New Orleans needs to hit the brakes on proposed zoning amendments

New Orleans has been through a lot of political and physical upheaval since 2005 and the days after Hurricane Katrina. But there is much that hasn't changed at all. Because so much of our city—nearly 80 percent—was harmed by the levee breaks following Katrina, it made sense to give the updating of the City Zoning Ordinance and the attendant Master Plan a lot of attention since the storm. And to some extent, that happened. The City of New Orleans held many months-worth of town hall meetings on the proposed changes to how we develop and conduct business within the Parish of Orleans, and the written law itself -- the CZO -- has been debated for more than a year. That’s why it is disappointing to so many who were involved in this process from day one to see the City Council accept last minute amendments to the CZO that tilt towards the interests of developers, hard-partying tourists, and influence-peddlers of one order or another, and disadvantage the needs of long-time taxpayers and residents who live and work here, day in and day out. This is especially true as it concerns an issue I have worked on for years, i.e. the noise and rowdyism in the ...