October 13, 2022 | From City of New Orleans
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HIGHLIGHTS BLIGHT REMEDIATION AND REDEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN NEW ORLEANS EAST
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today was joined by Councilmember Oliver Thomas of District E, Thomas Mulligan, Director of Code Enforcement and Winston Reid, Deputy Director of Code Enforcement, to highlight the start of removal of the former La Quinta Inn located in New Orleans East. The main purpose in addressing the widespread blight is to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents and neighborhoods and to create more opportunities for economic redevelopment and affordable housing options.
“It is a great day for our City but more importantly here in New Orleans East,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “This community is considered the gateway to the City of New Orleans from the East. We continue to make significant strides to remove blighted properties, while still acknowledging that we have a long way to go in cleaning up our communities and getting trash out of people's eyes. We believe this will be a stimulus and a catalyst as it relates to economic redevelopment and growth not just here in New Orleans East but across the City of New Orleans."
“This blight has been here for decades, but the people in my district and the people in this city need to know that these things are happening,” said District E Councilmember Oliver Thomas. “This is a great day not just because of this location, but as we drive around in all the other districts, we’re seeing efforts like this make a difference for today and plan the way for tomorrow.”
The site of the former La Quinta Inn has been known as a massive eyesore located adjacent to the interstate for people traveling into the City and as a deterrent to reinvestment and a constant magnet for criminal activity. Code Enforcement is focused on aggressively tackling commercial blight in New Orleans East and throughout the City. Most recently, Code Enforcement activity in the East has included the demolition of blighted townhomes in the Chimney Woods complex, an abandoned gas station on Lake Forest Boulevard and an abandoned home on Eastview Drive. The department also filled unfenced and dangerous pools on both Morrison Road and in the Eastover Subdivision.
“Code Enforcement is working hard on behalf of the people of New Orleans. Today's activity is part of our strategic demolition program and is the first large-scale structure, although more are coming,” said Director of Code Enforcement Thomas Mulligan. “For these structures, the best way to return them to commerce is through demolition because they have been blighted for such a long time. This demolition is not the end but rather the beginning of returning this site to commerce so that the people of New Orleans can once again benefit from it.”
So far in 2022, 67 demolitions have occurred throughout the City, with a large portion of these happening in the East. Additionally, the City’s Chapter 66 Grass Cutting Program has cut 2,200 lots so far this year, which is over 50 percent more as compared to the entirety of lots cut in 2021. The Code Enforcement team is on track to double last year’s total of approximately 1,450 lots to nearly 3,000 lots in 2022.
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