Response to opposition letters for 1407-11 Broadway for Permit # 16-25431-DEMO The letter below was mailed 09/23/2016 to: Seth Harris and Julie Schwam Harris, 1208 Pine St. New Orleans, LA 70118 Julie Fitzpatrick, 1418 Audubon Street, New Orleans LA 70118 Genevieve Trumble, 7020 Green Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 H.V. Nagendra, 2319 Adams Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Mary Collins, 1421 Broadway, New Orleans, LA 70118 William M Anderson III, 1505 Audubon Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Dr. Robert and Mrs. Robyn Kessler, 7012 Jeannette Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Kenneth J Gelpi, Jr., 7102 Birch Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Chunlin and Chris Leonhard, 1414 Audubon Street, New Orleans, La 70118 April Watson, 1533 Broadway Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Paul Brown, 1434 Audubon Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Jay Seastrunk, 921 Henry Clay Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Email: collinsmary1789@hotmail.com; paul.baricos@gmail.com; nolanancy7@gmail.com; bkohl40@cs.com;tgmcieod@nola.gov; awatson@sessions-law.com; kindly.paulbrown@gmail.com; Paul.cascio.pc@gmail.com; captnseth@gmail.com; seastrunk@seastrunk.org Will Care Properties, Inc 5500 Prytania Street PMB 137 New Orleans, LA 70115 Caroline@willcareproperties.com Dear Concerned Neighbor: September 23, 2016 Yesterday I went online to update the file for the demolition application to include the structural report that I just received and found the public statements. I am glad to have the opportunity to provide my plan to you if I didn t reach you with my September 8 th letter, as I have not received any direct feedback. Included is a list of people I have reach out to and I will add you to that list. Additionally, please inform me of anyone interested in the plan or share these materials. I initially reached out via email to the Central Carrollton Association s Paul Barisco. Mr. Barisco stated he forwarded my inquiry to architect H.V. Nagendra, who responded to Mary Collins with these 5 questions for me to answer:
1. Why the building is not viable for uses permitted uses under the current zoning ordinance. -Addressed here in the September 8 th letter. Will Care Properties, Inc 5500 Prytania Street PMB 137 New Orleans, LA 70115 RE: 1407-11 Broadway September 8, 2016 Dear Neighbor: In August I applied for the demolition of 1407-11 Broadway in order to get the proper documentation into the city and begin the process. Though the property was on the agenda for the August 15th NCDAC meeting, it was always my intention to seek a deferral, allowing the opportunity to present a plan to the community and explain a bit about how I reached this decision. I purchased 1407-11 Broadway in 1995 as an investment. The property was and remains threeunit student rental. In the last few years, the building has reached a point where it is in need of significant renovation, particularly the ground floor units that are extremely problematic. Also, some of the recent tenants were difficult to manage and it is my hope that an updated structure could attract a better quality of tenant. The problems with the property stem from the ground floor units sitting below grade. Keeping water out is a recurring problem. Attempts at redirecting the water and improving drainage have not worked, resulting in mold, termites and deterioration of the structure. Additionally, the floor is below the required flood elevation and is not covered by flood insurance. The property has flooded twice so far, May 8, 1995 and Katrina. In both cases I rebuilt with cash out of pocket. I am self-insuring and pray. I assessed selling the building, but I cannot afford to do so. I explored several options, all of which will require lending as I do not have the resources to renovate independently. First I considered renovating the structure in place. The issues with the ground floor notwithstanding, but it is not possible to get funding for work that cannot be fully insured. Also I hold the property in an S Corporation, Will Care Properties, so it is not eligible for road home or elevation grants. Hence I have to find a solution that can be affordably financed. Then I considered elevating the property and renovating, but the property would not generate enough additional income to pay off the elevation costs. So I looked at elevating and enlarging the units to increase the income potential. This is an extremely expensive option that would
potentially overextend my finances in conjunction with the new zoning enacted last year, expanding a multi-family structure requires a conditional use approval from the City Planning Commission. A difficult process with no guarantee of success. The final option was demolition and new construction. This has some significant drawbacks for me, the first being the demolition of my house. Conforming to the new zoning, I also lose the multi-family use, and can only construct two units. However, the advantage of new construction as a two family property, without the cost of elevating the property, is financially feasible. I certainly understand that approval for demolition is not guaranteed, but it is in my best interest to pursue this option. I am working with my architect to produce preliminary plans for a new structure that will fit into Broadway and reflect some of the craftsman architecture of the neighborhood. I am doing my best to move the project forward in a transparent manner. Below are the preliminary elevations I just received which keeps a stucco porch and mimics the roofline. I will make plans developing plans available for the community to review in advance of the October 3 rd decision date. I hope to produce an attractive property with neighborhood support, that conforms to city zoning. Thank you for your time and consideration. Respectfully,
Front Elevation - Proposed Elevations Gregory J. Hackenberg New Two-Family Residence 1407 Broadway St. - New Orleans, LA 3422 Annunciation St. New Orleans, LA 70115 504-256-2713 Side Elevation - Proposed 2. How long has the building not been occupied. -June 1, 2016 per the pending construction. 3. When was the last time the building was renovated. -Post Katrina 2006. 4. How was the building previously being used and why that use no longer viable. -The building is a grandfathered in non-conforming 3 unit multi family structure which has been in continual use as such to my knowledge since the purchase in 1995. The use is still viable, however the problems with the structure warrant full renovation. The elevation of the property causes major challenges to renovate the existing structure. The new structure would be conforming to zoning. 5. The current visual exterior cursory review suggests low maintenance of the building in the past. If true and given the history of low maintenance with the existing structure, what assurances can the owner provide to ensure better maintenance and tenants (in the existing or new structure) in the future who will respect the neighbors and the residential character of its context. -The house has been painted twice, the gutters were replaced, upgrades to plumbing and electrical systems, continual structural work on the leaking foundation, the lower floor has been gutted and renovated twice, the upstairs kitchen was replaced. This past year the side staircases were rebuilt, the damaged screens were removed from the porch and a new sewer line installed. I have also adjusted the management of the property, Absolute Lawn Care is
slated to maintain the yard, and the new design decreases the size of the front porch which was an ongoing challenge to keep tenants from cluttering. Also in the second paragraph of Nagendra s response there is a comment, It is interesting that the value of the property has been understated and the total area of occupyable space is also understated. I don t know what this refers to, and can address if more information is provided. The whole house was occupied as residential rental space. Thank you for your attention as I learn this process. Your understanding my position would be genuinely appreciated. Regards, Again, please share this information. Today it is being sent to: Seth Harris and Julie Schwam Harris, 1208 Pine St. New Orleans, LA 70118 Julie Fitzpatrick, 1418 Audubon Street, New Orleans LA 70118 Genevieve Trumble, 7020 Green Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 H.V. Nagendra, 2319 Adams Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Mary Collins, 1421 Broadway, New Orleans, LA 70118 William M Anderson III, 1505 Audubon Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Dr. Robert and Mrs. Robyn Kessler, 7012 Jeannette Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Kenneth J Gelpi, Jr., 7102 Birch Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Chunlin and Chris Leonhard, 1414 Audubon Street, New Orleans, La 70118 April Watson, 1533 Broadway Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Paul Brown, 1434 Audubon Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Jay Seastrunk, 921 Henry Clay Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Email: collinsmary1789@hotmail.com; paul.baricos@gmail.com; nolanancy7@gmail.com; bkohl40@cs.com;tgmcieod@nola.gov; awatson@sessions-law.com; kindly.paulbrown@gmail.com; Paul.cascio.pc@gmail.com; captnseth@gmail.com; seastrunk@seastrunk.org
Sent earlier September to: Addresses via City of New Orleans Assessor s Office: CASCIO PAUL J III 1401 BROADWAY ST PEARCE DEBORAH A (RE 1403 Broadway Street) 7330 GEN HAIG ST NEW ORLEANS, LA 70124 BARNETT HILLARY M ET ALS 1405 BROADWAY ST MABUDIAN MOHSEN I 1415 BROADWAY ST COLLINS MARY C 1421 BROADWAY ST TRUITT ALLISON J 1427 BROADWAY ST KOPIN IRWIN J (RE 1439 Broadway Street) 5413 LINDEN CT BETHESDA, MD 20814 MORSE JOSEPH R (RE 1440 Audubon St) 1021 CHARTRES ST NEW ORLEANS, LA 70116 HEIDENBERG DANIEL J 1436 AUDUBON ST BROWN PAUL R (RE 1434 Audubon Street) 936 JACKSON AVE NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 FITZPATRICK GRADY O 1418 AUDUBON ST LEONHARD CHRISTOPH 1414 AUDUBON ST BROADWAY REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC (RE 1404 Broadway) 2500 CRESTRIDGE MARRERO, LA 70072 SHER JOSEPH 1410 BROADWAY ST 1414-16 BROADWAY, LLC 1432-34 BROADWAY, LLC 1511 ARABELLA ST NEW ORLEANS, LA 70115 FIRST & FOURTHL L C (RE 1430 Broadway) 1210 DECATUR ST NEW ORLEANS, LA 70116 ` Neighborhood And Community Organizations via nola.gov: Carrollton United Betty DiMarco dimarco_bl@bellsouth.net Audubon Boulevard Neighborhood Association Al Bienvenu albee32a@yahoo.com Old Carrollton Concerned Neighbors Dana Schaffer oldcarrolltonneighbors@gmail.com Central Carrollton Association Paul Baricos paul.baricos@gmail.com Maple Area Residents, Inc. (MARI) Keith Hardie maplearearesidentsinc@gmail.com BOLTON KATHLEEN D 1404 AUDUBON ST YOSYPIV IHOR 1402 AUDUBON ST GMG VENTURES LLC (RE 1400 Audubon St) 6135 ST CHARLES AVE