Surely there’s a comprise that can be made
16th December 2019 · 0 Comments
Riverboat tours of New Orleans provide a beautiful perspective of our city for visitors and locals alike, as well as a taste of our history and music in the entertainments provided on the journey. We welcome the new sister-ship of the Natchez, dubbed The City of New Orleans, to expand this honored tradition.
But why does the berth and dock of the new sister-ship, block the city’s most iconic view, the Crescent of the Mississippi itself?
The MV City of New Orleans will embark passengers — and presumably disembark its trash — at the pavilion at the end of Woldenberg Park. The covered concrete pavilion, which has become a performance space, wedding chapel, and perspective lookout at the end of the park, will now be overshadowed literally and figuratively by the new riverboat. And this will occur without any vote by the New Orleans City Council.
The Port of New Orleans has taken it upon itself, at the request of the New Orleans Steamboat Company, to circumvent the democratic process.
The master plan calls for public access to the river. Further blocking the view of the water contradicts this desire.
If the New Orleans City Council, or any other municipal body, had voted to overrule the master plan, then perhaps there might be an argument that it’s too late to reposition. Yet, the Port of New Orleans’ pursuit of dockage fees and tourist revenue has led the Dock Board to exercise its constitutional control of all the waterways. It says it has the right to block a public park if it stands in the commercial interest of the city.
The irony is that the City of New Orleans could very easily be docked at the Riverwalk next to its competitor the Creole Queen, leaving the view unobstructed at Woldenberg Park.
Understandably, New Orleans Steamboat wants to share resources with the Natchez, but the dock behind Jax Brewery is just not big enough for both boats. Taking over a public vantage point just because it happens to be a concrete wharf jutting out in the water next door, though, is not an answer at all.
It did not have to be this way. Sandra Stokes, the Chair of Advocacy for Louisiana Landmarks Society, recently noted, “The ship, its docking facility and queuing area, including a gangway with guardrails, will not only limit views of the mighty Mississippi; it will obstruct them. This proposed location, one of the most beautiful spots for seeing and experiencing the Mississippi River, is where the Woldenberg promenade juts out at a 90-degree angle, creating the most expansive vista. This is also the location of the beloved pavilion where bands perform for festivals such as French Quarter Fest and where newlyweds exchange vows. The location provides a picturesque background enjoyed by both residents and tourists alike.
“Pedestrians will now be diverted from the river’s edge. Garbage, liquor, and supplies will be hauled up and down— again and again — to the service building further inland. Once built, the landing and docked boat will destroy a wide vista enjoyed from most of the park.”
“After learning their maritime industrial use required a conditional permit from the city,” Stokes continued, “the New Orleans Steamboat Company held a noontime meeting on February 2, 2019, as part of the Neighborhood Participation Process (NPP). This was almost an afterthought, since they had already installed new bollards at the wharf’s edge and had built the boat. According to city guidelines, the company had six months thereafter to file for its conditional-use permit, which is required when the impact of a project requires special consideration.’”
“It’s important to note that no conditional use may be established and no building permit may be issued for any conditional use until a conditional-use ordinance is adopted by the City Council and final drawings are submitted to and approved by the Executive Director of the City Planning Commission. That process should include ample opportunity for citizen input and discussion.”
“Then, months after the six-month deadline — without any public process, without any notice — neighborhood activists observed continued construction. Now we are learning from city officials that, after getting pushback from preservation organizations, the New Orleans Steamboat Company apparently shifted strategies — abandoning the NPP process — deeming it suddenly unnecessary. Instead, the Port of New Orleans is claiming the riverfront as its jurisdiction, and has given the New Orleans Steamboat Company its blessing, thus aborting public due process altogether.”
“Citizens should rightly view these actions as a blatant grab of public parkland for a private, commercial enterprise. Such actions go directly against our city’s Master Plan which, in fact, specifically calls for the opposite: expanding access and expanding parks and public spaces along the Mississippi River. Moreover, the Master Plan also calls for no loss of land dedicated to parks. Volume 2, Chapter 7, 5.A clearly states that the Plan’s goal is to ‘create parks and public spaces along the Mississippi River… and ensure access is kept open to general public and not dominated by specialized use facilities.’”
“When citizens voted on May 4 to reapportion the city’s parks millage, it was done in the hope that the guaranteed funding stream would help achieve the objectives set forth in the Master Plan – and alleviate the monetization of our green space with private and commercial enterprises.”
The New Orleans City Council and our representatives in Baton Rouge must hold the port accountable, and only allow this conditional use if it is approved by our municipal government.
Or just move the boat a few hundred yards away to the Riverwalk where none of this is even an issue.
This article originally published in the December 16, 2019 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
