A zoning controversy in a neighborhood in New Orleans has locals questioning how well the city's new Comprehensive Zoning Plan reflects the city's Master Plan.
Chris Maldonado reports from New Orleans: "A group of residents who live near the closed McDonogh No. 31 school site on Thursday announced that it is proposing a change to the city’s new Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance that its representatives say will fix an error in the zoning law that allows developers to build inappropriately dense developments in some historic neighborhoods."
"The group’s proposed amendment would shrink the maximum housing density in affected neighborhoods by nearly 35 percent," writes Maldonado, but the issue centers on a development proposal for the aforementioned No. 31 school site. The proposal would build a 30-unit apartment building and several houses nearby. According to the article, "the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, which the City Council passed in May after years of debate, allows for as many as 45 housing units on the site."
The group opposing the development, known as Neighbors for Responsible Development, are citing the disconnect between the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and the city's Master Plan to oppose the development.
Maldonado explains the discrepancy, as it's understood by the group's members:
"According to group members, the Master Plan called for two types of multi-family zoning in older neighborhoods. The neighborhood around the McDonogh 31 site was originally supposed to be lower density, with no more than 24 units per acre. The plan called for medium density housing in other neighborhoods, up to 36 units.
But the zoning law omitted the lower density category, putting the neighborhood, and others, into a zoning district, HU-RM1, that allows up to 35 units per acre, nearly 50 percent above what the group thinks should be allowed in the neighborhood."
No word yet about when to expect some resolution of the controversy, but the group considers their agenda to have the force of law—not a policy recommendation.
FULL STORY: Neighbors seeking to create another, less-dense zoning category
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
A new study estimates that LA County must invest billions of dollars before 2040 to protect residents from extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, and climate-induced public health threats.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.