New Orleans Unified Plan Adopted By City Planning Commission

"A $14.4 billion rebuilding blueprint passed its first regulatory hurdle Tuesday, with the city planning commission approving the plan - but with a less-than-ringing endorsement.

"I think it's movable," said commissioner Edward Robinson Sr., who, like other board members, saw it as an imperfect starting point to charting the recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans, nearly 21 months after Hurricane Katrina.

City planning staff, in a written review of the Unified New Orleans Plan, acknowledged problems with the plan, such as a lack of sure funding, but recommended approval anyway, with the caveat that approval shouldn't constitute a "blanket endorsement" of everything contained in the document."