N.O. East residents respond to zone change request
3rd April 2018 · 0 Comments
By Charmaine Jackson
Contributing Writer
Several residents and community leaders gathered at the New Orleans City Hall Council Chambers to speak against a request for a zone change that would impact areas throughout New Orleans East.
Councilman James Gray, who proposed a text amendment to add light industrial uses to the Business Industrial Park (BIP) District, said the change will allow 30 new uses, including truck terminals/stops, prisons, water and sewage treatment facilities and adult uses.
Although the zone change was denied by the New Orleans City Planning Commission (CPC), Councilman Gray is still seeking the approval from the council.
According to Sylvia Scineaux-Richard, president of the Eastern New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Committee (ENONAC), the additional uses presented are not consistent with the intent of the BIP District or the Master Plan.
Members of ENONAC, along with New Orleans East residents in Village De L’Est, Fairway Estates, Lake Bullard and Sherwood Forest neighborhoods, signed petitions, strongly opposing the zone change, and deemed the new uses inappropriate because residences, schools and churches are nearby, which would affect the quality of life for residents.
As a possible remedy, the CPC proposed two alternative BIP Districts that have an industrial master plan, along Chef Menteur Highway which allow the additional uses requested.
Councilman Gray maintained that the change will spark economic opportunities, such as job creation; however, many residents pleaded to the council that an important component is missing to determine large-scale changes: the people.
“We, at no point, had any kind of meeting to discuss something so major, as a zoning text amendment, that applies only to our community. So why would something be changed without the community being involved for input,” stated Scineaux-Richard.
“Most of you who are sitting on that counsel have gone out of your way, even when we didn’t agree with your decision to include public input because you know it is the only credible way to do things.”
“You do things so that the people that are going to be impacted are involved in the decision,” she added.
Ming Nguyen, executive director of Vietnamese-American Young Leaders’ Association of New Orleans (VAYLA), said if you take community out of community engagement, you just have engagement.
New Orleans East resident, Pearl Cantrell supports economic development, but not if it will adversely impact the community.
“We only want for New Orleans East what you all want for your districts. We want good businesses. We’re not trying to stop somebody from doing anything, we just want to be able to live peacefully,” she said.
While modifications were made to the original zone request, the resident’s concerns remained, namely the environment.
Attorney Monique Harden of the Advocates for Environmental Human Rights voiced opposition to the proposal, citing other lingering issues plaguing New Orleans East neighborhoods, such as an illegal dumping site and the absence of code enforcement in the city, which will attract more illegal activity.
According to the Gulf Restoration Network, 90 percent of New Orleans’ wetlands are in New Orleans East and could also be impacted.
Councilmember- At- Large Jason Williams requested a motion to defer, to allow community involvement. The motion will be reintroduced at a later date.
This article originally published in the April 2, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
