District Council Vote at City Planning & NO East District Council Debate Rescheduled for 10/11

CPC District Council Vote
At the City Planning Commission (CPC) meeting yesterday, CPC voted 7 to 0 to recommend modified language for the Master Plan on District Council. District Councils are organizations that are coalitions of neighborhood associations, similar to Gentilly Civic Improvement Association (GCIA). The original language submitted by the Neighborhood Engagement Office would have removed District Councils from the Master Plan. The modified language that was approved by the CPC would keep District Councils in the Master Plan in a more limited role. CPC recommendation now goes to the City Council for final adoption. City Council has 30 days to act after receiving the recommendations, so they will like vote at either their October 18 or November 1 meeting. Video from yesterday’s CPC meeting can be found at this link.

New Orleans East District Council Debate: October 11
Earlier this month, CBNO was planning to host a District Council debate in New Orleans East. This debate had to be postponed due to issues at the facility. The debate has now be rescheduled for October 11 at 7pm at City Church in New Orleans East. Here are all of the meeting details:

New Orleans East District Council Debate
Thursday, October 11, 7-8:30pm
City Church
13123 Interstate 10 Service Road
New Orleans, LA 70128

District Council Debate Invitation

Gentilly Fest Fundraiser This Sunday

Gentilly Fest will be 3 days of fun at Pontchartrain Park on October 5-7. This Sunday there will be a fundraiser at Friendly’s Bar to help support this year’s festival. Please see the flyer below for all of the details…

Governmental Affairs Committee Defers Action on City Planning’s NPP

At its September 14 meeting, the City Council Governmental Affairs Committee deferred any action on the City Planning Commission’s Neighborhood Participation Plan (NPP). The Committee wanted more information on how the NPP would impact the timeline for City Planning Commission’s approval of new businesses, and how the timeline in New Orleans compares to other cities. The Committee also wants to know how City Planning will decide which neighborhood associations and stakeholders are legitimate. There is no timetable on when the Governmental Affairs Committee will take up City Planning’s NPP, but we will let you know when it has been rescheduled. You can view CPC’s NPP plan on City Planning’s website.

District Council Debate at Zeitgeist on Thursday, September 20

CBNO hosts a debate on District Councils at the Zeitgeist Arts Center at 1618 O C Haley on Thursday, September 20 at 7pm. There is a lot confusion about District Councils, and their role with in formal participation structure. This forum will feature experts on both sides of the issue who will debate the pros and cons of District Councils, and what they could mean for New Orleans. WDSU’s Norman Robinson will moderate the debate. Here are the debate details:

District Council Debate

Thursday, September 20 from 7-8:30pm

Zeitgeist Arts Center

1618 O C Haley Blvd

 

Another District Council debate will be held in New Orleans East. We are still working to confirm the date and the place. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Breonne DeDecker at btdedecker@gmail.com, or 267-4696.

CBNO Citizen Participation Awards Tuesday, November 8: Tickets Now Available

You’re invited to join us as we celebrate and honor those working to inspire change in the Crescent City

 

Third Annual Diana Lewis Citizen Participation Awards

Thursday, November 8, 2012 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Intercontinental Hotel 444 St. Charles Avenue New Orleans, LA 70130

 

Keynote Speaker:  Anne Milling, founder of Women of the Storm

and independent civic & social organization professional

Honorary Event Co-Chairs:  Donna G Klein, Esq. and Kim Boyle, Esq.

Master of Ceremonies:  WDSU Anchor Norman Robinson

Music By: The Last Straws

 

The purpose of the Citizen Participation Award is to honor an individual and/or an organization that has made a significant contribution to the Empowerment of Citizens to be Agents of Change and to celebrate civic engagement in New Orleans.  Recipients have demonstrated leadership in mobilizing groups of citizens and harnessing energies to help make New Orleans a better place.

 

 “The Platform” Sponsor $500

 Platform Sponsor’s name will be incorporated into the Luncheon Program, as well as on table centerpiece.  Sponsor to receive one full table (8 seats) at Luncheon for guests.  Please indicate the business or donor name as you would like it to appear in the luncheon program:

 

Single Ticket $50

 Receive one ticket for the luncheon.

 

Please go to this link to download ticket and table sponsorship form: CBNO Award Lunch: Tables & Tickets Form

NOLA CPP Action Team Meeting September 24

With the upcoming vote by the City Planning Commission on Master Plan Text Amendment #19, CBNO will host a NOLA CPP Action Team on September 24. This will be an opportunity for NOLA CPP supports to provide their input on the City Planning Commission staff’s recommendation for proposed changes to the Community Participation Plan Chapter of the Master Plan. You can review staff’s recommendation at this link. Here are the details of the next NOLA CPP Action Team meeting:

NOLA CPP Action Team Meeting

Monday, September 24, 6-7:30pm

CBNO’s Office – 4902 Canal Street, Suite 300

City Planning’s Neighborhood Participation Program Referred to Governmental Affairs Committee

Update (09/13): The Government Affairs Committee agenda is now posted on City Council’s website. The meeting is tomorrow (9/14) at 10am and City Planning Commission’s NPP is on the agenda.

On July 24, the City Planning Commission (CPC) voted to approve its Neighborhood Participation Program (NPP). The NPP creates an Early Notification System (ENS) where developers will be required to inform and meet with neighborhoods and residents early in City Planning’s decision making process. The ENS is a critical component of the New Orleans Citizen Participation Program, and its adoption is a significant step forward for resident engagement in New Orleans. You can view CPC’s NPP plan on City Planning’s website.

City Planning’s NPP now goes to the City Council for final review and approval. City Council has referred the NPP to the Governmental Affairs Committee. The next Governmental Affairs Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Friday, September 14 at 10am in Council Chambers. This is subject to change, so please check City Council’s calendar for updated information. After review by the Governmental Affairs Committee, CPC’s NPP will go to the full City Council for final adoption.

City Planning Reschedules Vote on Text Amendment #19 for Sept 25

Due to Hurricane Isaac, City Planning Commission (CPC) had to cancel its August 28 meeting where CPC was scheduled to vote on the Master Plan Amendments. CPC has rescheduled the vote on Master Plan Amendments for Tuesday, September 25 at 1:30pm.

City Planning Commission will hold a public hearing and vote on only the Master Plan Amendments that were sent back by City Council. This includes Text Amendment #19, which would substantially revise the Community Participation Plan Chapter and was proposed with no community input. City Planning staff has issued their report which is available on CPC’s website. Staff recommends modified language for Text Amendment #19. After CPC votes, these Master Plan Amendments will go back to City Council for final approval. Here are the details of the City Planning Commission Meeting:

 

City Planning Commission Meeting

Vote on Master Plan Amendments

Tuesday, September 25 at 1:30pm

City Council Chambers, City Hall

CBNO Hosts Forums on District Councils

Update: The New Orleans East meeting on September 11 had to be postponed. We will reschedule this meeting for a later date and will let everyone know once we have confirmed the details.

This fall, the New Orleans City Council will be voting on Text Amendment #19 to the Master Plan. If passed in its current form, Amendment #19 would remove District Councils, currently a part of the proposed Neighborhood Participation Process, from the Master Plan.

There is a lot of confusion regarding District Councils, and what their role is within a formalized participation process. In the interest of making sure the community is informed about what a District Council is before any decisions are made, the Committee for a Better New Orleans is hosting a series of debates featuring proponents and opponents of District Councils. The two sides will debate the role of District Councils, and what they could mean for our city.

Moderated by WDSU’s Norman Robinson, the debates will take place around the city in order to maximize accessibility. The dates and locations are:

New Orleans East Meeting Postponed

To be Rescheduled for a later date

 

Tuesday, September 18^th

7:00pm – 8:30pm

Saint Stephens Missionary Baptist Church

2701 Lawrence Street

New Orleans, LA 70114

Debate will be located in the cafeteria at St. Julian Eymard School

 

Thursday, September 20^th

7:00pm – 8:30pm

Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center

1618 OC Haley Boulevard

New Orleans, LA 70113

 

For more information, please contact New Orleans Citizen Participation Project Program Manager Breonne DeDecker at btdedecker@gmail.com, or 267-4696.

New Progress Report on NOLA CPP on Global Giving’s Website

NOLA CPP has posted a new progress report on Global Giving’s Website. You can view this report at the following link…

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/new-orleans-citizen-participation-project/updates/

Here is the text of the report…

September 2012 Project Report

By Keith Twitchell – President

First, we are happy to report that New Orleans survived Hurricane Isaac with little worse than a lot of downed trees and extensive power outages.  However, the situation once again pointed out the need for a structured Citizen Participation Program, including high-quality, multi-modal lines of communications.  The city’s 311 number went out for a good while, and internet service, cell phone service and power were all out for various periods of time.  This left accurate and timely information difficult to come by for many citizens, especially the elderly and infirm and those with fewer communications methods at their fingertips to begin with.

On the plus side, in August the New Orleans City Planning Commission formally adopted what it calls its Neighborhood Participation Plan (NPP).  While this name is a bit misleading, in that it is a document focused on Planning Commission policies and procedures, it does include the first major piece of the New Orleans Citizen Participation Program to be adopted by city government.  Specifically, it mandates that all significant projects proposed in the city must be presented to the neighborhood(s) that will be impacted first — before any Planning Commission staff work is done and certainly before any permits, variances, etc. are provided.  This Early Notification System is the foundation upon which the entire CPP is based, so it is a major step forward.  One particularly pleasing development was that the Planning Commission’s initial proposal would have made this requirement fall only on private sector developments; however, based on our strong recommendation, the final document also placed this mandate on city government projects.  Since these are often larger in scope, and therefore have greater impacts on the community, this was a vital improvement to the final document.

Also in August, Committee for a Better New Orleans teamed with the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Development District and the Business Council of New Orleans to put on a breakfast briefing about the CPP for business leaders.  Approximately 70 leaders from a wide variety of businesses attended.  The presentation on the CPP was well-received, and the subsequent question and comment session went on for much longer than we anticipated, indicating the high level of interest in the project.  While Hurricane Isaac has interrupted our follow-up on this, we did receive many supportive comments at the briefing, and will be organizing a Business Advisory Council from interested attendees to continue building business community support for the project.

Next up is a series of public forums at which we will have a moderated debate on one key element of the New Orleans CPP, the concept of District Councils.  These are essentially coalitions of geographically proximate neighborhood associations, and virtually every CPP in the world has some version of them.  They have emerged organically in more than 75% of New Orleans, and they are utterly essential to ensuring equity and capacity-building throughout a citizen participation program.  This has not kept some loud voices from opposing them in New Orleans.  The purpose of the debates is to provide community members with a factual, balanced understanding of what District Councils are and will do, and to give people a chance to question both sides about their stances.

The bottom line for the NOLA CPP is that substantial progress is being made and that community information efforts are continuing; both in turn are building the support base for bringing the full-blown Citizen Participation Program across the finish line.  We’re not there yet, but just like the last laps of the Olympic distance races, the pace is picking up!