NEW MASTER PLAN

Reminder:

District 4 Planning Meeting, tomorrow,
April 22, 2009
6pm-9pm at Jesuit High School

Please attend the meeting!

The Master Plan Working Draft is now available for your review,
including a Zoning Technical Review and Land Use Plan. Compare your Current Zoning against the working draft Land Use map for our neighborhood.

Definitions can be found in the Land Use Plan, Chapter 16, Page 32 or scroll down to the bottom of this page for some of the definitions of the land uses shown in our the Mid-City Cemetery District and adjacent Mid-City neighborhoods.  Definitions are vague and incomplete but say enough to indicate significant changes for our predominantly 1-2 family neighborhood.  

Please take a look at the full size map below of the entire city and note the differences between Mid-City and other neighborhoods.

Get Involved!  There was little representation from our neighborhood at the initial planning meeting.  It has become apparent that someone else’s vision or proposed plan for our neighborhood may not represent our own views or vision for the future of our community.  

Our neighborhood is only a small portion of District 4.  Our neighborhood has one of the least restrictive districts (C1 Commercial) on Canal Street in all of Mid-City, offering few limitations on future development. This district is not limited to Canal but reaches into our residential neighborhoods.  These C1 properties abut our residential back yards, churches, schools and historic cemeteries. We also have one of the few residential districts left on all of Canal Street. We are predominantly zoned 1-2 family residential with few apartment buildings or multi-family dwellings as part of our historic housing stock.  We enjoy the highest density of historic cemeteries in the City of New Orleans including 2 locations on the National Register of Historic Places.

To learn more about current zoning, uses permitted, zoning requirements and codes please view the City Zoning Ordinance.

To learn more about the plan for your property or neighborhood, visit  http://www.nolamasterplan.org/ 

HOW TO COMMENT: 

Attend the district meeting , April 22nd, 2009

Email to nolamasterplan@goodyclancy.com

Call Matt Smith at 617-850-6506

Fax comments to 617-262-9512 

Current C1 District

Definitions: Source Working Draft of the Master Plan, Chapter 16, page 32. 

Neighborhood Mixed Use (2.0 FAR): Neighborhood corridors and areas often served by transit with medium density retail and houseing.  Uses allowed include residential (single, two family and multi family structures) and neighborhood retail and service establishments.  Uses can be combined horizontally, or vertically, and in many cases the prevailing environment would be businesses in residential scale buildings interspersed with residences. Structures with offices and residential are also permitted.  

 

Single/Two Family High Density (no more than 24 d.u./acre): Older residential areas of the city with small to medium sized lots. Typical homes include single and double shotguns, many of which are found in local and national historic districts. 

Multi-Family Low (Maximum 36 d.u./acre): Areas with a varied housing stock including singles, two-family residences, townhomes, small apartment and condominium structures. 

Multi-Family Medium (37-80 d.u/acre): Larger apartment and condominium developments, typically 4 to 5 stories often located near transit or major arterials. Taller high-rise structures permissible through a conditional development process with design guidelines. Limited neighborhood retail and service establishments permissible on the ground floor only by conditional permit. 

Urban Village Mixed Use (8.0 FAR): Medium to high density residential, office and commercial retail centers located along existing or proposed mass transit routes. Individual buildings would not have to include a mixture of uses, but zoning should be written to incentivize a mixture of desired uses within the area. Many of these sites have the best development potential though Planned Unit Developmnet processes with design guidelines, for example, the Lindy Boggs site in Mid-City and former commercial parcels in New Orleans East along the I-10 corridor. Existing residential and neighborhood commercial establishments within these districts are allowed.

Parkland/Recreation/OpenSpace/Cemeteries: Park and recreation areas owned by public or semi-public entities, including Audubon Institute, City Park, and the City of New Orleans, as well as community parks and playgrounds, athletic fields, and passive open spaces. Cemeteries are also included. 

Institutional/Public and Semi-Public: Uses include hospitals, colleges and universities, and public detention facilities. 

> Houses of worship, public and private schools, libraries, police stations, fire and emergency facilities and community centers, are not included in this category. These uses are permissible in residential , commercial and mixed-use areas, as they are essential components of neighborhood life. Existing facilities have been incorporated into these categories. 

Life Sciences Mixed-Use (12.0 FAR): Centers for hospitals, research facilities, offices and residential (including existing single-family,two-family and multi-family structures). Buildings are not required to include a mixture of uses, but zoning should incentivize a mixture of desired uses, particularly along major corridors, with design guidelines that respect the character of existing residential areas. 

How tall will buildings be?

For information on density and “Floor Area Ratio” see Chapter 16, pgs 2-3.

View comments specific to land use for Planning District 4 found on Chapter 16, page 37.