The New Orleans City Council this afternoon voted unanimously to direct the city's blight enforcement division to figure out how much it costs to keep streets around the Plaza Tower skyscraper closed, and the cost of occasional fire department responses as debris falls from the building.
Council president J.P. Morrell says this is about their duty to the residents.
"When the city is expending money, taxpayer money, to mitigate the damage created by a privately owned structure, it is incumbent upon us to make sure the city recoups those taxpayer dollars that are expended not for something the city did but for something a business owner did not do," he said before the vote.
Councilmember Lesli Harris says this isn't about just Plaza tower, but any property owner who has buildings in bad shape.
"So while this appears that we're picking on Plaza Tower, this is something that this council should take a look at, holistically, as to whether or not and how we can assess costs incurred by the city," Harris said, "Especially when properties are blighted, when slumlords have them, and when the city has to expend funds to protect its citizens from blighted conditions."
The council also urged the city's legal department to work toward a resolution of a lawsuit between the owner and the city, a suit Morrell points out the city won at trial, but has been languishing in appeal.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the council's motions today could scare off potential buyers for the vacant tower, but Morrell said the tower's owner shouldn't be treated any differently than any other property owner.
