Planning Districts Twelve and Thirteen (continued)

Algiers & English Turn

Section V: Community Participation

The following section provides a synthesis of citizen comments and input gathered at a public workshop held at Behrman Gym on the morning of July 11, 1998 and a follow up meeting on October 10, 1998. Approximately 30 residents and business owners, in three small groups, participated in the workshop identifying pivotal development parcels and land use conflicts and creating a proposed land use map for the district. 

In general, participants expressed overall satisfaction with the current land use of the area. They like the quiet residential aspects of the district and the abundant park space, including the extensive levee access which is broken only by the Naval Station and Avondale Shipyard. The community of Algiers Point likes the mixed use character of the area, although some would like to see even more commercial activity, particularly a larger grocery store. Participants also appreciate the commercial areas along General de Gaulle, with some concern expressed over its often-haphazard nature wherein new developments are built near and even next to abandoned properties. Vacant facilities in the Aurora Village Shopping Center at Holiday and General de Gaulle and next to the Schwegmann's on Woodland and General de Gaulle are of special concern. Residents would also like to see the General Meyer commercial corridor revitalized and landscaped. Industrial conflicts in the district include the former Southern Pacific Railroad yard, and the composting yard under the GNO Bridge that drives nearby residents indoors. 

Participants expressed concern over future development along the River, especially between the Bridge and Opelousas. High-rise condominiums or a solid wall of development like the Riverwalk would be inappropriate for this area. They would like to see restrictions on the scale of future riverfront development that would preserve the view of the River and pedestrian access to the levee. Five stories was the maximum height discussed, with most participants favoring a limit of three stories. These concerns were similar to those expressed in District Seven.

As elsewhere in the city, most of the suggestions to improve the quality of life in the district deal with blighted properties, crime, and city services. Recommendations for future land use include the following: 

• Preservation of existing residential use 
• Preservation of rural quality of English Turn 
• Revitalization of vacant commercial properties along General de Gaulle 
• Revitalization and beautification of commercial corridor along General Meyer 
• Redevelopment of vacant industrial land between Atlantic Avenue and Thayer Street as parkland 
• Preservation of riverfront areas as open space and conversion of declining industrial use to mixed residential and commercial development 

A number of vacant parcels were identified as pivotal for future district and neighborhood development.

Three areas of existing but underutilized commercial activity were identified: 

• Aurora Village Shopping Center - revitalize 
• Half-abandoned shopping center at the intersection of Woodland Drive and General de Gaulle - revitalize for regional commercial use on the order of a K-Mart or Wal-Mart 
• Neighborhood commercial corridor on General Meyer - revitalize with antique shops, neighborhood restaurants, boutiques and bookstores 

Two areas currently undeveloped were identified for careful planning: 

• English Turn Parkway - any future developments should be carefully planned and restricted to a use no more intensive than neighborhood commercial 
• Wooded area along the Donner Canal from Behrman Highway and Marr Road - future development in the area should be limited to carefully planned residential with green space preserved along the Canal

• Former Southern Pacific Railway site bounded by Atlantic Avenue, Patterson Road, Thayer Avenue, and Opelousas Street - green space with the potential also for neighborhood commercial and residential use 
• Former Aurora Gardens Academy on General Meyer near Woodland and the adjacent Plantation Athletic Club, which is relocating to English Turn in January 1999 - Currently slated for development as a gated residential community, but two factors make that development problematic. Historic earthworks from the Civil War are located on the former Academy property along the fence-line bordering the playground; the community would like to see the earthworks preserved and opened to the public. The citizens would also like to see the site of the Plantation Athletic Club maintained as a playground. Many residents expressed discouragement that the gated residential development was planned without any community input or concern for neighborhood recreational needs.

• Concern was raised over the Lakewood Country Club on General de Gaulle between Park Timbers and Tall Timbers. The Country Club has been sold recently with a ten-year proviso to keep the current use. Citizens are concerned that the tract will be developed for commercial or residential use once the proviso expires. Participants in the workshop recommended a land swap for the Brechtel Country Club on Behrman Highway, a tract of land farther from residential areas and therefore more suitable for commercial development. 

• Blighted neighborhood commercial property at the corner of Bouny and Opelousas in Algiers Point 
• Vacant recycling building across from Fischer Development at the expressway down- ramp 
• Blighted public housing on Murl Street - revitalize to lower density residential 
• Vacant parcel at Hendee and Patterson

Summary Schematic District Map

The schematic map which faces this page summarizes comments recorded on district maps during the workshop. The summary schematic is an attempt to graphically represent the most frequent and consistent comments made by citizen participants. For ease of interpretation, various local landmarks, such as parks, housing developments, and large-scale developments, have been included. 

Section VI: Proposed Land Use for Planning Districts 

Twelve and Thirteen

The historic district of Algiers Point retains a late 19^th Century character, with gingerbread-work houses that have been the object of a major revitalization effort over the past two decades. The neighborhood's charm and convenience by ferry to the Central Business District and Vieux Carré have made it an increasingly attractive residential area. Specific noteworthy structures in Old Algiers include the Algiers Court House built in 1896; the jigsaw-style house of Major Mark Behrman at 228 Pelican Avenue; the plantation currently used as the Admiral's residence on the Naval Station; and the Malcolm Williams house on Patterson Road near the U.S. Immigration Station. 

Historic Aurora, bounded by the river, Holiday Drive, General de Gaulle and the Intracoastal Waterway, contains many unique sites. The Aurora Plantation house on Patterson Road at Westchester Street is in good repair, but has been modified. The Aurora Gardens subdivision, built on former plantation grounds, was distinctly designed to eliminate clutter: landscaping rather than fencing separated the large lots, and utility wiring was strung along the rear of property lines, leaving the oak-lined streets free of telephone poles and wires. 

Algiers has extensive recreational opportunities, from Behrman Park and Brechtel Park to smaller green space and playgrounds. Moreover, unlike most of the East Bank, the Mississippi River levee is open along the entire stretch of Algiers, except for the Naval Station, and attracts walkers, strollers, joggers, and bikers. 

Planning District 13 -- known by many New Orleanians as English Turn -- has many acres of undeveloped land, a large planned subdivision named English Turn, and contains one of the two remaining stands of hardwood bottomland in Orleans Parish (the other is in New Orleans East). The rural character found here provides a pleasant contrast to urban development in New Orleans. The residents of this District, as well as those who live in District 12, are well served by the commercial activities located along General de Gaulle. This corridor has been developed according to thoughtful design guidelines, and is one of the most beautiful commercial streets in New Orleans. 

The economic development organizations which serve these districts sponsored an Urban Land Institute panel in the early fall of 1998. Asked to propose a revitalization strategy for an area of the West Bank that runs from Pacific to Wiltz, General de Gaulle to the Mississippi River, the ULI panel made several recommendations that are pertinent to the Land Use Plan -- indeed, the recommendations are a part of this plan. The proposals by the ULI build upon the areas's physical strengths (Behrman Park, the Algiers Naval Station, the walkway along the river), and would address the blight that plagues both commercial and residential areas in the study area. As is true in most parts of New Orleans, the residents of these two planning districts are proud of their distinguishing characteristics; in these two planning districts, the effort to bring a panel of the ULI demonstrates the initiative these citizens have for discovering strategies to improving their economic base and their neighborhoods. 

Population is projected to continue declining in Planning District Twelve, although at a slower rate than the city; Planning District Thirteen should grow, although the size of the population is very small (491 individuals in 1997). District Twelve had 3,851 vacant housing units in 1990, 16.5% of the total number of units. Household income is higher than the citywide average, and expected to grow at a faster rate than the city. The appeals of Districts Twelve and Thirteen are distinct from elsewhere in New Orleans, and the role of the 1999 Land Use Plan is to build upon these appeals to form a strong and reliably prosperous community.

Issues/Problem Areas

Planning District 12: The main difficulties in this District have to do with relatively modern development along some of the major transportation corridors, which seems poorly conceived and in need of revitalization. There is also consistent concern with vacant properties, most significantly with the former Southern Pacific Railway site.

Planning District 13: The City of New Orleans has been developing and expanding for the past 300 years. Most of the city has been established for well over 100 years, and these sections are restricted by unique development patterns that span centuries. In contradistinction, the undeveloped acreage in the Lower Coast of Algiers (District Thirteen) has nearly limitless development options, as one would expect from a rural area located within an urban boundary. Without proper land use planning, the area would most likely be developed according to enthusiasms of individual landowners. Said more simply, the area could easily become a mix of conflicting uses. 

In the course of developing this plan, citizens have identified these and other problems related to the existing pattern of land uses in Districts Twelve and Thirteen. The residents' assessment of problems is confirmed in detailed neighborhood plans as well as in the daily duties of the City Planning Commission to research zoning and subdivision applications. Briefly, they are as follows: 

• Disinvestment and blight, accompanied by abandonment of properties in some areas of the District; 
• Disinvestment and blight in some commercial corridors; 
• Problems relative to the improvements of public housing developments and their effective integration with the surrounding neighborhoods; 
• Concern over the future of the Lakewood Country Club on General de Gaulle 
• Decline in the quality of shops in the Aurora Village Shopping Center; 
• Desire to limit the development intensity along English Turn Parkway; 
• Fear about the quality of the land in the former Southern Pacific Railway site; 
• Nonconforming uses due to the lack of enforcement of the existing regulations; 
• Unpredictability of the land use regulatory process, which has led to many spot zones and to unreliable development decisions.. 

Plan Recommendations

The most significant recommendations for District 12 are intended to reinforce its residential character. Recreation and green space, pleasingly designed commercial areas, strengthened historic districts, well-designed housing, and reliable administration of land use regulations -- all these measures work to improve or ensure the quality of life for District 12 residents. For Planning District 13, the most significant recommendation has to do with the most beneficial way of planning the future development of undeveloped land. Planners use the term "Euclidean zoning" to describe an orderly separation of different land uses. The phrase derives from the first U.S. Supreme Court case which upheld zoning as an appropriate use of municipal powers to protect the health, safety and welfare of a community. The case -- and the method which took its name -- involved the authority of a municipality (Euclid, Ohio) to separate incompatible uses from one another, and is most appropriate for undeveloped land where a local government can foresee what is or is not compatible, what is or is not likely to be proposed. This situation exists for undeveloped land in Planning District 13. The 1999 Land Use Plan proposes protecting Lower Algiers as a rural residential area with specific parameters on lot size and land usage. The plan also outlines the most likely location for stores which respond to the commercial needs of the District, thereby ensuring residents continued stability as a neighborhood.

These and other recommendations of the 1999 Land Use Plan are as follows:

Mixed Use category of land use is a hybrid category that encourages a flexible mix of residential, commercial, and certain light industrial uses. The application of mixed use is appropriate when it is based on principles of compatibility developed within the neighborhood. In Planning District Twelve, mixed use development has a long history in the Algiers Point, where predominantly residential areas have included small restaurants and convenience shops. 

The mixed use category can be differentiated into two classes, depending upon the scale and location where this hybrid category is applied. Neighborhood mixed use is designed to allow small scale commercial and residential activities to co-exist, either in the same building or in adjacent buildings. Such a category appears on the proposed land use map along a corridor generally described by the intersection of Sumner and Newton, continuing on Newton to Teche, up a few blocks to the intersection of Teche and Opelousas, and a final few blocks of Opelousas to Atlantic. Urban mixed use is intended to encourage redevelopment of large vacant properties or to permit an adaptation of the uses of large historic buildings that had rather intensive activities. This category appears along Brooklyn, along the riverfront between the Bridge and Opelousas. High-rise condominiums or a solid wall of development similar to the Riverwalk would be inappropriate for this area. Restrictions on future riverfront development should preserve the view of the River, pedestrian access to the levee, and limit the scale of buildings to that of surrounding structures. 

Note that when the general category of mixed use is translated into appropriate zoning districts, there will probably be a variety of Mixed Use categories to cover the different situations that exist. It is not in the scope of the Generalized Land Use Plan to distinguish among these types of mixed use; the implementation of the Land Use Plan requires revision of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance to accommodate the types of mixed use areas citizens desire. 

Concentration of Commercial Services: To minimize the negative effects of commercial uses on adjacent residential neighborhoods, the 1999 Land Use Plan proposes that future commercial development be limited to major roadways where current commercial uses are concentrated. In some portions of Planning District 12, specifically along General Meyer, current commercial uses are in decline, and future development should make an effort to beautify facades, maintain property, and offer higher quality services. The low intensity, neighborhood designation should encourage development which preserves buildings by locating in existing commercial structures or by renewing and revitalizing empty or blighted buildings when possible. The higher intensity commercial designation applies along major automobile corridors, where there is adequate parking space to accommodate shoppers driving to satisfy their retail needs. 

Neighborhood Commercial: in addition to the mixed use development described above, where small shops can exist with residential uses, the plan proposes a small expanse of neighborhood commercial for a medium-sized grocery store and other needed services (not a convenience store) along Opelousas. On the 1999 Land Use Map, the neighborhood commercial category is applied for several sections of General Meyer, a small portion of Kabel Drive, and a very small section of Opelousas, where citizens have expressed the need for a grocery store. 

Regional Commercial: this designation is proposed for only three areas, all lying along General de Gaulle, all readily accessible for shoppers from both Planning District Twelve and Thirteen, as well as for shoppers from elsewhere in the New Orleans metropolitan region. The design guidelines of this street have promoted its attractiveness as a place to shop, but also ensured that the success of the stores does not cause traffic problems.

Industrial Uses: These uses appear only along a very limited portion of the Mississippi River, mostly where activities related to shipping have located, but where there is no reason to expand beyond the limits shown on the plan. Elsewhere, the plan recommends the elimination of industrial (and commercial) spot zoning in the Cutoff neighborhood. 

Recreational Uses/Green space: The plan for Planning Districts Twelve and Thirteen have many suggestions for increasing green space and enhancing recreational uses, in order to strengthen the appealing residential nature of these districts. In District Twelve, as will be discussed below, much of the old Southern Railway Tract should become green space; the plan includes a park for residents south of Opelousas, and another park north of Eliza. The Urban Land Institute recommended improvements to Behrman Park, specifically to make it readily accessible from both General de Gaulle and General Meyer Avenues, and to become a regional park used much like City Park on the East Bank. The plan proposes a continuous walkway along the levee bordering the Algiers Point Area, and landscaping of General Meyer Avenue. In addition, the following areas are designated for green space: the Donner Canal, along the levee through the Naval Station and the adjoining Avondale Shipyard, and the area between General Meyer and Patterson Road. In Planning District Thirteen, the plan supports preservation of the area's rural character. The English Turn Urban Corridor District design overlay, as described earlier in the District's development history, is an important tool for protecting the natural setting along the proposed extension of the Parkway. In addition, the plan encourages preservation of green space along Highway 406 west of the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge.

Institutional Uses: There are many institutional uses in both Planning District Twelve and Thirteen. The U.S. Naval Reservation, the large tract of Sewerage and Water Board Land, the Audubon Institute's Species Survival Center, make great contributions to life in these two Planning Districts. With one exception, the Plan's recommendations are directed primarily toward restrictions of their further expansion and mitigation and/or dispersion of their "ancillary effects" on residential areas. The one exception is based on the ULI study, which recommended relocating the 4th District police station from its location within a quiet residential area to a more visible site on General Meyer Avenue between Flanders and Michael Streets.

The Plan confines all institutional uses to their current boundaries and recommends great scrutiny regarding any future request for expansion. Furthermore, it is suggested that all main institutions develop or update parking and traffic circulation plans which should be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission with the neighborhoods' input. 

Redevelopment of vacant or underutilized properties: The most difficult challenge to improve land use in District Twelve concerns the former Southern Pacific Railroad yard, which is currently zoned "light industrial". This tract is divided into two parts: Section 1 refers to the corridor running from the parish line to the Sewerage and Water Board property, and Section 2 designates the corridor which goes from above the S&WB property to the River. Difficulties in redeveloping any of this property start with the public fear that the land is contaminated from its former use, and unfit for residential use. Aware of the significant problems associated with the Agriculture Street Landfill and the Gordon Park development in Planning District Seven, any development here must be carefully studied for suitability, and discussed openly with the residents.

Section 1: The plan shows this area as a combination of one and two family residential (closest to similarly developed neighborhoods) and green space. Industrial activities that occur outdoors are not permitted in this area, meaning that the Nu-Earth composting yard would not be a permitted use in this location. 

Section 2: The old railroad corridor which is north of the Sewerage and Water Board property to the River also faces a problematic development future. North of Opelousas is a vast vacant lot, for which many proposals have been made over the years, including a movie studio and an RV park. Neither would be appropriate for the area, which lacks an adequate transportation network for any large-scale commercial development. The plan shows most of this area developed as green space, with a small section designated as appropriate for one and two-family homes. This recommendation is consistent with the Urban Land Institute's recommendation, which recognized the increasing value of housing in Algiers Point and the marketability of new units built on this site because of its proximity to the U.S. Naval Reservation.

Other Recommendations: As in all other Planning Districts, citizens reported many problems that could best be solved by administrative accountability. Problems in Planning Districts Twelve and Thirteen that are described as "unpredictability of the regulatory process" or "lack of enforcement of existing regulations" refer either to disappointments citizens feel with how actual development decisions are made, or to instances of property owners not being required to comply with legislated standards. The recommendations in the 1999 Land Use Plan will work to bring about a future that citizens agree they would like to see, but only if these recommendations are reliably carried out by officials whose elected or appointed office gives them the requisite authority. This is the nature of administrative accountability, a goal the City Planning Commission is dedicated achieving. This Land Use Plan, once adopted, will be implemented by a revised Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, which has been written precisely to providing accountability and enforceability.

Due to their general nature, Land Use Plans do not provide recommendations regarding many particular or site-specific land use problems that are of concern to neighborhoods. These problems should be analyzed on the level of detailed neighborhood plans, proposed zoning, or plans developed by agencies such as the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO). As a guidance for future planning actions, the 1999 Land Use Plan makes several recommendations and proposes development of the following detailed studies:

 
• Action plan for improving the area of Algiers near Wall Boulevard (mentioned in the ULI study), including comprehensive strategies for addressing complex problems of decay, vacancies, and disinvestment; 
• Redesign Whitney Avenue as a gateway to Algiers Point; 
• Revitalization of Fischer public housing development in accordance with HANO's final plans for renovation, density reduction, and street openings. These plans must be determined in collaboration with residents and neighbors of Fischer; 
• As a part of the work on the revision to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, develop design guidelines for specific areas such as General Meyer and the proposed mixed use districts in Algiers Point.