Gov-10-15_City Council Meeting (Part One).
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Opening Remarks, Roll Call, Pledge, and Consent Agenda
All right, we're going to get started, Madam Clerk. Roll call. Council President Morreau. Here. Vice President Willard. Here. Council Member McCarran. Here. Council Member Harris. Here. Council Member King. Here. Council Member Green. Here. Council Member Hughes. We have five members. We have a quorum. Thank you. We have a motion by Pastor Watson. Precious God, we give you thanks that we come on this day, thanking you, God, for blessing us to rise to see a beautiful, sunshiny Thursday morning. God, we thank you for your son, Jesus Christ, who died and was raised to life that we have victory in his name. We pray for all our councilmen, our councilpersons, and God, we continue to pray for our mayor and our city and all the people who live in this great city of New Orleans. We pray that this council meeting on today is a blessing to you and a blessing to everyone who has a presentation, if there's any voting to take place, that it's all to your glory. And God, as we know, this is Cancer Awareness Month. We pray for all those who are battling that dreadful disease of cancer, that breast cancer we know is a serious, serious disease, and we just pray, God, that you give them victory over breast cancer and that you continue to guide and bless everyone who is here on this day. In Jesus' name and all the things that God said, amen. Thank you, Pastor Watson. Next up, we have the Pledge of Allegiance done by myself. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. Play ball. Consent Agenda. We have a communication from Aaron Spears. This may be received. We have a communication from Kendall White. This may be received. We have a communication from Jeffrey Schwartz. This may be received. We have a communication from Amy Tripana. This may be received. We have a communication from Tammy Washington. This may be received, and referred to the Community Development Committee. We have a communication from Jonathan Wisby. This may be received and referred to the Governmental Affairs Committee. We have a communication from Alston P. Whitley. This may be received and referred to the Governmental Affairs Committee. We have a communication from Elizabeth Bruce. This may be received and referred to the Climate and Sustainability Committee. We have a communication from Joffrey Swartz. This may be received and referred to the Economic Development Committee. We have a report of Danielle Berger. This may be received. We have a report of Lanae Crawley. This may be received. We have a report of Jennifer of Vechno. This may be received. We have a report of Alyssa Rambo. This may be received. We have a report of Cassandra Roberts. This may be received. We have a report of Kaitlyn Timric. This may be received. We have a report of Jessica Natzi. This may be received. We have a report of Robert D. Rivers. This may be received. Hearing 811-526. We have a report of Kaia Howard. This may be received. We have a report of Kaitlyn Timric. This may be received. We have a report of LaKenya Collins. This may be received. We have a report of Jason Roger Williams. This may be received. We have ordinance calendar 35,587 by Councilmember Harris. Municipal address 727 Caronda Ledge Street. Zoning docket 6826. We have ordinance calendar 35,588 by Councilmember Harris. Municipal address 750 Caronda Ledge Street. Zoning docket 6926. This is all matters on consent. Thank you. I do not have any cards yet. There you go. Okay. Come on down, Mr. Clark. Which item is it going to be on? Item two. Okay. Mr. Clark is speaking on item two. You have two minutes. Thank you for listening to me. I'm a Pirate's Alley artist. I've been setting up there for almost 30 years now. We have a community of artists in New Orleans that have been setting up there for over 90 years. And the fence behind St. Louis Cathedral where we set up and sell our work, these are some other professional artists over here that have been selling there, is about to be removed. The cathedral is going to be removing the entire back fence. And they have not given us any communication about where we're going to be moved. This is our full-time income. I provide living for my family. My wife and my children are both artists as well. So we're hoping that we can get a relocation plan. I have some documents here that I can pass out. But our preferred relocation would be the courthouse fence on the 400 block. I know we've been moved there before for French Quarter Festival and some other events. It's a big enough fence to accommodate all 20 or so of the artists that are in Pirate's Alley. Another option would be Jackson Square, but there's already too many artists in Jackson Square, so it would create a lot of problems. I've got all that on this flyer or document that I can pass out. We're just all worried about how we're going to make a living when they remove the fence and there's nowhere for us to set up and sell our paintings. There's one artist that's still licensed from 1977 that's been out there on that fence making her living. So hopefully we can come up with some sort of a plan. We will certainly. I know that Monet from my office and Winston from Freddie King's office, we are working on an alternative location. We can certainly reach out to the Supreme Court because they kind of control that fence in front of the courthouse. But also we're going to talk to FQMD and the French Market Commission to see what other options are available. We're going to find a solution. Thank you so much. You're very welcome. All right. Any other cards? Okay. With that, I see no comment. Speakers on the consent agenda, I will move to adopt the agenda. Second by Vice President Willard. Please vote your machines. All right. That is five. No nays. The consent agenda is adopted. Thank you.
Special Order: Studs Club 80th Anniversary Presentation
First, presentation, recognizing the Studs Club, Nelson Alexander, President and Gerald Williams, Parliamentarian. The Studs Club was established by World War II veteran students attending Louisiana historically black colleges and universities. However, the organization is now effectively known as the Studs Club. Since 1946, the club has been a quiet but effective pillar of this community and elsewhere with this participation in the 1950s and 60s civil rights movement, ongoing food drives, and other civic endeavors. Currently, the club's primary objective is to provide needed scholarships to Louisiana's five HBCUs. In addition to the club's annual scholarship donation to Louisiana HBCUs, since 2015, individual members have contributed over $250,000 in cash and in-kind contribution to the HBCU scholarship program of their choice. Club members are recognized in our organization's long history with the theme, Celebrating 80 Years of Civic Commitment and Community Enhancement. Again, I thank each of you for recognizing the club's legacy, its past and present members' ongoing commitment to their community and to the future of our HBCU students. Thank you so very much. With that, I'd like to pass it on to our parliamentarian. Good morning, everyone. I'm probably the newest member of the Studs Club, and I'm really honored to be here and serve as parliamentarian. But the mission of the Studs Club, the commitment to our young people to make sure that they have access to quality education and the resources to do so, and the steadfast commitment to making sure that our kids strive for greatness in education, it just resonated with me. And that's the reason that I'm a member of the Studs Club. And from our founding president, Mr. Neal LaBranche, to incredible members like Dr. Norman C. Francis, to our current president, Nelson Alexander, and the brothers that sit beside me, I'm honored to be a part of this and to continue this commitment to our community and our young people. And just excited about the new dawn that's ahead for New Orleans and what we can contribute to continue to make it great. Thank you. Thank you, guys. We'll come down and get a picture. Okay. Ddiolch am wylio'r ffotograff. Diolch am wylio'r ffotograff. Ddiolch am wylio'r ffotograff. Ddiolch am wylio'r ffotograff. Thank you very much, Mr. Thomas. Pleased to have you here at the City Council today. Yes, a nice round of applause. First African-American photographer, but also committed to our city of New Orleans. Mr. Thomas hails from Lafayette, Louisiana. And a few months out of high school, he enlisted in the United States Army. He completed his basic training at Fort Gordon in Georgia. He completed his active duty tour as a tactical wire operational specialist with the 2nd Battalion, 81st Field Artillery in Eider, Oberstein, Germany. Upon completion of his active duty tour in 1981, he received an honorable discharge as well as the Good Conduct Medal. Upon leaving the Army in 1981, Mr. Thomas began working in a field that he quickly fell in love with, television broadcasting. His first job was as a cameraman at KLFY-TV10, the CBS affiliate in Lafayette, Louisiana. He quickly became one of the KLFY's top shooters on a series called Wednesday Child, dedicated to finding loving parents seeking to adopt a child or children in need of care. And thank you for that, your commitment in that area. In 1986, he moved to Seattle, Washington, attended and completed courses at the Bally School of Broadcasting. He returned to Lafayette to hone his craft at the top stations there and KLFY-TV10 where he worked in the production department. His duties required some training as a technical director, audio operator, floor director, studio camera operator, and master control operator. And in 1993, he joined KA-TV in Lafayette as a photojournalist, editor, and live truck operator. Now in 1996, we're here to celebrate today that he began a new journey working at ABC26, WGNO-TV in New Orleans. His journey would take him to new advantages as a photojournalist, covering high-profile crimes, politics, sports, and weather, including Hurricane Katrina and also the terror of the New Year's Day attack, 2025. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Patrick Thomas was appointed WGNO's first African-American chief photographer. And in his career, he's been honored by the Press Club of New Orleans and the Louisiana Associated Press Broadcasters Association. Some of Patrick Thomas' favorite stories include being on Barack Obama's campaign trail, getting the chance to fly onto the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, and covering the 2010 New Orleans Saints Super Bowl win in Miami. He served at WGNO for 30 years before his retirement. He's a loving husband, grandfather of seven grandchildren, and is currently awaiting the arrival of his first great-granddaughter. Congratulations in advance. Thank you, Mr. Thomas, for many decades of service. Thank you for being here in the city of New Orleans since 1996 for 30 years. And thank you for being a trailblazer and a true and consummate professional in your job. We appreciate that. Can we all give a round of applause to Mr. Thomas? Applause Mr. Thomas, just a few words from you and introduce who is with you, please. Yes, this is my church mother, founder's wife of Philippi Evangelistic Church of God in Christ, Mother Annette Albert. She's been a really important light in my life ever since I've been here for a while. Her husband passed away right after Katrina, and she's been there like my mother that she passed away several years ago. But she's been so much enlightening to me. But for me, this has been an awesome journey for me. Started in 81. Like I said, did not know this would take me this far. Was not expecting it. Being the first sometimes can weigh on you, but that was never my intent to look at it as the first.
My intent was to make sure that I did what I needed to do for my team, for my station, for the city, and telling the stories that I love. And that's where I am. I'm passionate about what I do and what I did by telling the stories here in New Orleans and in the surrounding areas. To me, there's no other job like it. I've met many people. A lot of you I met, so doing stories. Some okay, some not maybe, but that's the business. That is the business. And I loved it, and I still love it, and I'm going to miss it, but this will give me a little bit more time to go fishing. We're going to miss you after seeing you here in New Orleans for 30 years and then in your profession for the last 45 years plus. Again, it's always been a pleasure to see you at work, and thank you for, again, being that trailblazer but being such a professional and so great at the work that you do. Thank you very much, and enjoy your retirement. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. We'll come down and take a photo with you, and I have a proclamation which mentions everything that I just mentioned, so I don't have to repeat it. I'm going to present it to you with honor. Thank you very much for being here today. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I move that we go into executive session. Madam Clerk, seconded by Councilmember Harris. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, we're in executive session. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
HDLC Appeal: Nicole Weber ARC Recommendation for 3636 St. Charles Avenue
HDLC, will you brief us on your report? Can you hear me? This is an appeal of ARC recommendation for the renovation of a contributing rated building located in St. Charles Avenue, full control local historic district. At the August 18, 2026 ARC meeting, the applicant presented several design options. Option four was selected and approved with a maximum balcony depth of four feet, which is shown here on the presentation. Also, as part of the proposed modifications and additions to the exterior envelope of the building, a cornered infill design was previously discussed at the February 24, 2026 ARC meeting. At that time, the ARC recommended extending the proposed brick facade along St. Charles Avenue to the corner and continuing the same treatment around onto Antonine Street so the corner would read as a seamless continuation of the St. Charles Avenue facade. The ARC also recommended that the corner not read as a separate third element. The ARC selected option four because it maintains the building as two cohesive elements rather than creating a third distinct element at the corner. Option three creates a stronger separation at the corner and causes it to read as a third element, which is contrary to the ARC's previous recommendation. The applicant has indicated that the preference for option three is in part related to accommodating a temporary Mardi Gras viewing stand. The stand is only in place for a short period each year. A change to option three is not necessary to accommodate the stand as option four leaves the area open for the temporary viewing stand as it has been placed in previous years. The temporary use does not warrant changing the overall design or introducing a third element. Regarding the balcony depth, the applicant is also requesting to increase the depth from four foot maximum approved by the ARC to four feet, seven inches. The proposed balconies are cantilevered steel channel balconies painted to match the building with black metal railings to match the existing Antonine Street railing and composite decking. The HDLC guidelines note that balconies generally project three to four feet from the face of a building and typically do not include a roof structure above. The HDLC design guidelines also state that a balcony should not be constructed on a building type or style that typically would not have included one or in a configuration or location that is not appropriate for the building type. The ARC initially recommended a three foot balcony depth but compromised with the applicant to increase the depth to four feet. The ARC determined that balconies exceeding four feet would be out of scale on the building due to the relatively low floor to ceiling heights. The applicant provided photographs of balconies located further down St. Charles Avenue as precedent to the requested four foot seven inch depth. However, in researching the case, staff discovered that those balconies were constructed in deviation of the four foot zero inch depth indicated in the stamped approved plans. The HDLC staff respectfully request that City Council uphold the denial and require the owner to adhere to the recommendations of the ARC and Commission. Thank you. Thank you so much. I rarely ever turn to HDLC but this is the Superior Grove building located at 3636 St. Charles Avenue. This motion overrules HDLC decision of denial of an applicant's appeal of the ARC recommendations regarding the renovation. This motion also approves the additional seven inches to the maximum balcony depth as requested by the applicant and modifies the approval to address the window panel options. With that, I've moved. I need a second. All in favor? Oh gosh. Okay. All in favor? All right. Six yays. Thank you.
Zoning Docket 7526: Withdrawn
Item 2, legislative group and zoning docket 7526 along with motion line over M2644 has been withdrawn at the request of the applicant.
Zoning Docket 8126: Cafe Malou / Octavia Books Reversion to HU-RD2
Item 3, legislative group and zoning docket 8126, city council motion M26439 by Councilmember McCarran approving the applicant's request for zoning docket 8126. Thank you, Madam Clerk. CPC? Thank you, Councilmember. This is a follow-up application to a recent zoning change affecting this site, which is the property of Cafe Malou and Octavia Books. That allowed Cafe Malou to add alcohol sales to their menu to support their restaurant operation. That was done with the expectation, I believe, that the zoning would then be reverted back to the original residential zoning, making the restaurant's alcohol sales a non-conforming use, essentially as it was before. The Planning Commission was supportive of the original zoning change, recognizing the commercial history of this building, but is also supportive of this reversion back to residential, understanding the context in which it was made and the need to reach a happy medium with both the operator of the restaurant and the neighbors who are concerned about future potential commercial use. For those reasons, the Planning Commission recommends approval. Thank you. Members, this reverse zoning process is a direct result of the compromise that we made previously between neighbors and property owners in my office for this Cafe Malou space. Rezoning down to HU-RD2 eliminates concerns about future mixed uses that could go into that space, and the conditional use we approved a few months ago is a land entitlement, so it will not be impacted. Nothing else is changing from this. The hours remain 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the other provisos agreed upon by neighbors and Cafe Malou remain. If there are no questions, I move to approve M-26-439, seconded by Councilmember Harris. Vote your machines. Six yays, no nays. Thank you.
Zoning Docket 8326: 35-Foot Height Limit for Mississippi River Heritage Park
Item 4, Legislative Group and Zoning Docket 8326, City Council Motion M-26-268, requesting an amendment to the text of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance to amend Article 17, Figure 17-2, Maximum Building Height and Figure 17-3, Maximum Floor Area Ratio, to limit the allowable height to 35 feet for the property located on Square 26 in the First Municipal District. The site in question is an OSN Neighborhood Open Space District in the Central Business District near the Convention Center and the Mississippi River Bridge. The updates to Article 17 height maps will bring the site in line with other similar situated neighborhood parks in the CBD, the entirety of Square 26 in the First Municipal District, bounded by Convention Center Boulevard, Gianni Street, South Peter Street, and John Churchill Chase Street, Municipal Address 350, John Churchill Chase Street. The recommendation of the CPC being for approval. We have Motion M-26-443 by Councilmember Harris, approving the applicant's request for Zoning Docket 8326. Thank you, CPC. Will you brief us on your report? Sure. So this is for Mississippi River Heritage Park, which is adjacent to the forthcoming Omni site. In discussing the Omni project, that discussion sort of revealed that this park, despite being a park, has a floor area ratio limit that allows essentially 12 feet of height, so there's obviously a discrepancy between a park and that sort of height use, which would allow an office building. And so this is really just to correct that, bringing the height limit back to 35 feet, which is appropriate for parks and planning commission, recommends approval. Thank you. Any questions from the dais? If not, I'll move. Seconded by Councilmember Greene. Five yeas.
Zoning Docket 8726: CHOP Live Performance Venue
Item 8, legislative group and zoning docket 8726, 3157 CHOP LLC. Requesting a conditional use to permit a live performance venue in an MU1 medium-intensity mixed-use district on square 19, lot A in the 4th Municipal District, bounded by Harmony Street, Chapatula Street, 9th Street, and St. Thomas Street. Municipal address 3157 Chapatula Street. The recommendation of the CPC being for approval subject to one waive and three provisos. We have motion M26445 by Council Member Harris, approving the applicant's request for zoning docket 8726 subject to one waive and three provisos as recommended by the CPC. Thank you. CPC, will you brief us on your report? Sure. So this is a proposal to allow use of a former industrial building on Chapatulas as an entertainment venue for comedy shows, essentially. The structure is to, you know, historically industrial, it is now to be used as a restaurant in daytime hours, that's a permitted use, that's going forward, and in the evenings it would shift to a comedy club type of venue operated by Sports Drink, which is operated at another location in the city. The Planning Commission finds this to be appropriate. Part of the reason Chapatulas now has this vitality is that its industrial buildings are easily and well converted to breweries, entertainment venues, and those sorts of things. The Commission views this as being consistent with that and really enhancing the Chapatulas corridor and recommends approval. Thank you. Andrew, I have a card from you. Thank you all so much for taking the time. I'm the owner and proprietor of Sports Drink. Thank you so much to Councilmember Harris and Stephen with the CPC just for over the last about 18 months working with us and giving us as many answers as possible to continue this conditional use process. I think the biggest thing that we'd like to highlight is the goal of bringing up to 15 high-paying hospitality jobs that come with benefits, health care, things like that. Something that I think New Orleans has a great track record of and so we look to try and continue the standard that has been set down here by so many great hospitality groups to bring quality, quality jobs that are maintained within the city and within the district. Thank you. Thank you, Andrew. This motion approves the conditional use application to permit a live performance venue in an MU1 medium intensity mixed juice district. The site currently developed with two-story structure that was originally constructed to be a fire station but has no other use history. The applicant is proposing to convert the structure into a restaurant that will also serve as a live performance venue on some evenings. This application received overwhelming support at its MPP meeting and they also have a good neighbor agreement with the community. With that, I will move. Councilmember Caron has seconded. Thank you.
Zoning Docket 8826: Neighborhood Coffee Shop – 814 Poland Street
Item 9, legislative group and zoning docket 8826, voluntary property LLC requesting a conditional use to permit a neighborhood commercial establishment in an HMR3 historic marinated made by water residential district on square 238, lot 4 in the third municipal district bounded by Bugundy, LaSalle, Dauphine and Poland Street. Municipal address 814 Poland Street. The recommendation of the city planning being for approval subject to two provisos. We have motion M26449 by Councilmember King. Approving the applicant's request for zoning docket 8826 subject to two provisos as recommended by the CPC. Thank you, Madam Clerk. CPC, the floor is yours. Thank you, Councilmember. This is a proposal to adapt a historic residential structure into a coffee shop. The tool that's being used to do that is the neighborhood commercial establishment tool, which is usually used for historic corner store structures to allow them to be reused as very light, low intensity commercial uses like corner stores and the like. And that's being done here to allow this site to be used as a coffee shop. The planning commission received a lot of community support noting the importance of the particular coffee shops other location to the neighborhood. The commission also felt that this land use is appropriate given the redevelopment of the NSA site basically across the street and found that this is really given those considerations and appropriate land use and recommends approval. All right. Thank you. We have a couple of comment cards first from Reese Walker back. First, I'm the proprietor, James Malone. Sure. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. I'm the sole member of Bontaire property. I also own Petit Clouet Cafe in the Bywater and recommending approval of our proposed coffee shop. The CPC first considered the Fumo historic core. Their staff summary states a proposal will be consistent with the area and would achieve the zoning district goals would preserve both the integrity of the site and character of the neighborhood and that it is consistent with the master plan. They also considered the renovation and adaptive use of a property blighted and vacant since Katrina. From their summary, the proposal would introduce would reintroduce a vacant deteriorating property into the existing commercial activity on the block as well as adjoining blocks and that Poland Avenue is a wide bounding transit corridor which can support the activity. Paramount was the enthusiastic support from the neighborhood shown by a well attended MPP meeting with 28 positive comments of the 29 cards collected. 12 neighbors attended the CPC hearing to express support with no opposition. They also considered the immediate proximity to the and 15 letters of support including all abutting neighbors to neighborhood associations and over 200 signatures on our neighborhood petition. The neighborhood sees that the shop would contribute to the community as a nonalcohol pedestrian friendly hub providing daytime eyes on the street and nighttime cameras and lights. For these same reasons, we respectfully ask for your approval today. Got it. Thank you. Reese Walker. Hello. My name is Reese Walker. I'm a native of New Orleans product. New Orleans public schools and I live currently at 3044 Royal Street to the half a block away from Petit Clouet. I moved to the bywater from mid city about two years ago and I've just found that Petit Clouet is just a wonderful bright welcoming hub in the community. I met all my neighbors that I'm friends with now through Cafe Clouet. I happen to know that when anyone is having like that, there have been people in the neighborhood that had personal crises that were helped out professionally by other neighbors that they knew from the cafe. You know, when people get in trouble, they It's often a hub of community support. Just in general, there are you know, it's a lot of foot traffic there. People come by bike and it sort of contributes to the general sort of levity of the neighborhood that there seems to be something positive happening. happening all the time half a block from my house and I think having that in the neighborhood of Poland would equally benefit that neighborhood in terms of commerce and I can guarantee you and all of marketing literature whether public or private that has anything to do with the by water you're gonna see pictures of Petit Kluwet so I think it can bring the other neighborhoods same benefits it's brought mine thank you thank you mr. Walker Ali Duffy hello I'm Ali Duffy and I live at 828 Poland which is three doors down from this proposed site I've lived there for eight years I just want to say something for myself personally and then I have a couple of comments from the abutting neighbors to read so I fully support this project completely we do have big changes at this end of Poland as you know with the naval base being transformed and I think it can only be good for all of us who already live there to have a lovely welcoming functional well-organized place run by a proven trustworthy proprietor who really cares about the community and we've seen that with Petit Kluwet so you know I'm absolutely certain it's going to continue so that's me and then I've got a comment from Jenny reuse who lives on beside Poland on the 814 on the left side she's at 808 10 she says as the next-door neighbor for the past 26 years I've watched the house at 814 sit vacant and deteriorate for years it deserves to be restored and put to good use I'm confident this project will be a positive addition as someone who lives immediately next door I strongly support this proposal and respectfully ask you to approve it Nancy Tullis lives on the other side 816 818 she says I have owned and lived next door to the subject property for 20 years I've watched the property again deteriorate from neglect by an out-of-state owner to being completely uninhabitable and vacant I'm fully concerned convinced mr.
Malone cares about being a good neighbor and will ensure it as a positive presence and will not negatively impact us and Natalie Jones lives directly across the street at 813 Poland she says I've lived at that address since 2004 I'm writing in support of Crawford Malone's effort to secure and open a cafe on Poland of petite clouette is proof of a solid state tasteful neighborhood cafe that serves its community I welcome his effort thank you Jane hi everyone Jane Stengem I live at 1027 Poland and I'm happy to be here today to just show my commitment to this and great interest in this cafe opening on our street I'm here because I've known Crawford for 10 years and I know that he is the right person to bring a warm welcoming spot to our neighborhood he knows how to build a successful business but even more importantly he really knows how to build community and that's something that we will really enjoy I think of probably many of you know that over the years our beautiful treeline Street Poland and Poland Avenue has had its share of difficulties this includes the 2011 closure of the Naval Support Center and the years of neglect we lived with with that there is an ongoing threat for us living there from the Army Corps of Engineers to expand the canal which is stressful and then there was the two-year closure of our fire station in 2023 which occurred really during some pretty dark and hard times with the Naval Center so now with the renovation of the naval building and the reopening of the fire station the neighborhood is clearly transforming and the timing to open a cozy beautifully run neighborhood coffee shop I believe is now it will be a welcoming spot for those of us that live there but importantly it is going to be a very nice welcoming spot for us to meet our new neighbors who are moving into the naval base the last thing I would say is that Crawford is about community as you all heard will hear and he is planning has organized a central neutral ground cleanup which we will be attending on October 24th so we thank him for that too thank you last name Rivera our new for Rivera 1627 Renee Street good morning members of the New Orleans City Council thank you for your diligence continued service to our city I'm a resident of the lower ninth Ward I'm speaking today in strong support of the zoning variance requested by Crawford Malone for a coffee shop at 814 Poland Avenue as I stated to the Planning Commission last month New Orleans has long thrived on the strength of its walkable mixed-use neighborhoods growing up in the ninth Ward we supported small businesses for a very long time whether it was the old burger Orleans on St. Claude the skateland poor boys from Jack Dempsey's or the moms and grandmas selling frozen cups pickles snowballs operating out of their sidescreen doors approving this variance honors that legacy by breathing new life into an underutilized property and transforming it into a vibrant asset for the community and visitors alike this proposed coffee shop will serve as a vile community hub a walkable neighborhood gathering space a place to get a treat and a pick-me-up to take a break before continuing with the rest of the day a coffee shop in this community brings together brings together people which is vital to New Orleans culture history economy and its future having personally experienced the past five years of high standards set by Crawford and his professional team of baristas at La Petite Cloet I know they are deeply committed to being responsible neighbors I've seen their day-to-day execution of a neighborhood business and I like what I see it's low impact operations proactive site management and the economic reinvestment my neighbors and friends on both sides of the canal are overwhelming overwhelmingly supportive of this vision we want a safe walkable community space with high quality food and coffee this variance is a thoughtful small-scale investment in the social fabric economic health and cultural well-being of our community I respectfully ask the City Council for your approval of them all right thank you any other comments and it comes with this on our line this is a condition of use request to permit a neighborhood commercial establishment specifically a neighborhood coffee shop in an old abandoned shotgun on Poland the applicant Mr. Crawford Malone owns the popular Petite Cloet cafe on the other side of the bywater and he would like to open a similar concept at this site now but this application enjoys a recommendation of approval from the City Planning Commission and our office has not received any comment in opposition in addition I would note that the number of residents who turn out in support of this request at the CPC hearing was impressive with this I move adoption I get a second say about Councilman Harris all in favor 78s no names thank you
Zoning Docket 9026: Short-Term Rental in St. Claude / Marigny
Item 11 legislative group and zoning docket 9026 bowline Co LLC requesting a conditional use the permit a commercial short-term rental and an HMC to historic marina Tremé bywater commercial district in the transient lodging interim zoning district on square 369 lab B in part 7 in the third municipal district bounded by st. Claude Avenue st. Rock Avenue not around 4th Street and music Street municipal address 24 or 4 through 6 st. Claude Avenue the recommendation of the CPC being for the now well motion m-26 448 by councilmember King Approving the applicant's request for zoning docket 9026 subject to two provisos as recommended by the CPC. CPC, the floor is yours. Thank you, Councilmember. This is a proposal to use a historic residential structure on St. Claude in a mixed-use zoning district, the HMC2 district, as a short-term rental. Of course, St. Claude is a vibrant commercial corridor that has a mix of residential and commercial uses, and some of those commercial uses are hotels and short-term rentals and the like. So the staff was supportive of the proposal. However, the commission was not. The commission, similar to an item earlier, is very reluctant to endorse commercial short-term rentals because they would receive a permanent zoning entitlement that would carry over even if new regulations are adopted. And so the Planning Commission in general has been quite concerned about doing that and recommends denial for that reason. Thank you. We have a caller from South Hall. Good morning, everyone. Justin Frank, South Hall organizing communication manager at Gene Place. We oppose this in part because this is a very key part of our city that can house hospitality workers. We hear from bar owners, restaurant owners, they can't keep enough staff. Their staff are commuting from deep in the east, now from Metairie, the West Bank, and this is a prime location next to excellent transit, a line that runs 24 hours, that has amenities that working class and middle class families and individuals need. We're also starting to look at analysis and starting to do research about the impact of the Omni Hotel, and just thinking about the fact that our hotels and our bed and breakfasts exist in the Marini and 8th Ward and 9th Ward, all the neighborhoods around there. So that's one of the reasons why we oppose this, along with many of the neighbors nearby. I really don't have much to add, so thank you. Thank you. Additional use requests to permit a commercial short-term rental on St. Claude. Such a property is uniquely situated at the intersection of several commercial establishments, including St. Rock Market, the Healing Center, and Honey's Coffee Shop. Additionally, this application enjoys the support of CPC staff, and our office has not received any opposition with this move of adoption. Who else? Did I miss someone else? I have a motion by Council Member Greene, 6 yeas, 5 nays, 6 yeas, 1 nay, thank you.
Canal Street Planning Motions: Public Hearing on Canal Street Amendments
Motion M26441 by council members Morrell, Willard, Harris, and King by request. Directing the City Planning Commission to conduct a public hearing to consider amendments to the comprehensive zoning ordinance based on recommendations from the 2025 Canal Street Progress Report. Sadie Finkel from the Mayor's Office to present. Good morning, City Council and members of the public. I wanna thank you so much for allowing me to speak today in support of this motion...
Election Resolution: Real Timbers Crime Prevention District
Item 32, resolution R26446 by Council Member King, a resolution calling an election in Real Timbers Crime Prevention and Improvement District for April 17th, 2027. Whatever. Thank you, Mayor and Clerk. This resolution calls for an election on April 17th for registered voters within the Real Timbers Crime Prevention and Improvement District. The election will allow voters to approve or reject an annual parcel fee designed to fund local crime prevention and quality of life initiatives with dismal adoptions. Second by Council Member Harris. Seven yays, no nays, thank you.
Real-Time Polling Location Changes (Temporary) for Elections
Item 33, motion M26451 by Council Member Green, establishing polling locations as an emergency temporary polling location for specified precincts within the Parish of Orleans for the upcoming U.S. Senate General Open U.S. Representatives Primary Election on November 3rd, 2026, and the Open U.S. Representative General Open General Special Primary Election on December 12th, 2026. The motion speaks for itself. It temporarily relocates the polling place for Ward 7, Precincts 25 and 25A from Beacon Light Baptist Church to the Bastion Center at 1825 Miracle, and this change follows Beacon Light's sale and uncertainty about its availability. The change is expected to be permanent, but that requires a subsequent motion, which I will introduce at the appropriate time, but I've moved and asked for your support. It's been seconded by Council Member McCarran. Members, please vote your machines. Seven yeas. Thank you for your support.
Executive Session
I move that we go into executive session. Madam Clerk, seconded by Councilmember Harris. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, we're in executive session. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.