The city of New Orleans today announced the launch of its new Department of Code Enforcement.
The department will inspect substandard property and authorize demolition or remediation of property determined to be hazardous to the public health, safety and welfare.
One of the first actions taken by the new department and its director, Anthony Davis, is the release of a list of a "Dirty Dozen" list of the 12 most notable blighted properties in the city.
While the city hall news release said the list was presented "in no particular order," the first property mentioned is the Plaza Tower, a 45-story office building at Howard and Loyola avenues that has sat vacant for two decades.
The city has imposed $400,000 in fines on the tower's owner, Joe Jaeger, not only for code violations but also lost city revenue, for metered parking spaces that had to be blocked off because pieces of the skyscraper were breaking off and plummeting to the street below.
Jaeger appears a second time on the list as the owner of 1630 Canal St., which the city says is guilty of multiple code violations.
Also notching multiple appearances on the list is apartment owner Josh Bruno, for the DeGaulle Manor in Algiers which has been unoccupied and littered with trash and debris for about a decade, and the Washington Garden Apartments, which the city has hit with 16 violations. Fines on both properties total $14,000.
The State Palace Theater and Lindy Boggs Hospital are other notable buildings on the blight list.
See the full list below:
- Plaza Tower, 1001 Howard Ave. - owned by Joe Jaeger; City imposed a $180,000 fine to recoup costs of barricades and lost revenue due to closed metered parking spaces and later imposed $220,000 in fines for 11 guilty violations, which is the second largest fine the department has ever imposed due to a Code Enforcement matter; it is currently in litigation
- Harlequin Theatre, 1031 N. Claiborne Ave. - owned by Tracy Williams; found guilty of 10 violations, fined $4,500 and currently in litigation
- DeGaulle Manor, 3010 Sandra Drive - owned by Josh Bruno; found guilty of 15 violations, fined $7,000 and currently in litigation
- 6700 Plaza Drive - owned by Mitch Crusto; found guilty of 11 violations, fined $3,200 and currently in litigation
- 5501- 5585 Bundy Road - hundreds of owners; City began abatement efforts in May to clear debris, including abandoned vehicles and over 8,000 tires, as well as manage overgrown vegetation; once these efforts are complete, the long-term plan for the site is to sell it during a Sheriff’s sale or a sale of adjudicated property for future housing development
- Lindy Boggs Hospital, 301 Norman C. Francis Parkway - owned by Flower/Hoffman; found guilty of 4 violations, fined $1,500 and prior case been paid and closed. The owners are currently working on securing funding and developing a new plan
- Orwood Creek Apartments, 10151 Curran Blvd. - owned by Moshe Silber; found guilty of 13 violations, fined $5,000 and prior cases have been paid and abated. Currently awaiting Code Enforcement inspection in an opened administrative case to potentially impose new fines
- State Palace Theatre, 1108 Canal St. - owned by Chen Horng Lee; 7 violations have been recorded and awaiting hearing to potentially impose fines
- Canal Street Hotel, 1630 Canal St. - owned by Joe Jaeger; found guilty of 10 violations, fined $4,500 and Daily Fines hearing determined the property abated, but a new Code Enforcement hearing is under consideration
- 2025 Canal St./115 N Prieur St. - owned by Hirschkop/Rosenberg; 19 violations have been recorded and awaiting hearing to potentially impose fines
- Washington Gardens Apartments, 2119 Washington Ave. - owned by Josh Bruno; found guilty of 16 violations, fined $7,000 and property has been remediated and continues to be a work in progress
- Parc Fontaine Apartments, 3101 Rue Parc Fontaine – Many units of which are owned by: Global Ministries Foundation (GMF) Preservation of Affordability Corp; violations cited and imposition of fines are pending
