On Saturday, May 17, the City of New Orleans Division of Housing and Code Enforcement will conduct a housing code enforcement inspection sweep throughout the Freret target area. Dr. Edward Blakely, Executive Director of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, and District B Councilmember Stacy Head will attend the sweep.
The sweep will begin at 9:30 a.m. (rain or shine) at the Freret Market at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Freret Street and will cover a longitudinal area from South Robertson Street to Loyola Avenue and a latitudinal distance from Napoleon Avenue to Jefferson Avenue. The will Division of Housing and Code Enforcement, which is a part of the Office of Recovery and Development Administration (ORDA), will conduct the sweep as part of an effort to enforce the city's newly enhanced anti-blight and public nuisance laws.
"Tomorrow's housing inspection sweep in the Freret neighborhood is a proactive effort to engage our citizens in the recovery process," said Dr. Blakely. "The effectiveness of our neighborhood stabilization efforts is dependent upon the level and quality of civic participation we receive."
The Code Enforcement Department conducts neighborhood sweeps to identify unoccupied properties that remain blighted and are a nuisance to the city's recovery process. Owners whose properties are found in violation of blight are issued citations via mail. Owners who receive citations are subject to a hearing, which typically takes place approximately 45-60 days following the receipt of the citation. Those later declared blighted properties are subject to daily fines and penalties between $100 and $500 per day.
The detailed process was established to encourage owners of unoccupied properties to keep the exteriors of their buildings in good condition and control the landscaping around the structures.
"In addition to neighborhood stabilization, the Freret neighborhood is an excellent model demonstrating how several of our city's recovery policies are simultaneously taking place in one target area," said Dr. Blakely. "We have economic development, public infrastructure and neighborhood development policies all coalescing to produce growth and progress at the neighborhood level."
ORDA division leaders and staff members will be on site prior and during the sweep to respond to questions regarding the Code Enforcement process. The public is invited to attend the media event to learn more about city's efforts to diminish blight and revitalize neighborhoods.
(Press release from City of New Orleans)
