The Neighborhood Guide to Winning at City Hall: Language, Tactics and Strategies to Motivate the Public and Persuade Politicians!

Louisiana Landmarks Society presents the twenty-seventh annual Martha Robinson Lecture Monday, May 12, 2008, 6pm at the The Historic New Orleans Collection, 533 Royal St.

This years guest speaker, former VCPORA President, Nathan Chapman will share his experience on the subject "The Neighborhood Guide to Winning at City Hall: Language, Tactics and Strategies to Motivate the Public and Persuade Politicians!"

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Zoning for French Quarter left alone.

VCPORA and French Quarter Citizens continued working with the NOAC on this surprisingly complicated zoning/parking issue. As we had urged, the NOAC withdrew its application which would have changed the zoning for about 1/3 of the French Quarter. Instead, Mr. More worked out a solution with the City Planning Commission that will avoid changing the zoning but still let it proceed with removing the old Goodyear store and expanding its parking. As preservation groups for the French Quarter, we've learned to be very careful about not creating problems for the entire French Quarter when trying to solve a problem for one property owner.

We very much appreciate that Mr. More shared this concern, while he needed to solve his problem. Also sharing the concerns of protecting the French Quarter were members of the City Council. We met with Councilmembers James Carter and Jackie Clarkson, and heard from Arnie Fielkow, on this issue. They all stressed that while they wanted to help the NOAC, they had a good grasp of zoning laws and did not want to upset the balance in the French Quarter. That strong leadership helped create an environment for seeking alternative solutions. Thank you!!

While on the topic of parking, here's even more exciting news: The UNOP plan for the French Quarter and CBD included as a major goal the creation of a world-class parking plan to address the legendary parking shortage in the French Quarter and CBD. We hope to develop innovative solutions, such as possibly financial incentives that could transform eye-sore surface parking lots into good looking garages (not an oxymoron, believe it or not) with retail on the first floor, as you might see in other cities.

Working closely with the Downtown Development District team (whose leadership and service was pivotal), last year we obtained funding in Legislature along with funding from the DDD and a grant. We now have issued an RFP and are about to review proposals from nation's best parking/mobility consultants.

Buckle your seat belts! If we can make it dramatically easier to park in the French Quarter, it will increase shopping, dining, visiting and living in the historic French Quarter!

   

From the office of James Carter here is the the protocol for reporting street light outages

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Downtown Community Challenges City Rationale  on Move of Civil District Court

New Orleans Bar Association recently learned that the City of New Orleans had a plan that would result in the relocation of all of the Orleans Parish Civil Courts from their present downtown location to the area of Tulane and Broad near the present Criminal Courts. The legal community is a major economic force downtown, employing over 6,700 lawyers and support staff which occupy over 30% of the downtown office space. Moving the civil courts where most lawyers practice will disperse lawyers away from the downtown area, leaving building vacancies and small ancillary businesses without a substantial portion of their client base.

Follow the story at the: New Orleans Bar Association website »    

Phoenix Recycling, Inc will begin to offer a fee-based, residential curbside recycling service on Monday, August 6 th, 2007 covering Orleans and Jefferson Parish, both East and West bank. The fee is $15 per household, with a $1 discount available, if the resident is a member of their neighborhood association. The company expects to lower the price, as more people join the service.

For information on the company's residential curbside recycling service, visit www.PhoenixRecyclingNOLA.com.

The company also offers Commercial Recycling Services to a variety of business in the Metro New Orleans area.

To receive a free waste stream audit and consultation, call 504-914-0739 and ask for Steven O'Connor.

   

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.  Continued  »