[StBernard] Home-raising requests raise ire in St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

I'll submit this for thought.  It's not so much an opinion but rather an
observation on folks who have already been down this road.  After Hurricane
Andrew destroyed Homestead, Florida there was much argument and debate just
as we are going through as to the aesthetic requirements of the homes to be
built after the storm.

The town leaders decided on the plan where the exterior wall of the house
would extend to a slab on the ground, giving the appearance of a two or
three story home.  And as with us, people there were in an uproar  about
it - and for the same reasons we are bringing up now - the added cost, etc.
But, within about three years after the pill was forced down everyone's
throat, a survey was taken as to how the resients of Homestead now felt
about the new building codes.  There was little to no disapproval.  It
seemed everyone came around to agreeing it was in fact the best way to go.

Now, does that mean we should take the same route and in time hope everyone
will come around to being happy with it....no, not necessarily.  But I do
think we should at least take a lesson from what the folks of Homestead did.
In the very least let me throw this out as a suggestion: how about when you
apply for the permit to build your new raised home (or to raise your present
home) and submit your plan, and accompanying the plan must include the
specific design on how you are going to enclose the area below the house -
and if they plans are approved, you then have x number of months to finish
the job.  This way, those folks who don't have the funds to initially
complete the enclosure will be given sufficient time to do so.  Of course,
you would have to include in such rebuilding codes penalties for those who
do not comply within the set time period - and naturally I'm talking about
at least a couple of years.  And it would be understood any home sold during
that "completion period" would have the responsibility of completing the
enclosure pass to the next owner to adhere to the same deadline.

A planning commission can set guidelines for acceptable enclosure designs,
methods, the type of materials that can be used, etc.  Then each plan would
require approval by the proper parish department.

I think this is a reasonable compromise.  Of course, it would likely require
the parish beefing up its inspections department, but that could be paid for
through the permit fee.

John Scurich