VCPORA Supports a Master Plan with the Force of Law
Before Katrina, New Orleanians and our government had developed numerous plans and ordinances designed to govern our land use. There was the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, the Riverfront Redevelopment Plan, the Lower Garden District Strategic Renaissance Plan, the Big Box Ordinance – to name just a few.
Since the storm, citizens have spent thousands of man hours creating the Bring New Orleans Back plan as well as the Unified New Orleans Plan. But for all of our collective work, these plans have done little more than gather dust, ignored when conflicting proposals make their existence impolitic or inconvenient.
But on November 4, New Orleanians will go to the polls and vote on a charter change that, if passed, would revolutionize how we handle land use matters in this city. This change would shift power away from the city council and towards the citizens. It would create a predictable, transparent, and clear set of rules for everyone – neighborhoods, developers, and citizens – to follow. It would mandate citizen participation in the creation and modification of the plan. And it would instill confidence in us all that our efforts to determine the shape and form of our city would not be in vain.
Some citizens have suggested that we're putting the cart before the horse because the planning process is still underway. We disagree: the charter change does not create a plan; it simply says that once a plan is created, we all have to play by the rules. Others ask why the council can't pass an ordinance giving the plan the force of law. The reason is that whatever the council does by ordinance, it can undo by ordinance.
VCPORA has taken a strong stance in favor of this ordinance, because we know firsthand how burdensome and unfair the current system is to neighborhoods and citizens, and how the byzantine and capricious "system" now in place discourages economic development. In our support, we are joined by a slew of other groups and individuals, including the Preservation Resource Center, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, French Quarter Citizens, Gambit Weekly, Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, Historic Faubourg Tremé Association, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization, attorney and activist William Borah, former City Planning Commission Chairman Marshall Truehill, current City Planning Commission Chairman Ed Robinson, Council President Jackie Clarkson, and many, many more.
So if you're dissatisfied with the current system; if you want to see fair, transparent, predictable planning; if you want New Orleans to become more stable, economically viable and secure, vote YES for giving the Master Plan the Force of Law. This is our one chance to ensure that our city will be given the necessary tools to move into the future in an intelligent and thoughtful way.
To learn more, please visit http://www.citizensformasterplan.org/.
Since the storm, citizens have spent thousands of man hours creating the Bring New Orleans Back plan as well as the Unified New Orleans Plan. But for all of our collective work, these plans have done little more than gather dust, ignored when conflicting proposals make their existence impolitic or inconvenient.
But on November 4, New Orleanians will go to the polls and vote on a charter change that, if passed, would revolutionize how we handle land use matters in this city. This change would shift power away from the city council and towards the citizens. It would create a predictable, transparent, and clear set of rules for everyone – neighborhoods, developers, and citizens – to follow. It would mandate citizen participation in the creation and modification of the plan. And it would instill confidence in us all that our efforts to determine the shape and form of our city would not be in vain.
Some citizens have suggested that we're putting the cart before the horse because the planning process is still underway. We disagree: the charter change does not create a plan; it simply says that once a plan is created, we all have to play by the rules. Others ask why the council can't pass an ordinance giving the plan the force of law. The reason is that whatever the council does by ordinance, it can undo by ordinance.
VCPORA has taken a strong stance in favor of this ordinance, because we know firsthand how burdensome and unfair the current system is to neighborhoods and citizens, and how the byzantine and capricious "system" now in place discourages economic development. In our support, we are joined by a slew of other groups and individuals, including the Preservation Resource Center, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, French Quarter Citizens, Gambit Weekly, Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, Historic Faubourg Tremé Association, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization, attorney and activist William Borah, former City Planning Commission Chairman Marshall Truehill, current City Planning Commission Chairman Ed Robinson, Council President Jackie Clarkson, and many, many more.
So if you're dissatisfied with the current system; if you want to see fair, transparent, predictable planning; if you want New Orleans to become more stable, economically viable and secure, vote YES for giving the Master Plan the Force of Law. This is our one chance to ensure that our city will be given the necessary tools to move into the future in an intelligent and thoughtful way.
To learn more, please visit http://www.citizensformasterplan.org/.
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A pioneer organization in the historic preservation movement, VCPORA was organized in the 1920s. The society was incorporated as a non-profit corporation June 8, 1938. Dedicated in its state charter to the "preservation, restoration, beautification and general betterment of the Vieux Carre" (also known as the French Quarter), it has been continuously active in these pursuits for over 75 years. VCPORA is an affiliate of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a member of the Louisiana Landmarks Society, and a member of the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans.