OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

New Orleans City Planning Commission Meeting - January 13, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 13, 2026
BodyNew Orleans, Louisiana
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:29:10

Transcript — Verbatim
1:56

Good afternoon.

1:58

Happy New Year.

1:59

Happy twelfth night.

2:01

Thank you for coming this afternoon.

2:03

This is our first um city planning meeting of the year.

2:08

I can't ask.

2:09

And there's probably two things that I just before I take roll call.

2:16

Well, actually, we'll go ahead and take roll call.

2:19

Commissioner Poche.

2:22

Present.

2:23

Commissioner Flick present.

2:27

Commissioner Jordan.

2:28

Present.

2:29

Commissioner Ste.

2:31

Here.

2:32

Commissioner Stewart.

2:33

Present.

2:34

Commissioner Whitry is here.

2:37

So we have a quorum.

2:38

We can go ahead and get ready to start.

2:40

Um I do want to go ahead and congratulate our mayor and our new council um for their inauguration and celebration yesterday.

2:49

Um it is exciting for all of them to start their new term.

2:52

And um I sat and listened to the inauguration in my car um yesterday, and I wanted to bring up the the faith, hope, and love, but also gratitude and gratitude today for everybody at um City Hall, um, from working the lights to the screens to cleaning this room to make sure that these meetings go off um as efficiently as possible.

3:16

So thank you, uh city staff um and anyway everybody in CPC as well.

3:21

Um as we get four uh started, let's go ahead and make a motion for actually I guess I need to read the rules first.

3:35

The city planning commission has established certain rules governing the procedures to be followed at public hearings.

3:40

Before speaking, each person should give their name, address, and state her he or she is representing.

3:57

Each speaker shall be a maxim allowed to talk for a maximum of two minutes.

4:01

Proponents will be allowed a period of six minutes for rebuttal, each speaker shall be allowed a maximum of two minutes.

4:08

Opponents will not be able to rebut.

4:10

No material written photographs, maps, charts will be accepted by the commission or its staff at any time during the public hearing unless the rules are suspended.

4:19

This procedure shall be followed um at what time with the approval of the commission members present, extend such time.

5:00

This meeting was deferred, and we are going to uh go ahead and vote to defer it to January 27th, but we do have members or um individuals here that are wanting to potentially speak.

5:08

Um we are not doing a presentation today.

5:11

We are going to wait until the 27th.

5:14

Um, but we would like to give you all the opportunity after we vote to suspend the rules to decide about the deferral.

5:23

Great.

5:24

Um I'll make a motion to suspend the rules.

5:26

Is there a second?

5:28

All second.

5:30

Um screens are working, so do you want to try to see if that perfect?

5:37

All right, any discussion.

5:42

No.

5:43

Okay.

5:43

If not, let's vote.

5:51

So the motion carries.

5:53

So then we would be looking for a motion to move number 19 up to um the first docket item.

6:00

Um I'll make that motion to move zoning docket.

6:03

I'm sorry.

6:04

19.

6:05

Uh item number 19, the transient lodging study up on our agenda.

6:13

Is there a second?

6:14

Commissioner local second.

6:16

Thank you.

6:20

Any discussion, commissioners?

6:22

No.

6:23

If not, let's vote.

6:30

All right, so number 19 has been moved up to the top.

6:37

And there's gonna be no presentation.

6:40

No presentation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████75%
Community Engagement██████10%
Procedural████6%
Public Health██4%
Affordable Housing██3%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Public Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

New Orleans City Planning Commission Meeting - January 13, 2026

The City Planning Commission held its first meeting of the year on January 13, 2026, at 1:45 PM in City Hall Chambers. Commissioners present: Poche, Flick, Jordan, Stee, Stewart, Whitry (quorum). The meeting included a deferral of the Transient Lodging Study to a special meeting on January 27, 2026, at 1340 Poydras Street, 21st floor. Multiple zoning and subdivision dockets were heard and voted on.

Consent Calendar

  • Adoption of meeting minutes from December 9, 2025 (approved unanimously).
  • Approval of subdivision ratifications (administratively eligible subdivisions) (approved unanimously).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Eleanor Graham (Neighbors First for Bywater, Saxony Condominium) spoke on the Transient Lodging Study, arguing that commercial short-term rental permits are licenses with no vested property rights, so grandfathered rights do not apply. She urged removal of the commercial STR category, opposed the three-tier system, and advocated for simpler regulation including limiting bed-and-breakfasts to five rooms and treating hostels like hotels.
  • Frank Southwall (Jane Place Neighborhood Association) expressed concerns about the study’s potential impact, noting continued STR proliferation and rising homelessness in Mid-City.
  • Earl Myers and Deedris Coleman spoke in support of zoning docket 001-26 (reception facility at 28300 Phillips Street) (no opposition).
  • Sandy Williams initially opposed zoning docket 002-26 (single-family residence at 3350 Oliver Street) believing it involved his property; after clarification that the project was on adjacent lots owned by the applicants, he withdrew opposition.
  • Todd Elliott, Philip Stelley, and Ord Craddock (residents near the Blue Crawfish hotel) opposed zoning docket 005-26, citing noise from outdoor events, parking issues, and disruption. Stelley noted that noise from I-10 already exceeds 80 decibels, making any additional noise harder to bear. Craddock stated that sound amplifies under the I-10 overpass.
  • Rebecca Geiger spoke on zoning docket 010-26 (motor vehicle dealership at Canal Place) describing it as a small gallery with online transactions, not a traditional dealership.
  • Ron Lazel supported zoning dockets 011-26 (text amendment for MMU storage uses) and 012-26 (conditional use for storage yard) and commended the commission’s handling of procedural questions.
  • Elise Norn supported the storage yard project and subdivision docket 12625, emphasizing security needs for a 10-ft fence.
  • Richard Cortises supported zoning docket 067-25 (school zoning change) and subdivision docket 001-26 (Lindy Boggs resubdivision), noting that the resubdivision facilitates a public water retention project.
  • Mary McGibula (Mid-City Neighborhood Organization) raised concerns about lack of notification for the Lindy Boggs resubdivision, asking about bond funds for a water retention project and future development plans.

Discussion Items

  • Transient Lodging Study (Zoning Docket 19): Deferred to January 27, 2026, after public comment. The commission voted to suspend rules and move the item to the top of the agenda; no presentation was given. A special meeting was scheduled for the study at 1340 Poydras St, 21st floor.
  • Property Acquisition 003-25 & Disposition 001-25: A property swap between the City and NORD to create a park at Almira & Homer Street in Algiers. Both items were past the 45-day decision deadline; the commission suspended the rules and approved each with provisos (acquisition: two provisos; disposition: one proviso).
  • Zoning Docket 067-25: Request to change zoning from OSN to HURD2 for the former Harriet Tubman Elementary School site. Staff recommended modified approval to HURD1 (least intensive). The applicant agreed. Approved as modified.
  • Zoning Docket 001-26: Conditional use for a reception facility with outdoor live entertainment at 28300 Phillips Street. Staff recommended approval with four provisos. No opposition; approved.
  • Zoning Docket 002-26: Conditional use for a single-family residence on five consolidated lots at 3350 Oliver Street. Staff recommended approval with three provisos. After clarifying the lot boundaries, no opposition; approved.
  • Zoning Docket 003-26: Waiver to expand a neighborhood commercial establishment (bakery) beyond the 3,000 sq ft limit. Staff recommended denial; the item was deferred to February 10, 2026.
  • Zoning Docket 004-26: Plan development to convert the former Mermaid Brewery into an indoor/outdoor amusement facility (batting cages, VR, bar) on Broad Street. Staff recommended approval with two exceptions and two provisos. Approved.
  • Zoning Docket 005-26: Blue Crawfish hotel request for a zoning change (HMR1 to HMC2), conditional use for outdoor live entertainment, and a waiver of operating hours. Staff recommended: deny zoning change, deny waiver, approve conditional use excluding lot 11. Commissioner Stee moved to deny all (including the conditional use). The vote was 4-2 in favor of that motion, but the chair declared it did not achieve a legal majority (effective denial). A subsequent motion to defer for 30 days for applicant-neighbor discussions also failed (4-2 against). The application will be transmitted to the City Council as an effective denial.
  • Zoning Docket 006-26: Text amendment to create an interim zoning district (IZD) requiring conditional use approval for all transient lodging citywide for one year. Staff recommended modified approval (removing some evaluation criteria). Approved.
  • Zoning Docket 007-26: Text amendment to regulate shipping container dwellings in the SRS district. Staff recommended denial on the basis that the zoning ordinance should not distinguish by material and that such regulation would stifle creativity and undermine a recent land-use barrier study. Approved (denial).
  • Zoning Docket 008-26: Conditional use for a reception facility in the HB1 district. Staff recommended approval with three provisos. No opposition; approved.
  • Zoning Docket 009-26: Conditional use for a standard restaurant (second location of Lily’s) at Magazine & Louisiana. Staff recommended approval with three provisos. Approved.
  • Zoning Docket 010-26: Conditional use for a motor vehicle dealership small (online sales) at Canal Place (333 Canal St). Staff recommended approval with two provisos. Approved.
  • Zoning Docket 011-26: Text amendment to classify contractor storage yard, outdoor storage yard, and warehouse as conditional uses in the MMU district. Staff recommended approval. Approved.
  • Zoning Docket 012-26: Conditional use for a contractor storage yard and a variance for a 10-ft fence (max 7 ft) at 1901 Chef Menteur Highway. Staff recommended approval of the conditional use but denial of the variance. The commission voted to approve both, overriding staff on the variance. Approved.
  • Subdivision Docket 126-25: Resubdivision of four irregular lots (trapezoids and triangle) into more rectangular shapes on Chef Menteur Highway. Staff recommended tentative approval with one proviso. Approved.
  • Subdivision Docket 001-26: Resubdivision of the former Lindy Boggs complex into three lots to facilitate redevelopment and a water retention project. Staff recommended tentative approval with one proviso. After discussion about notification and bond funds, the chair clarified that future development proposals will require an NPP. Approved.

Key Outcomes

  • Transient Lodging Study deferred to January 27, 2026, special meeting at 1340 Poydras St, 21st floor, 1:30 PM.
  • Property swap for Algiers park approved (acquisition and disposition) with provisos, after suspension of 45-day rule.
  • Zoning docket 005-26 (Blue Crawfish) effectively denied (transmitted to council as denial) due to failure to obtain a legal majority on any motion.
  • Zoning docket 012-26 approved with the 10-ft fence variance, overruling staff recommendation.
  • All other zoning and subdivision dockets approved as per staff recommendations or modified as noted.
  • Next regular CPC meeting scheduled for January 27, 2026 (special meeting location).

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Happy New Year. Happy twelfth night. Thank you for coming this afternoon. This is our first um city planning meeting of the year. I can't ask. And there's probably two things that I just before I take roll call. Well, actually, we'll go ahead and take roll call. Commissioner Poche. Present. Commissioner Flick present. Commissioner Jordan. Present. Commissioner Ste. Here. Commissioner Stewart. Present. Commissioner Whitry is here. So we have a quorum. We can go ahead and get ready to start. Um I do want to go ahead and congratulate our mayor and our new council um for their inauguration and celebration yesterday. Um it is exciting for all of them to start their new term. And um I sat and listened to the inauguration in my car um yesterday, and I wanted to bring up the the faith, hope, and love, but also gratitude and gratitude today for everybody at um City Hall, um, from working the lights to the screens to cleaning this room to make sure that these meetings go off um as efficiently as possible. So thank you, uh city staff um and anyway everybody in CPC as well. Um as we get four uh started, let's go ahead and make a motion for actually I guess I need to read the rules first. The city planning commission has established certain rules governing the procedures to be followed at public hearings. Before speaking, each person should give their name, address, and state her he or she is representing. Each speaker shall be a maxim allowed to talk for a maximum of two minutes. Proponents will be allowed a period of six minutes for rebuttal, each speaker shall be allowed a maximum of two minutes. Opponents will not be able to rebut. No material written photographs, maps, charts will be accepted by the commission or its staff at any time during the public hearing unless the rules are suspended. This procedure shall be followed um at what time with the approval of the commission members present, extend such time. This meeting was deferred, and we are going to uh go ahead and vote to defer it to January 27th, but we do have members or um individuals here that are wanting to potentially speak. Um we are not doing a presentation today. We are going to wait until the 27th. Um, but we would like to give you all the opportunity after we vote to suspend the rules to decide about the deferral. Great. Um I'll make a motion to suspend the rules. Is there a second? All second. Um screens are working, so do you want to try to see if that perfect? All right, any discussion. No. Okay. If not, let's vote. So the motion carries. So then we would be looking for a motion to move number 19 up to um the first docket item. Um I'll make that motion to move zoning docket. I'm sorry. 19.

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