VCPORA Response to City Council Vote
VCPORA sent the following email to our members and friends after yesterday's City Council vote to allow an exception to the French Quarter's 50' height limit:
To VCPORA Members and Friends:
It is with great disappointment that I report to you that the City Council yesterday approved the application for a rooftop addition at 528 Bienville Street, exceeding the height limitation for the historic French Quarter.
Led in discussion by District C Councilmember Kristin Palmer and Councilperson-at-large Jackie Clarkson, the council unanimously passed a motion to overturn the Vieux Carré Commission’s denial of this project. Speaking against the project were Brian Furness, president of French Quarter Citizens, representatives of VCPORA, and Tony Marino, attorney on behalf of both organizations.
Some 50 emails had been sent to the council in opposition, and a number of residents were present in the Council chamber. Our opposition to this height variance extends back to the inception of the project in September 2009, and the particulars have been widely disseminated.
Speaking in favor of the project were the owners and their attorney Mr. Lloyd (Sonny) Shields, who presented the viewpoint that:
1. The addition would not be seen from the street,
2. The project would add seven residential units to the French Quarter,
3. Granting approval would never be cited as a precedent by other owners with similar requests,
4. The owners wished to have this recreational space, and
5. The VCC vote would have gone differently had other commissioners been present. (It is our position that the VCC meeting was duly constituted, that a quorum was present, and that it is impossible to say what might have been.)
Especially unfortunate was a statement by Councilmember Palmer that the height limit does not apply to buildings already over 50 feet. This implies that hotels and owners of other buildings over 50 feet throughout the Quarter will be able to gain whatever height they wish to add to their buildings. This would obviously have a negative impact on the area we are working hard to protect. We look forward to an opportunity to meet with Ms. Palmer on this point, which had not previously been raised in our meetings. We are hopeful that Councilmember Palmer will give a context to her remark that will make it clear that she does indeed appreciate the value of scale in an historic neighborhood.
Approval was predicated on two items:
1. That the owners sign a covenant prohibiting residential use of the penthouse and
2. That the project be approved by BZA.
In January 2010, BZA denied the project, but we assume the owners will apply again, and this organization will oppose the application. We call upon the members of the BZA as an independent body to exercise independent judgment and to vote based upon their established, published criteria, which would result in another denial, as it did in January. The project has not changed.
Thanks to each of you who participated in opposing this variance. While we all want more residential use in our neighborhood, negating the historic preservation principles for which this organization has stood for some seventy years is not the way to achieve it.
Our first vote with Councilmember Palmer, who has worked professionally in the field of historic preservation, was a disappointment, but we trust that in the future, she will develop a strong record of voting to protect our precious Vieux Carré.
Kind regards,
Ann M. Masson
President, Board of Directors
Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates, Inc.
To VCPORA Members and Friends:
It is with great disappointment that I report to you that the City Council yesterday approved the application for a rooftop addition at 528 Bienville Street, exceeding the height limitation for the historic French Quarter.
Led in discussion by District C Councilmember Kristin Palmer and Councilperson-at-large Jackie Clarkson, the council unanimously passed a motion to overturn the Vieux Carré Commission’s denial of this project. Speaking against the project were Brian Furness, president of French Quarter Citizens, representatives of VCPORA, and Tony Marino, attorney on behalf of both organizations.
Some 50 emails had been sent to the council in opposition, and a number of residents were present in the Council chamber. Our opposition to this height variance extends back to the inception of the project in September 2009, and the particulars have been widely disseminated.
Speaking in favor of the project were the owners and their attorney Mr. Lloyd (Sonny) Shields, who presented the viewpoint that:
1. The addition would not be seen from the street,
2. The project would add seven residential units to the French Quarter,
3. Granting approval would never be cited as a precedent by other owners with similar requests,
4. The owners wished to have this recreational space, and
5. The VCC vote would have gone differently had other commissioners been present. (It is our position that the VCC meeting was duly constituted, that a quorum was present, and that it is impossible to say what might have been.)
Especially unfortunate was a statement by Councilmember Palmer that the height limit does not apply to buildings already over 50 feet. This implies that hotels and owners of other buildings over 50 feet throughout the Quarter will be able to gain whatever height they wish to add to their buildings. This would obviously have a negative impact on the area we are working hard to protect. We look forward to an opportunity to meet with Ms. Palmer on this point, which had not previously been raised in our meetings. We are hopeful that Councilmember Palmer will give a context to her remark that will make it clear that she does indeed appreciate the value of scale in an historic neighborhood.
Approval was predicated on two items:
1. That the owners sign a covenant prohibiting residential use of the penthouse and
2. That the project be approved by BZA.
In January 2010, BZA denied the project, but we assume the owners will apply again, and this organization will oppose the application. We call upon the members of the BZA as an independent body to exercise independent judgment and to vote based upon their established, published criteria, which would result in another denial, as it did in January. The project has not changed.
Thanks to each of you who participated in opposing this variance. While we all want more residential use in our neighborhood, negating the historic preservation principles for which this organization has stood for some seventy years is not the way to achieve it.
Our first vote with Councilmember Palmer, who has worked professionally in the field of historic preservation, was a disappointment, but we trust that in the future, she will develop a strong record of voting to protect our precious Vieux Carré.
Kind regards,
Ann M. Masson
President, Board of Directors
Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates, Inc.