CITY PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF NEW ORLEANS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. City Planning Commission Staff Report. Executive Summary

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1 CITY PLANNING COMMISSION CITY OF NEW ORLEANS LATOYA CANTRELL MAYOR ROBERT D. RIVERS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR LESLIE T. ALLEY DEPUTY DIRECTOR Subdivision Docket 098/18 City Planning Commission Staff Report Executive Summary Applicant: Housing Authority of New Orleans Request: Resubdivision of existing lots: Undesignated Parcel between squares 186 & 159; Undesignated Parcel between squares 159 & 156; Undesignated Parcel between Squares 156 & 129; Undesignated Parcel C between squares 185 & 160; Undesignated Parcel between squares 160 & 155; Undesignated Parcel B between squares 155 & 130; and Undesiqnated Parcel between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street into Proposed streets: Portions of N. Villere Street, Marais Street and Treme Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets; Portions of N. Villere Street, Marais Street and Treme Street between Bienville & Conti Streets; Portion of Bienville Street between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street. Location: The undesignated parcels are located in the Second Municipal District, bounded by Iberville St., N. Robertson St., Conti St., and Basin Street. (PD 4). Summary of Proposal: Subdivision Docket 098/18 is a major subdivision application involving the dedication of several undesignated parcels to the City for use as streets within the Iberville neighborhood. The resubdivision and dedication would reinstate portions of the N. Villere, Marais, Treme, and Bienville Street rights-of-way, reconnecting a former street grid. The original street grid was disrupted in the 1940 s when the Iberville Housing Development was developed and the former streets were developed as courtyards and open spaces. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, HANO and the City of New Orleans received funding from HUD for the redevelopment of Iberville. The redevelopment of Iberville occurred in a total of seven phases. As part of this redevelopment plan, the grid street pattern was reestablished through a series of resubdivision requests which corresponded with the phases of the redevelopments. Those subdivision dockets were Subdivsiion SD098/18 1

2 Dockets 082/13, 150/14, 117/15, and 137/16. The approval of these requests created the squares that make up the housing sites, and seven (7) undesignated parcels were created for the future rededication of streets. The rededication is the final procedural component of the Iberville redevelopment. The purpose of this subdivision request is to dedicate those undesignated parcels as street rights of way and the improvements back to the City of New Orleans. Those street dedications are: 1. Portions of N. Villere Street, between Iberville & Bienville Streets 2. Marais Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets 3. Treme Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets 4. Portions of N. Villere Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 5. Marais Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 6. Treme Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 7. Portion of Bienville Street between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street. The dedication is necessary to reinstate the former street grid, undoing the atypical superblock condition that characterized the site for decades, and completing the process of reconnecting the site to the surrounding neighborhood. Per the requirements of the Subdivision Regulations, if such a dedication is tentatively approved by the Commission, a dedication plan and a draft of an ordinance authorizing dedication shall be submitted to the Division of Real Estate and Records and the Commission for review and approval. If the submitted plan and ordinance are in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, the draft of the Ordinance shall be submitted to the City Council for consideration and adoption. Master Plan: The proposal is consistent with the Master Plan. Recommendation: The staff recommends Tentative Approval of Subdivision Docket 098/18 with final approval subject to four (4) provisos. Reasons for Recommendation: 1. The proposal is consistent with the Master Plan. 2. The proposal is consistent with the requirements of the Subdivision Regulations, in particular Article 3, Section Policy D: Changes In Street Pattern (Major Subdivisions). 3. The request finalizes the process of redeveloping the Iberville neighborhood as a dense mixed-use neighborhood by reinstating the street network, and undoing the superblock configuration. SD098/18 2

3 City Planning Commission Meeting September 25, 2018 CONSIDERATION SUBDIVISION DOCKET 098/18 Applicant: Housing Authority of New Orleans Prepared By: Nicolette Jones & Tim Jackson Date: September 18, 2018 Deadline: October 16, 2018 GENERAL INFORMATION Proposal: Resubdivision of existing lots: Undesignated Parcel between squares 186 & 159; Undesignated Parcel between squares 159 & 156; Undesignated Parcel between Squares 156 & 129; Undesignated Parcel C between squares 185 & 160; Undesignated Parcel between squares 160 & 155; Undesignated Parcel B between squares 155 & 130; and Undesignated Parcel between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street into Proposed streets: Portions of N. Villere Street, Marais Street and Treme Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets; Portions of N. Villere Street, Marais Street and Treme Street between Bienville & Conti Streets; Portion of Bienville Street between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street. Location: Zoning: Current Land Use: Proposed Land Use: The undesignated parcels are located in the Second Municipal District, bounded by Iberville St., N. Robertson St., Conti St., and Basin Street. (PD 4). MU-1 Medium Intensity Mixed-Use District The properties in question are not being used for any specific land use, but are currently being used as streets within the Iberville Development. The Iberville development contains several recently constructed multi-family buildings ranging in size from two to four stories. Some of the structures fronting Basin Street contain ground-floor commercial uses. The use of the properties will not change; they will remain being used as streets for access within the Iberville neighborhood, and will become dedicated streets through this major subdivision process. Required: This proposal is reviewed under Article 3, Section Policy D: Changes In Street Pattern (Major Subdivisions) of the Subdivision Regulations. Policy D explicitly requires both Commission review and a public hearing prior to a decision by the Commission. Major Subdivisions SD098/18 3

4 involving changes in street patterns must be reviewed by the Commission and are not eligible for Administrative Approval. Figure 1: Zoning Map Figure 2: Survey of Subject Property SD098/18 4

5 Background The Iberville neighborhood was initially developed during the mid to late 19 th century; it was an extension of the French Quarter, commonly known as the back of town. Historic Sanborn maps show that the area was developed with a dense mixture of residential, commercial, and industrial uses, built on compact lots, similar in form to the city s historic neighborhoods. In the early 19 th century, the area was also the site of what was known as Storyville, a restricted district that allowed legal prostitution. The district was abolished in Subsequent to the shutdown of the Storyville district, continued disinvestment in the area, as well as public health concerns regarding the area s abundance of substandard housing, led to the area s establishment as one of first proposed sites for federally funded public housing in the 1940s. Almost all of the previously existing 19 th century structures in the area were demolished in 1940 to clear land for the Iberville Public Housing Development. At the time the public housing development was built, there were not the same subdivision regulations as there are today; thus, the new housing development was built over the lot pattern of original development in the neighborhood and never resubdivided. The Iberville Public Housing Development originally consisted of 75 two and three-story brick townhouses and one administration building. The City sold most of the public rights-of-way within the site, in order for them to be converted to open pedestrian courtyards. The sale enabled the creation of the Iberville superblock. The historic housing development was evocative of the urban planning principles of the time, influenced by the garden city, urban renewal, and slum clearance movements. Post - Katrina Although there was little significant damage, the Iberville Public Housing Development was closed in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. In 2011, the City and HANO were awarded a grant by United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to transform the Iberville development and revitalize the historic Tremé district. The grant was part of HUD s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, designed to transform distressed neighborhoods and public and assisted projects into viable and sustainable mixed-income neighborhoods by linking housing improvements with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation, and access to jobs. As the redevelopment is federally funded, the property was subject to an environmental review process per Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act to mitigate any impact that the redevelopment may have on off-site historical elements. The development was also subject to the Advisory Council of Historic Preservation regulations. Part of the redevelopment plan included the breaking up of the Iberville superblock through the reinstatement of the City s historic rights-of-way and street grid pattern previously revoked in the 1940 s; the objective being to provide more connectivity to and within the area. The redevelopment plan also called for the demolition of 60 of the previous historic brick masonry structures; however, 16 have been preserved, including the administration building on Tremé Street. The 15 historic residential buildings are SD098/18 5

6 concentrated along the axes of Bienville and Marais Streets. The rest of the area was developed with a mixture of new multi-family structures and townhouses which complement the styles of the 1940s historic structures. The new development was constructed in seven phases, which the last and final phase almost complete. Upon completion of the entire development, the area will comprise eight hundred (880) new residential units. During each phase, the developer resubdivided the applicable squares (which still maintained the original lot pattern of the late 19 th century) with minor subdivision applications to comply with current building codes and the subdivision regulations. The developer resubdivided the property with a series of minor subdivision applications as opposed to one major subdivision application. This was done to align with financing procedures. However, prior to the permitting of phase one, the developers submitted engineering plans to the Departments of Public Works, the Sewerage and Water Board, and the Department of Parks and Parkways, for approval of the improvements to the proposed reinstated streets. These plans have been approved and the streets constructed. Figures 3 & 4: Photographs of Existing Street Improvements and Housing Development Corner of Iberville and N. Villere Streets Corner of Treme and Iberville Streets SD098/18 6

7 Figure 5: Photograph of Existing Street Improvements and Housing Development Bienville Street at Treme Street Looking toward Marais Street Existing Conditions: The subject properties consist of seven (7) undesignated parcels that have been improved and function as streets. These undesignated parcels, along with eight (8) squares (nos. 129, 130, 155, 156, 159, 160, 185, and 186) containing multi-family housing developments, were created through a series of subdivision requests. The proposed street designations are currently the following parcels: 1. Undesignated Parcel between squares 186 & 159; 2. Undesignated Parcel between squares 159 & 156; 3. Undesignated Parcel between Squares 156 & 129; 4. Undesignated Parcel C between squares 185 & 160; 5. Undesignated Parcel between squares 160 & 155; 6. Undesignated Parcel B between squares 155 & 130; and 7. Undesignated Parcel between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street These squares and the undesignated parcels were created through several minor subdivision requests which coincided the different redevelopment phases of the Iberville project. The subdivision dockets were SD082-13, SD150-14, SD117-15, and SD SD098/18 7

8 Proposed Conditions: The configuration of the squares and existing streets created in the previous subdivision approvals mentioned previously will not change; however, the undesignated parcels will be dedicated as public streets. The undesignated parcels will become the following proposed streets: 1. N. Villere Street, between Iberville & Bienville Streets 2. Marais Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets 3. Treme Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets; 4. N. Villere Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 5. Marais Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 6. Treme Street between Bienville & Conti Streets; 7. Bienville Street between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street. Figure 6: Undesignated Parcels to be Dedicated Streets SD098/18 8

9 ANALYSIS Surrounding Development The petitioned site is located in an MU-1 Medium Intensity Mixed-Use District in the Iberville neighborhood. The neighborhood is centrally located; it borders the French Quarter, the Tremé Local Historic District, as well as the Central Business District. As such, the surrounding area encompasses a wide range of diverse land uses including several institutional, commercial, residential, and some light industrial uses. The area is also situated between several key transportation corridors including Canal Street, North Claiborne Avenue, and the Lafitte Greenway. The petitioned site is well served by public transit. The Iberville neighborhood is bounded by North Robertson, St. Louis, Basin, and Iberville Streets. Both the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 and the St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 border the area to its northwestern and southeastern sides. The neighborhood is renowned for being the site of one of the first pre-wwii public housing developments in the city, developed in 1941 following the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act of Compliance with the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and the Subdivision Regulations: Subdivision Regulations The proposal complies with the applicable provisions of the Subdivision Regulations. This proposal is reviewed in accordance with Article 3, Policy D: Changes In Street Pattern (Major Subdivisions) of the Subdivision Regulations. This policy explicitly requires both Commission review and a public hearing prior to a decision by the Commission. Major Subdivisions involving changes in street patterns must be reviewed by the Commission and are not eligible for Administrative Approval. This subdivision request is not creating new lots, nor reconfiguring existing lot dimensions. This request only involves converting undesignated parcels, currently being used as streets, into dedicated public streets. As mentioned previously the undesignated parcels were created (in a sense as place-holders for future streets) through several minor subdivision requests involving the different redevelopment phases of the Iberville redevelopment project. This proposal complies with the applicable provisions of the Subdivision Regulations, and the engineering plans for the streets have already been approved by the applicable agencies. The plans were found to meet the General Standards of Design of the Subdivision Regulations as set out Section 5.2 in terms of its relation to the adjoining street system, minimum street width, minimum sidewalk width, grading and surfacing requirements, on-street parking provisions, and required landscaping. The engineering plans were approved in March 2014, and a copy of the plans is within the attachments of this report. SD098/18 9

10 Per the requirements of the Subdivision Regulations, if such a dedication is tentatively approved by the Commission, a dedication plan and a draft of an ordinance authorizing dedication shall be submitted to the Division of Real Estate and Records and the Commission for review and approval. If the submitted plan and ordinance are in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, the draft of the Ordinance shall be submitted to the City Council for consideration and adoption. Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance The subject property is within an MU-1 Medium Intensity Mixed-Use District. The squares shown on the submitted survey were created in previous subdivision requests (SD082-13, SD150-14, and SD117-15) and all of squares are compliant with the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance s minimum lot size requirement for a multi-family use. The undesignated parcels were intended to create the future street rights of way to be dedicated to the City of New Orleans. Utilities & Regulatory Agencies: The City Planning Commission, when reviewing a proposed subdivision, requests written responses from the Department of Property Management Division of Real Estate and Records, Department of Public Works, Department of Safety and Permits, Sewerage and Water Board, Entergy, and the Historic District Landmarks Commission (where applicable) regarding the compliance of the proposed subdivision with the building codes, zoning ordinance, and other regulatory documents governing development in the city. As of the writing of this report, the Department of Safety and Permits, the Department of Property Management, Division of Real Estate and Records, and the Department of Public Works have reviewed and approved this request. The representative of the Sewerage and Water Board indicated that sewer and water facilities are available but not shown on the re-subdivision plan. It also noted that sewer and water house connections are not shown and, therefore, a note should be made on the survey stating that sewer and water house connections are the responsibility of the property owner. The Department of Public Works Engineering Division noted that Phases I and II of the street construction has received final acceptance from DPW. Phase III has yet to receive final acceptance, and will need to be inspected prior to final approval of the subdivision. Planning Advisory Committee In addition to written comments, representatives of City departments were asked to comment on the proposal at the Planning Advisory Committee meeting of September 5, The Department of Parks and Parkways noted that several tree plantings in the streets have failed and may need to be replaced. The Committee passed a motion of no objection subject to further review by the City Planning Commission and the Parks and Parkways Commission staffs. SD098/18 10

11 PLAN FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY Are the proposed actions supported by or in conflict with the policies and strategies of the Plan for the 21 st Century: New Orleans 2030? The Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans requires all land use actions (including subdivision) to be consistent with the Master Plan. A land use action is consistent with the Master Plan if it furthers, or at least does not interfere with, the goals, policies, and guidelines in the Land Use Element of the Master Plan and is compatible with the uses, densities, and intensities of the designation of its site on the future land use map. The Master Plan s future land use map ( Chapter 13: Land Use Plan of the Master Plan) designates this site for Mixed-Use Medium Density future land use. The goal, range of uses and development character for the Mixed-Use Medium Density designation is copied below: MIXED-USE MEDIUM DENSITY Goal: Create medium-density neighborhood centers to enhance walkability and serve as focal points within neighborhoods. Proximity to transit encouraged. Range of Uses: Medium-density single-family, two-family and multifamily residential and commercial uses. Limited light industrial uses (craft and value added industry and passive warehousing and storage) may be allowed in some areas. Development Character: Height/mass, and density of new development varied to ensure proper transitions to surrounding lower density residential neighborhoods. Many structures will feature ground floor retail with residences on upper floors. The proposed resubdivision of the site for residential development is consistent with the Mixed-Use Medium Density designation, as that designation is intended for single- and two-family residential development, as well as multiple-family residential, commercial, and limited light industrial use. The approval of the rededication of former street rightsof-way support the goals to enhance walkability and connectivity within this community. SUMMARY Subdivision Docket is a major subdivision application involving the dedication of several undesignated parcels to the City for use as streets within the Iberville neighborhood. The resubdivision and dedication would reinstate portions of the N. Villere, Marais, Treme, and Bienville Street rights-of-way, reconnecting a former street grid. The original street grid was disrupted in the 1940 s when the Iberville Housing Development was developed and the former streets were developed as courtyards and SD098/18 11

12 open spaces. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, HANO and the City of New Orleans received finding from HUD for the redevelopment of Iberville. The redevelopment of Iberville occurred in a total of seven phases. As part of this redevelopment plan, the grid street pattern was re-established through a series of resubdivision requests which corresponded with the phases of the redevelopments. Those subdivision dockets were SD082-13, SD150-14, SD117-15, and SD The approval of these requests created the squares that make up the housing sites, and seven (7) undesignated parcels were created for the future rededication of streets. The rededication is the final procedural component of the Iberville redevelopment. The purpose of this subdivision request is to dedicate those undesignated parcels as street rights of way and the improvements back to the City of New Orleans. Those street dedications are: 1. N. Villere Street, between Iberville & Bienville Streets 2. Marais Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets 3. Treme Street between Iberville & Bienville Streets 4. N. Villere Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 5. Marais Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 6. Treme Street between Bienville & Conti Streets 7. Bienville Street between the eastern side of Crozat Street and N. Robertson Street. The dedication is necessary to reinstate the former street grid, undoing the atypical superblock condition that characterized the site for decades, and completing the process of reconnecting the site to the surrounding neighborhood. Per the requirements of the Subdivision Regulations, if such a dedication is tentatively approved by the Commission, a dedication plan and a draft of an ordinance authorizing dedication shall be submitted to the Division of Real Estate and Records and the Commission for review and approval. If the submitted plan and ordinance are in accordance with the approved plans and specifications, the draft of the Ordinance shall be submitted to the City Council for consideration and adoption. PRELIMINARY STAFF RECOMMENDATION The staff recommends that the City Planning Commission grant tentative approval of Subdivision Docket with final approval subject to four (4) provisos: Provisos 1. The applicant shall comply with any requirements deemed necessary by Entergy, the Sewerage and Water Board, the Departments of Public Works, the Department of Property Management, Division of Real Estate and Records, Department of Parks and Parkways, and the Department of Safety and Permits. SD098/18 12

13 2. The applicant shall submit all documentation for Final Approval as required per Section of the Subdivision Regulations. 3. The applicant shall comply with all other Subdivision Regulations, which includes the submittal of mortgage certificates, a consent letter from the mortgage company (if applicable) and tax certificates for the petitioned site. 4. The applicant shall submit a reproducible copy and two (2) prints and a digital copy of the final resubdivision survey in.pdf compatible file format. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION 1. The proposal is consistent with the Master Plan. 2. The proposal is consistent with the requirements of the Subdivision Regulations, in particular Article 3, Section Policy D: Changes In Street Pattern (Major Subdivisions). 3. The request finalizes the process of redeveloping the Iberville neighborhood as a dense mixed-use neighborhood by reinstating the street network, and undoing the superblock configuration. SD098/18 13

14 Zoning

15 FLUM

16 Survey

17 Streets to be Dedicated

18 Aerial Photo (2016)

19 Photos Existing Streets and Adjacent Housing Developments

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26 W N S E C O N T I S T R E E T SQ 155 SQ 130 MARAIS STREET TREME STREET SQ 160 N. VILLERE STREET SQ 190 SQ 185 N. R O B E R T S O N S T R E E T TREME STREET CROZAT STREET SQ 189 SQ 186 SQ 159 SQ 156 SQ 129 SQ 124 N. VILLERE STREET MARAIS STREET B A S I N S T R E E T SECOND DISTRICT CITY OF NEW ORLEANS B I E N V I L L E S T R E E T I B E R V I L L E S T R E E T N W E S