Hurricane Katrina devastated the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans in 2005. More than 1,000 people died from the storm and subsequent flooding when the levees on the city’s various canals ruptured, sending water rushing into the low-lying area.
[Importance of Renters Insurance Before the Storm]
Nine years later, the neighborhood has fallen victim to housing blight and overgrowth. Abandoned homes have become consumed by the native plant species that thrive in the fertile soil. The overgrowth of plants has caused animals like snakes, rats and wild dogs to inhabit the neighborhood.
Located along the Mississippi River, this residential area is fighting to restore itself from the natural disaster and consequent decay. One architectural firm thinks an apartment complex will spur the reconstruction of the area while local residents disagree.
Neighborhood Under Construction
The Holy Cross section of the Lower Ninth Ward used to be the campus of a Catholic college. The school has since moved its campus and the lot remains just another instance of abandonment in the post-Katrina New Orleans. The lot sits on the banks of the Mississippi River, providing an excellent opportunity for waterfront housing.
Perez Architects would like to construct a 7-story apartment complex on the lot. The firm says it will spur the economic renewal of the area by attracting more residents back into the neighborhood. The new structure will contain 284 apartments, commercial-use property and 500 parking spaces. The size of the proposed building currently exceeds local zoning laws, so Perez Architects is lobbying the city for a variance to allow the construction to begin.
Ninth Ward Plan Under Fire
However, residents of the Holy Cross section are opposing the new apartment buildings. They claim that the costs to live in the waterfront high rise will be too much for locals, effectively forcing them out. A group of citizens working with Tulane City Center has developed three alternative proposals for the abandoned lot.
[Apartment Amenity Wars Heat Up]
All three are within the current local zoning laws and include the construction of single-family homes, the development of a community park and the renovation of the historic Holy Cross administration building.
A Raging Debate
The debate between residents and Perez Architects has centered on the preservation of the community. Locals want the area to retain its character and feel as though a high-rent waterfront apartment building will turn the area into another Miami.
The developers feel as though there is pressure on the market for New Orleans apartments and that the city needs multi-unit buildings to meet the demand. In addition, they feel that the interests of the community would be best served by the people that would come to rent in the new building.
Locals have cited the steady growth of the neighborhood population as well as the number of rehabbed homes in the area as evidence that it is well on its way to recovery. However, those in favor of the new apartment building are quick to point out that the neighborhood still has a long way to go and that the building can help it get there faster.
