[FoCHAT] New Orleans Who Care About Blighted Property: NORA meeting Wed., Nov. 28, 6:30 PM, City Hall City Council Chambers, 1300 Perdido

Tue Nov 27 20:49:29 PST 2007

Dear Concerned New Orleanians,

  From NORA:
  "The public is invited to attend an open forum on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at 6:30 PM with the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) and the Office of Recovery Management (ORM) at the New Orleans City Council Chambers, 1300 Perdido Street to gain information and give input about the Orleans Parish Redevelopment and Disposition Plan for Louisiana Land Trust properties.
  Following this forum, this plan will be submitted to the Mayor and the New Orleans City Council before it is forwarded to the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA)."

  From Citizens' Road Home Action Team (CHAT):
  This is your chance to speak up during public comments or just be counted in the audience as wanting your planning district and neighborhood to have a strong voice in the disposition of Road Home-acquired properties (call Louisiana Land Trust or LLT properties). Moreover, procedures for the LLT properties may very well be extended to NORA's other pre-K and post-K properties. 

  CHAT is trying to challenge NORA (as we have tried to challenge the LRA, etc) to step up and and do something extraordinary - let's start aiming for a city that people across the country can say, wow, this was worth the money and effort because they are doing great things in New Orleans.  Let's stop aiming for mediocrity.

  At the NORA website is their current proposal: http://noraworks.org

  At CHAT's website are our proposed revisions: http://chat.thinknola.com

  While there are very useful aspects of the NORA plan, we think that our recommendations provide some major improvements:

  having it in unambigous writing that planning districts and, for large districts, neighborhood organizations, have a major input into what happens in their district/neighborhood,

  more essential specific details, 

  more innovation. 

  We think that all good points for such plans must be in writing, not just agreed to verbally, before the plan should be accepted by our community. We favor not rushing through a plan that has insufficient important controls and new opportunities for improving our city's physical structure. 

  We don't want "business as usual" in the new New Orleans.

  Please come to this meeting and show that you want a voice. 

  You may prepare very brief comments. We think that NORA's Board of Directors needs to allow you to speak if you want to. 

  Even if you don't want to speak yourselves, your presence will say volumes about your concern about NORA maximally engaging the public. 

  Sorry for the short notice but NORA gave us short notice to prepare this document.

  Excerpts from CHAT's document commenting on the NORA proposal follow with added emphasis. The full document is at http://chat.thinknola.com 

  November 27, 2007

  Joseph Williams 
  Chairman of the Board, NORA 
  New Orleans Redevelopment Authority 
  1340 Poydras Street, Suite 600 
  New Orleans, Louisiana 70112

  Arnie D. Fielkow 
  President, City Council 
  City Hall 1300 Perdido Street, Room 2W40 
  New Orleans, Louisiana 70112

  Andy Kopplin 
  Executive Director 
  Louisiana Recovery Authority 
  150 3rd St./ Ste 200 
  Baton Rouge, LA 70801

  Re: Comments and Recommendations of the Citizens Road Home Action Team on NORA’s Draft Orleans Parish Redevelopment and Disposition Plan

              The Citizens Road Home Action Team (CHAT) has reviewed the NORA Draft Plan and, respectfully, submits the following comments and recommendations for the record for the Public Meeting scheduled November 28, 2007. hile this letter primarily addresses the draft plan, CHAT’s involvement with the Road Home Program and applicants trying to obtain their grants has given us a perspective on several aspects of the recovery we believe are pertinent ot NORA’s objectives and we also offer additional suggestions for your ongoing consideration.

  Introduction
              The aftermath of the Hurricanes of 2005, the flooding of more than 80 percent of the city of New Orleans from failed federal canal walls and the severe damage or destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes throughout the greater metropolitan New Orleans area places NORA in a unique position in the future of the recovery. As noted in its draft plan, NORA already owns a substantial inventory of property and, by way of the Louisiana Land Trust (LLT; formerly, Road Home Corporation), will acquire substantially more, in various stages of disrepair, throughout the city’s thirteen planning districts.

  FOR FULL TEXT, PLEASE SEE http://chat.thinknola.com

  Here are more excerpts.

  1.  Citizen Participation. 
              It is important that the NORA plan reflect and specifically address Principle 19 of the LRA Statement of Principles provides, which provides: 
              Properties acquired by the Road Home Program should be reintroduced to commerce by local redevelopment entities in a manner that ensures current and future safety of the community, or be retained as open space when necessary. The disposition should follow local community input, neighborhood planning, and safety requirements. 

              The NORA draft plan consistently mentions the Orleans Parish Redevelopment Plan and the Seventeen Target Zones in that plan, as well as additional targets including Public Housing Off-sites, Pontchartrain Park, Hoffman Triangle and Broadmoor.  The NORA plan however, makes serious omission of any mention of the role of UNOP’s thirteen community planning districts and their considerable work on plans formulated by each to address specific community needs. CHAT believes NORA’s plan is not consistent with LRA Principle 19 [http://road2la.org/about-us/principles.htm] and the plan should be modified accordingly. 

              Furthermore, although the NORA draft plan says it has sought public input through the participation of local development entities. CHAT must point out the plan and the public notice of the November 28th meeting were not made available at the NORA website until after CHAT’s recent urging.  As of November 27, the public notice at the NORA website does not mention the time of the meeting or its location.  

  CHAT Recommendation:
              The disposition of properties acquired by NORA should reflect the inclusion and participation of local leadership at the UNOP planning district level. The NORA Plan should provide specifically for solicitation of the plans advocated by the thirteen planning districts and acknowledge that NORA will seek integration of those plans and participation of local community leaders, as well as interested citizens. To the extent that the plans of the districts are consistent with LRA and HUD requirements, and NORA’s goals, with due regard for the unique diversity of the planning districts and particular local community development goals, NORA should defer to the relevant planning district for LLT land in a its district.  For larger planning districts in which many LLT properties are located with active neighborhood groups, solicitation of smaller neighborhood group input should also be encouraged. 
              The NORA plan should explicitly cite the HUD regulations that require citizen participation and state how the plan addresses those requirements and how NORA intends to specifically work with and give due consideration to existing planning district plans.  

  4. Multiple Buyouts and Resale

              CHAT supports the NORA draft plan’s intent to promote the Lot Next Door program, following green requirements in rebuilding and redevelopment, encouraging urban gardens and pocket parks and discouraging speculators from acquiring properties. All of these are not only admirable, but essential goals.
              On September 11. 2007, the LRA passed a resolution concerning parish disposition plans that included the following provisions:
  3) Parishes should articulate land use plans for areas with multiple
  buyouts; 
  4) Parishes should articulate resale procedures; 
  6) Parishes should articulate how they will meet affordable housing targets and address permanent green space possibilities per Amendment No. 7 to Action Plan No. 1

              CHAT is concerned that the NORA draft plan is vague on these important concerns and that more consideration of these, as well as careful consideration of “land banking” be provided in the plan document.

              CHAT has consistently advocated that homeowners who lost their properties in the storm and would benefit from relocating to relatively safer or more populated areas be given first options on NORA acquired properties through land banking concepts. NORA is in a unique position, working with planning district and city redevelopment planners to allow such homeowners to return to the city while encouraging development that minimizes “jack o lantern” results and avoids unsafe redevelopment.

              Land banking affords NORA and the city the opportunity to provide incentives to families to relocate from areas within neighborhoods prone to the worst flooding to higher ground within the same neighborhood or in other neighborhoods. NORA and the LLT should consider acquiring and trading off such properties where possible to cluster properties for appropriate neighborhood uses.

  CHAT Recommendation:
              Precise resale requirements to discourage speculators need to be made a part of this plan, transparency in all bid processes and proposals need to be specifically delineated and committed to by NORA for the plan to work as intended, for public confidence in it and for the support of governing authorities. 
              NORA should consult with land bank experts to develop an efficient program to achieve the goal of permitting persons who lost their homes, among others, ample opportunity and means to benefit from NORA acquired properties as they are offered for redevelopment.  As discussed further herein, this can and should be a part of to be part of NORA’s goal of helping to provide affordable housing.
              The NORA plan should defer to the planning district about whether the right of first refusal should be insured for LLT land in each planning district.

  5. Affordable Housing and Rental Properties 
               NORA’s intent “to sell land for reduced rates where permitted by CDBG and LRA regulations” and that some properties should be developed for rental housing should be subject to the consultation and approval of actively interested planning district organizations in which such properties reside.  All such consultation should involve scheduled and widely publicized meetings open to public comment. 

              NORA’s plan gives considerable emphasis to providing affordable housing without giving primacy to the goal of the Road Home Program to bring  back to this city families that lost their homes who wish to return.  CHAT’s concern with the use of an 80-120% figure of means testing will exclude too many families of modest income who would be unable to afford a home without access to this program.

              CHAT is also concerned NORA’s estimates on the costs of maintaining a $150,000  home are understated.  CHAT’s members anecdotal information suggests insurance and energy costs alone are higher than those provided in NORA’s projections and these continue to rise.  

              Any proposed subsidies must be made fairly available to the widest range of citizens who experienced storm loss of a home. 

  CHAT Recommendation:
              CHAT believes that the only means test or goal in NORA’s proposal should be that 25% of redeveloped properties go to low to moderate income families, a HUD requirement. No other means goal should be indicated so as not to prejudice families from returning to their neighborhoods who owned homes prior to the hurricane and are struggling financially, but may be at 121% of the AMI. 
              Likewise, NORA and the city ought to give consideration, after homeowners who lost their homes, to making affordable housing available to persons in occupations needed by these communities, teachers, firemen, police and health care workers and persons involved in and contributing to the recovery effort, including infrastucture repair. 

  Additional CHAT Comments: Green and Greenspace, Partnerships and Advice

              Greenspace and green redevelopment, recycling useable materials from homes that are deconstructed, instead of demolished, safer, stronger, energy efficient housing are all goals NORA can and should pursue by seeking partnerships with universities and private concerns (through transparent, competitive public bid processes, public meetings and public disclosure of NORA’s administration costs).  Such considerations (particularly greenspace and green development) require the input of the planning districts and, where appropriate, smaller neighborhood organizations. Recently, communities across the Midwest devastated by tornadoes, undertook efforts to rebuild whole towns and villages “green”. Communication with knowledgeable leaders in such communities and the exchange of information could yield invaluable advice for NORA as it proceeds with its plan.

              NORA should actively and vigorously seek the help of non-profit organizations that have already put thousands of man-hours into repairing or rebuilding homes, giving advice about reputable and reliable contractors.  NORA should also obtain information from national or and entities from outside of the state with relevant expertise, i.e., Habitat for Humanity, the St. Bernard Project, which are building and repairing homes for low income individuals about building practices including procedures for doing some of the work that be can safely done by the owners or by community efforts.

              NORA and the state could both benefit by collaboration with the state programs, including the “Katrina cottages”, program for affordable homes that could be built on properties acquired or already under NORA’s ambit.   

              Rising insurance costs (and lack of availability of coverage) threaten to continuously redefine the term “affordable” in any context in New Orleans for the immediate future. NORA, with the help of city, state and recovery leaders should explore the possibility of approaching major casualty insurers to solicit bids for insurance coverage for NORA acquired properties in the short term “in globo”.  With incentives provided by the state, a “fleet” policy for NORA acquired properties could bring the costs of such coverage down and provide one possible subsidy that could be passed along to prospective homeowners to make such properties truly “affordable” at least during our current insurance crisis and perhaps inspire confidence in ione or more of these companies to return to this market.

  Conclusion
              More than one person o group, including CHAT, has suggested that what this city has needed since the disaster of ’05 was the equivalent of a WPA to rebuild our communities and put our people back to work and into their own homes, in neighborhoods where people would want to raise families.  NORA, by working with people and organizations, universities and private individuals in the community and across the country entities to solicit proposals for innovative and intelligent approaches to the challenges it faces, could do more than just flip a large number of properties; it could provide homes for people, jobs for the rebuilding of our city and a place where people  will want to live and work. 

              NORA must try to insure that at the end of the day its disposition of LLT properties makes the city a better place to live, and better the environment for the people already here and struggling to come back.  NORA , the city and state should seize this opportunity to try to attract the best and brightest people and ideas to the continuing challenge of this recovery and what could be a renaissance for the city of  New Orleans.

              Thank you for your patience, time and consideration.

              Sincerely,

              Frank Silvestri, Co Chairman of CHAT

              Melanie Ehrlich, Co Chairman of CHAT and Member          
              of the LRA Housing Task Force Working Group

  cc:        Omeeda Sathe
              New Orleans Redevelopment Authority 
              1340 Poydras Street, Suite 600 
              New Orleans, Louisiana 70112

              Adam Knapp 
              Deputy Director 
              Louisiana Recovery Authority 
              150 3rd St./ Ste 200 
              Baton Rouge, LA 70801

              Bobby Jindal
              1205 Longworth House Office Building
              Washington DC 20515

              Edward J. Blakely
              Executive Director
              Office of Recovery Management for New Orleans
              City Hall
              1300 Perdido Street
              New Orleans LA 70112

              Paul Sawyer 
              Gov.-Elect Jindal, Transition Team Leader 
              5555 Hilton Avenue, Suite 100, 
              Baton Rouge, LA 70808 

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