New Orleans City Planning Commission Meeting - August 27, 2024
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
New Orleans City Planning Commission Meeting - August 27, 2024
The City Planning Commission met on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. to consider seven agenda items, including conditional use requests, zoning changes, subdivision approvals, and a property disposition. The meeting included public testimony and votes on several proposals.
Zoning Docket 050/24 – Freedom House Cultural Facility
- Request: Conditional use to permit a cultural facility in an HU-RD2 Historic Urban Two-Family Residential District at 917-919 North Tonti Street.
- Staff Recommendation: Approval with two provisos and four waivers.
- Public Testimony: Cheryl Austin (Executive Director, Greater Tremé Consortium) and Dr. David Wallace spoke in support, emphasizing the site's civil rights history and community benefit.
- Commission Action: Motion to approve per staff recommendation passed unanimously.
Zoning Docket 070/24 – Nightbloom Bar Expansion
- Request: Amendment to an existing conditional use to permit expansion of outdoor seating for a bar at 3114 Saint Claude Avenue, adjacent to Nightbloom at 3100 Saint Claude.
- Staff Recommendation: Approval with one waiver and 12 provisos.
- Public Testimony: None.
- Commission Action: Motion to approve per staff recommendation passed.
Zoning Docket 071/24 – Restaurant at 3627-3633 Annunciation Street
- Request: Zoning change from HU-RD2 to HU-B1A and conditional use for a standard restaurant in the HU-B1A Use Restriction Overlay District.
- Staff Recommendation: Approval of both the zoning change and conditional use with three provisos.
- Public Testimony: Jared Case (future tenant and neighbor) spoke in support, noting the property has been vacant and the restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch without a liquor license.
- Commission Action: Motion to approve per staff recommendation passed.
Zoning Dockets 072/24 and 073/24 – Hotel Parking Amendments (Companion Items)
- Request: Amendments to remove a subdivision proviso and modify parking requirements for two hotel-related properties at 820 Teche Street and 401-407 Red Allen Way. The original ordinance required a lot line adjustment to place residential parking on the same lot; the amendments seek to allow a parking covenant instead.
- Staff Recommendation: Denial, because the required waiver of the on-site parking regulation (for residential uses) could not be justified given a feasible alternative (subdividing lots).
- Public Testimony: Sia Galvez (representing the applicant) explained that the council intended to remove the subdivision requirement and that the project already provides all required parking.
- Commission Action: After initial motion for denial lacked a second, a motion to defer consideration to the September 24, 2024 meeting passed, to seek clarification from City Council on their intent when adopting the original ordinance.
Subdivision Docket 072/24 – Algiers Plaza Resubdivision
- Request: Resubdivide Lot A-2 into five lots to allow separate ownership of existing big-box tenants (e.g., Winn-Dixie, PETCO, Ross) at 3018-3070 Holiday Drive.
- Staff Recommendation: Approval with one proviso.
- Public Testimony: None.
- Commission Action: Motion to approve per staff recommendation passed.
Property Disposition 002/24 – North Robertson Street Lease
- Request: Long-term lease of a 23,004-square-foot dead-end portion of North Robertson Street between St. Ferdinand and Press Streets, to be used as parking and access for a planned residential and commercial artist community.
- Staff Recommendation: Approval with two provisos (including public safety and utility access).
- Public Testimony: Keith Rogers (artist and local steward) and Bogdan Minka (artist) spoke in favor, citing reduced crime and illegal dumping. Tatiana Macchioni (applicant's representative) supported the lease as critical to the project's parking.
- Commission Action: Motion to approve per staff recommendation passed.
Subdivision Ratification
- Request: Ratification of staff determination that three subdivision applications are eligible for administrative approval.
- Commission Action: Motion to ratify passed.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Zoning Dockets 050/24, 070/24, and 071/24 as recommended by staff.
- Deferred Zoning Dockets 072/24 and 073/24 to the September 24, 2024 meeting.
- Approved Subdivision Docket 072/24 and Property Disposition 002/24 as recommended.
- Ratified three subdivisions for administrative processing.
- Meeting adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to today's city planning commission meeting on Tuesday, August 27th at 1 30 p.m. We're glad to see everybody. I'm gonna go ahead and do a roll call. Commissioner Johnson. Commissioner Lunn. Commissioner Flick. Present. Commissioner Stewart. Present. Commissioner Whitry is present as well. We are going to go ahead and read the formal public hearing rules. The City Planning Commission has established certain rules governing the procedures to be followed at public hearings. Before speaking, each person shall give their name, address, and state who he or she is representing. Proponents for the proposal will speak for a period of ten minutes. Each speaker shall be allowed a maximum of two minutes. Each speaker shall be allowed a maximum of two minutes. Proponents will be allowed a period of six minutes for a rebuttal. Each speaker will be allowed a maximum of two minutes. No material, written material, photographs, maps, will be accepted by the commission or its staff at any time during this public hearing. Well, that's great. Additionally, the use of the property as a cultural facility triggers parking requirements that the site cannot accommodate. Nonetheless, the building's role as a residential structure within a residential neighborhood is fundamental to its historical significance as a place of refuge during the civil rights movement. Staff finds the request meets the standards of approval for conditional use request in Article 4, and that the request is consistent with the master plan. With that, staff recommends approval subject to two provisos and four waivers. Thank you so much. Is Ms. Henderson Chandler available? Hello, everyone. Welcome. Please state your name and address, and you'll have two minutes. I'm Candace Devine Henderson Chandler at 917-919 North Tonti Street. Do you mind speaking in just so that we can hear you? Yeah. Thank you. Yes, 917-919 North Tonti Street. I'm the owner of the Freedom House and also the executive director of Friends of the Freedom House. Really excited about this project, the Freedom House becoming a cultural facility. We are gonna be operating the house as a house museum at 917 North Tonsey Street, as well as the community space. The Freedom House, as it was already stated, was a safe house during the civil rights movement. Really excited to share it with community in this way. And really excited to have community partners and do things. It was also mentioned on our application around putting trees in front of the house. Really excited to work with our neighbors like Metropolitan Baptist Church that's on the corner at 943 North Tonti Street to allow us to use the space for parking when necessary, so we don't inconvenience our neighbors. I also live at the Freedom House, so I'm really committed to being a really good neighbor. Um a lot of the issues that my neighbors have are my issues. Um yes, really excited to just move this project and share this house with community. Do y'all have any questions for the applicant? Have you read over the provisos? Yes, ma'am.
openpublica.com