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Current Status
- The City is rewriting the text and remapping
simultaneously.
- The City anticipates
adoption of new text and maps in 2005, after a master plan has been
completed.
The City currently is making revisions to the text and
conducting a parcel-based analysis for the new maps. The new text is connected
to the development of a master plan. As of July 2003, seven of eleven elements
for the master plan had been adopted. The City plans to adopt the entire master
plan before the final edits of the new text are completed.
The rewrite of the zoning text will take approximately five
years. The City anticipates the mapping will take four years. Officials hope to
have everything completed and a City Council vote in 2005.
Process
- Videos were played on cable access channels and flyers
were distributed to inform residents about the rewrite process.
- The city held more than 120 public meetings over a
two-year period; more than 3,000 people participated.
- City staff made changes to the text based on community
meetings.
- City Planning
Commission staff will prepare a parcel-based analysis of the proposed new
zoning maps and make adjustments.
New Orleans began its process in 1997, when the City drafted
a land use plan, which was completed in 1999. At the same time, a technical and
master plan advisory committee was organized to develop a master plan and new
draft of the zoning ordinance text. From 1999 to 2001, legal consultants and
staff from the City Planning Commission wrote the current draft of the text and
released it for public review in March 2001. This marked the beginning of the
public review process. Though the City planned to adopt the text first and then
begin the mapping process, the two were reviewed at the same time.
This was due to strong public opinion
that the maps were essential tools for assessing the text.
The City Planning Commission held a variety of events to get
the public involved in the rewrite process. General information was distributed
at large community meetings held in each council district. Smaller meetings were
held (often in a series with City staff returning several times) in each
neighborhood planning district to discuss more specific issues and changes.
Additionally, two citywide open houses were held. These were full day events and
approximately 250 people attended each one. In total, the city held more than
120 public meetings over a two-year period with more than 3,000
participants.
Additional outreach included two informational videos
produced by the City Planning Commission and broadcast on cable access
television stations; one on the necessity of a master plan and the other on the
importance of rezoning. A total of 140,000 flyers about the master plan and
zoning rewrite were mailed with water and sewage bills.
Once the text and maps are completed, the Commission will
hold one or two public hearings to ensure final public input.
They will then vote to pass the new text
and maps on to the City Council. Before voting on adoption, the City Council
will hold at least two more public hearings. Finally, the ordinance will go to
the mayor for approval.
The
ordinance will become law either with the mayor’s signature or after ten days of
no action.
The city used the 1999 Land Use Plan to create a map on top
of the existing zoning map. For the most part, the boundaries stayed the same
but designations changed. Currently, planning commission staff is reviewing
boundaries and making changes where necessary. The staff started parcel-based
refinements in April 2003, including verification of the current zoning and
designation of new zoning codes. They expect to be done with this part of the
remapping by the end of 2003.
Special Provisions and Innovations
- Created new, mixed-use residential and business
district.
- Established
development standards.
The rewrite focused on
reducing conditional uses and the discretionary reviews associated with them,
and replacing them with development standards. There are also new zoning
regulations for non-conforming uses, although allowable waivers and the
discretionary reviews associated with them are limited. Additionally, a
mixed-use district combining residential and business development was added to
the new text. The new ordinance is more consistent with local historic district
regulations.
Political Challenges
- Transition in City
administration and on the City Council required additional review time and the
incorporation of new approaches.
Between the release of
the first draft of the text and the end of the two-year public review process, a
new mayor and City Council were elected. Current efforts are focused on better
aligning the text with the goals of the new administration and with the results
of the new master plan.
Interim Procedures
- The City will
establish a 120-day waiting period after the new code is adopted as law.
The city will have
120-days before the new code will take effect during which all new development
will be subject to the old code.
Lessons Learned
- Building consensus among all groups involved in the
rewrite process helps ensure a sound, useable ordinance.
- Intensive public
involvement facilitates a smooth process and cultivates widespread support for
the zoning rewrite.
Public involvement
helped build consensus between various groups in the city, including community
members, business leaders, politicians, developers, and City staff. City
sponsored meetings were critical and ensured that the process was efficient and
effective. It was widely held that the effort to include the public was the main
reason for such a high level of satisfaction.
Appendix: New Orleans
Planning Newsletter, New Orleans City Planning Commission, June
2003
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Lay of the Land 2003: A National Survey of Zoning
Reform