1 Comment
Photography By Paula Burch-Celentano
I attended the Senate Hearing on the LSU Hospital situation yesterday
Sarah Elise Lewis was there with her camera and caught the testimony of Brad Ott
Citizens have been told many times that we will make the right decisions if we have the information, the City and State don’t seem to agree with this concept. We may lead the Recovery but we seem to be leading it in the dark.
→ 1 CommentTags: No Tags
Lawsuit, Enviromental Justice, Greenspace and The OPSB with a dash of the RSD
March 23rd, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 4 Comments
One trip to one school opened a can of worms larger than one could imagine. First Leigh took a trip to Moton and what she saw there was disturbing enough to make Sarah take a trip
This one begs more questions than would seem possible in an hour long RSD planning process. Why where the Neighbors in this area allowed to come back? Why didn’t the Federal government come in with a real just and equitable buy out plan? Why is this School still filled with furniture and paperwork and most likely sensitive records?
By the way the nickname for this area in the 40s was
New Orleans Agriculture Street Landfill Community
Dozens of toxic time bombs along Louisiana’s Mississippi River petrochemical corridor, the 85-mile stretch from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, make the region a major environmental justice battleground. The corridor is commonly referred to as Cancer Alley. Black communities all along the corridor have been fighting against environmental racism and demanding relocation to areas away from polluting facilities. iii
Two largely Black New Orleans subdivisions, Gordon Plaza and Press Park, have special significance in terms of environmental justice and emergency response. Both subdivisions are built on a portion of land that was used as a municipal landfill for more than 50 years. The Agriculture Street Landfill, covering approximately 190 acres, was used as a city dump as early as 1910. Municipal records indicate that after 1950, the landfill was mostly used to discard large solid objects, including trees and lumber, and it was a major source for dumping debris from the very destructive 1965 Hurricane Betsy. It is important to note that the landfill was classified as a solid waste site and not a hazardous waste site.
In 1969, the federal government created a home ownership program to encourage lower income families to purchase their first home. Press Park was the first subsidized housing project of this program in New Orleans. The federal program allowed tenants to apply 30 percent of their monthly rental payments toward the purchase of a family home. In 1987, seventeen years later, the first sale was completed. In 1977, construction began on a second subdivision, Gordon Plaza. This development was planned, controlled, and constructed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO). Gordon Plaza consists of approximately 67 single-family homes.
In 1983, a portion of the Agriculture Street Landfill site was purchased by the Orleans Parish School Board as a site for a school. The fact that this site had previously been used as a municipal dump prompted concerns about the suitability of the site for a school. The school board contracted engineering firms to survey the site and assess it for contamination and hazardous materials. Heavy metals and organics were detected.
Despite the warnings, Moton Elementary School, an $8 million state-of-the-art public school opened with 421 students in 1989. In May 1986, EPA performed a site inspection (SI) in the Agriculture Street Landfill community. Although lead, zinc, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic were found at the site, based on the Hazard Ranking System (HRS) model used at that time, the score of 3 was not high enough to place them on the National Priority List (NPL).
On December 14, 1990, EPA published a revised HRS model in response to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986. At the request of community leaders, in September 1993, an Expanded Site Inspection (ESI) was conducted. On December 16, 1994, the Agriculture Street Landfill community was placed on the NPL with a new score of 50.
The Agriculture Street Landfill community was home to approximately 900 African American residents. The average family income is $25,000 and the educational level is high school graduate and above. The community pushed for a buy-out of their property and to be relocated. However, this was not the resolution of choice by EPA. A cleanup was ordered at a cost of $20 million, the community buy-out would have cost only $14 million. The actual cleanup began in 1998 and was completed in 2001. iv
The Concerned Citizens of Agriculture Street Landfill filed a class action suit against the City of New Orleans for damages and relocation costs. It took nine years to bring this case to court. The case was still pending before Katrina struck. It is ironic that the environmental damage wrought by Katrina may force the cleanup and relocation of the Agriculture Street Landfill community. But nothing can give them back their health and well being, or replace the family members and friends who might still be with them were it not for the health effects of living on a landfill.
→ 4 CommentsTags: No Tags
Media Updates and a Prize!
March 21st, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 2 Comments
This week we won a Video Camera thanks to Beth Kanter
and Jay Dedman
A lot of what decisions about development and rebuilding happen in public meetings that the public is unaware of.
“
link to article about the Carrollton Shopping Center
One of our new projects will include capturing these meetings and creating a web site dedicated to this as well as the good work being done by unrecognized non profits and individuals.
Also we were mentioned in the Guardian in an article about Housing written by Ethan Brown
→ 2 CommentsTags: No Tags
City Business article.
March 15th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · 2 Comments
Thirty-four schools Abrams, Alexander, Bienville, Bradley, Coghill, Gordon, Jordan, Little Woods, Osborne, Sherwood Forest, Arthur Ashe, Lafon, LaSalle, Fisk-Howard, Hoffman, Hynes, Morris F.X. Jeff, Terrell, Wheatley, Wilson, Edison, Edwards, Haley, Hardin, Lockett, Morial, Moton, Tubman, Hansberry, Langston Hughes, Shaw, Waters, Chester and Dunbar Elementary Schools - have all been slated for replacement.
Thirteen more schools Gregory and Priestly junior high schools, Lake Forest Montessori and Parkview magnets, Woodson, Phillips, Lake Area and Augustine middle schools, L.B. Landry, Schwartz Alternative, Abramson, G.W. Carver and Lawless high schools also face the wrecking ball if recommendations are finalized.
We have also found these School on the “complete replacement list” what ever that means
→ 2 CommentsTags: No Tags
Save a School Save a Neighborhood
March 13th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
UPDATE
The group interested in advocating for the renovation & re-opening of
Morris F.X. Jeff School as an EXCELLENT community-supported ,
universal-access public school will be meeting again this Saturday,
March 15th, 2:00 p.m. at Bibleway Church (Orleans & N. Rendon).
Updates @ 2:00 pm; canvassing training @2:30 pm; canvassing in
surrounding neighborhood @ 3:00 p.m. We NEED VOLUNTEERS to help
with the canvassing, but even if you cannot commit to the canvassing,
please come for 2 p.m. to learn what this group is doing and
planning, and to get added to our contact list!
This school borders the edge of Mid-City (@St. Ann & N. Rendon), and,
if re-opened, would definitely serve kids in the Mid-City
neighborhood.
Thanks for your interest & support, and hope to see you this Saturday!
The residents in the Neighborhood surrounding Morris F.X.Jeff are organizing to save the School from demolition.
→ No CommentsTags: No Tags
HCDRC March 17th
March 12th, 2008 by Karen Gadbois · No Comments
This meeting will be held in City Council Chambers at 2pm
710 Race St - APPROVE
714 Race St . -DENIED
1501 St. Thomas St . - DENIED
1818 Toledano St . - APPROVED
1220 Calhoun St . - APPROVED
City Initiated
VOL 301 DIANA St. - APPROVED
VOL 6432-34 N. GALVEZ St. - WITHDRAWN
VOL 1621 GORDON St. - APPROVED
VOL 1404 Tricou St - WITHDRAWN
VOL 1840 Tricou St - APPROVED
VOL 1825 Montegut St - APPROVED
VOL 2112 St Roch Ave - APPROVED
VOL 8722 Belfast St - APPROVED
VOL 5445.5 URQUHART St - APPROVED
VOL 2326 St. LOUIS St. - APPROVED
VOL 3224 DESAIX Blvd. - APPROVED
VOL 3718 N. GALVEZ St. APPROVED
VOL 2406 S. ROCHEBLAVE St. - APPROVED
VOL 2410-2410 1/2 S. ROCHEBLAVE St. - APPROVED
VOL 1215 S. GAYOSO St. - DENIED
VOL 4020 Elba St - APPROVED
IHT 2020 St. Anthony - APPROVED
IHT 3124-26 Industrial Court - APPROVED
IHT 3037 Law St - APPROVED
→ No CommentsTags: No Tags
