A New Orleans city councilman says he's proposing an ordinance to help French Quarter businesses and residents deal with Vieux Carré Commission rules and regulations. Opponents of that ordinance say it gut historic protections in the French Quarter by suspending the authority of the Vieux Carré Commission to enforce French Quarter regulations for one year, but the councilman says that ordinance is a work in progress.
"The Vieux Carré Commission and I are on the same team," Councilman Freddie King told WWL's Tommy Tucker. "We want what's best for the French Quarter."
King says he encourages enforcement of zoning and permitting regulations in the French Quarter. He says he wants to help streamline the process to help French Quarter residents do business with the city.
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to do business in the city of New Orleans and in the French Quarter," King said. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to hit that moving target of regulations and expectations by property owners. So what I'm asking is: If we're being told that we have a limited number of inspectors that are asked to inspect, that are asked to process permits, they're asked to attend adjudication processes. What I'm asking is, and I think it's a reasonable ask: Can we pull them away from the adjudications process and have them process more permits to get more people in compliance with the rules and regulations of the French Quarter?"
He says he'd like those inspectors to process permits so more French Quarter residents can be in compliance with VCC rules and to do more inspections to weed out bad actors in the Quarter. King says he's received complaints from businesses and residents who have been in the French Quarter for 50 years or longer who say they're being sanctioned by the VCC for problems that are out of their control.
"I'm hearing from the 80-year-old lady who lives on Bourbon Street, who's been in the French Quarter for more than 50 years, (and) who says regulation is needed," King said. "But she said my gutters flew off in a wind storm and within a week I was being cited for not having my gutters up. So she's asking for more compassion. As her representative, I'm asking for more compassion.
"I was talking to a gentleman who purchased a property," King continued. "He said, 'I was asked to move my balcony up four inches. Fine. I want to be in compliance. I want to be a good actor. Help me do that.' It took him not one, not two, not three, but four months to get a permit. He was told to do something. He wants to do something, but he can't do something until he gets that permit. Now in those four months, he's not making money. He's not bringing in revenue. He's paying a mortgage on a property that can't be used because he can't get a permit. He can't get an occupancy license. He can't get his liquor license--his ABO license--until he raises that balcony. That's not how to start economic development. That stops economic development.
King said more meetings with stakeholders are scheduled for this week. He also said the city council will not vote on the item during this Thursday's meeting.
