New Orleans Neighborhoods Partnership Network

Master Planning for Neighborhoods in New Orleans

A master plan can be simply defined as a tool to guide the future development in an area. The State of Louisiana requires that a master plan shall be adopted to guide the physical development of a municipality or parish (Louisiana Revised Statue 33:106). The City of New Orleans is currently in the process of updating and revising its Master Plan and Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO).

Master planning on the neighborhood level can be utilized for many purposes including:

• To establish a vision for the community.
• To facilitate maintenance and upgrading of the neighborhood.
• To encourage the development of vacant or under-utilized property.
• To ameliorate the adverse effects of incompatible mixture of uses.
• To serve as a decisive framework for future land use and development decisions in the area.

An advantage of neighborhood planning is the opportunity for residents to serve as major stakeholders in helping to create a plan that will be practical and relevant in dealing with neighborhood problems. A master plan should contain a specific citizen participation component which can clearly define procedures to guide citizen and neighborhood involvement in the planning process.

Neighborhood participation with respect to planning issues is sometimes reactive in nature and limited to a handful of neighbors showing up at public hearings. However, neighborhood participation in the planning process should be proactive and can take on many forms such as:

• Proposing changes, if any, to permitted land uses within the neighborhood.
• Proposals regarding regulations for the remodeling of existing buildings and structures, application of performance standards and application of site plan review procedures.
• Providing recommendations as to the social services needed in the area.
• Contributing to other essential elements of the plan which may be unique to this area or particular neighborhoods within the area.

In the summer of 2008 the City of New Orleans will begin the process of updating and revising the Master Plan and Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance. It is important for neighborhoods to remain up-to-date about this process as there will be many opportunities for individual and neighborhood participation.

Created By: Villavaso and Associates, LLC