[StBernard] New rules set for raised homes

[Westley Annis]

What I am about to say is not only my professional opinion, but I think
everyone will come to agree it is fact.  In this T-P article there was the
following:

"This week's effort to add specific requirements to the building code comes
after Chalmette lawyer V.J. Dauterive filed a lawsuit in state court last
month contending that the issuance of about six parish permits for elevated
homes on exposed piers had lowered the value of adjacent property by not
retaining the neighborhood's integrity."

This is incorrect, simply because there is absolutely no way to determine if
property values had truly been impacted by the raised home in such a short
time.  In order to make such a determination you need to do what is called a
thorough "market analysis" which takes at least a good 12 month period AND
you must have numerous sales in the given area of the analysis.  Otherwise,
there is insufficient data to draw conclusions.

I have sat down and worked with several local lenders to try and
"guesstimate" what property values are going to do over the next year, two
years, etc.  In fact, a few of these lenders are using the model I came up
with back in January to determine whether or not a property (sales price
with renovation cost) is a good investment and if they should loan the money
to the borrower.  Still, even I can't say for certain what property values
will "definitely" do, simply because there haven't been enough sales or
enough time to draw more accurate conclusions.

Mr. Dauterive says property values fell when some people in his neighborhood
raised their homes.  They did?  Gee, I'd like to how many sales took place
in his neighborhood before the homes were raised - and the selling prices of
each - then I'd like to know the same information on sales "after" these
homes were raised.  After all, that is the ONLY way you can even begin to
make an analysis.  I'd be shocked if there was more than a small handful of
transfers (sales) in his neighborhood since Katrina.

I am NOT making this point to criticise Mr. Dauterive or anyone else for
that matter.  I'm only trying to explain that it is far, far too early to
draw conclusions.  This is like trying to predict the outcome of an election
with less than one percent of the vote tallied.  Now, if the other owners in
his neighborhood simply do not want to see the aesthetic change take place,
then that's altogether something different.  Each neighborhood (especially
if there is a homeowner's association) has the right to try and set
guidelines for what it will and won't accept.

John Scurich


----- Original Message -----

>

> New rules set for raised homes

>

> Council: Exposed piers ruin look of area Wednesday, June 07, 2006 By 

> Karen Turni Bazile St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau

>

> St. Bernard Parish property owners who want to elevate their homes 

> more

than

> 5 feet higher in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's widespread flooding 

> must comply with new guidelines passed at Tuesday's Parish Council

meeting.

>

> Under those guidelines, homeowners choosing to elevate must enclose 

> their ground-level floors rather than leaving exposed wooden piers 

> that would create a camp-style look in traditional neighborhoods of slab

houses.

>

> More than a dozen speakers at the meeting spoke in favor of the 

> enclosed ground-floor requirement.

>

> Parish Councilman Craig Taffaro, who sponsored the measure, also 

> proposed allowing brick or similarly covered pilings to have 

> latticework on the ground floor, but most of the speakers and several 

> council members wanted

to

> require a solid surface.

>

> Councilman Mark Madary told the council it was important to require 

> homeowners to enclose all four sides with a solid material because 

> local insurance officials told him some homeowners insurance policies 

> would not cover property built on exposed piers taller than 4 feet.

>

> "If we don't make them have some enclosure, they may not be able to 

> get insurance," Madary said. "Personally, just latticework is 

> insufficient. I don't think it adds the closure part I was hoping to

accomplish."

>

> Only developer Terry Tedesco cautioned the council against 

> implementing costly requirements. The council in November passed a 

> general measure

saying

> homes being rebuilt after Katrina should be built to previous standards.

>

> This week's effort to add specific requirements to the building code 

> comes after Chalmette lawyer V.J. Dauterive filed a lawsuit in state 

> court last month contending that the issuance of about six parish 

> permits for

elevated

> homes on exposed piers had lowered the value of adjacent property by 

> not retaining the neighborhood's integrity.

>

> At Dauterive's request, District Judge Manny Fernandez issued a

restraining

> order May 12, prohibiting parish officials from issuing more permits 

> for elevated homes until the council could craft specific requirements.

>

> Dauterive has said he only wanted the parish to come up with specific 

> requirements and likely would drop the suit after those requirements 

> were crafted by the council.

>

> The measure the council ultimately approved Tuesday after lengthy 

> public debate applies to property owners inside the levee system who 

> choose to raise their homes by more than 5 feet.

>

> Such homes must be enclosed on all sides with various types of 

> materials spelled out in the new law, including brick or stucco.

>

> Although several residents showed up at last month's public hearing 

> saying they feared costly new requirements, only Tedesco voiced any 

> concerns Tuesday.

>

> Instead, about a dozen people said the parish should enact standards 

> to protect current property owners, and if people trying to rebuild 

> are concerned about the costs of elevating with the new standards, 

> they should downsize their square footage to ensure a good presentation to

the street.

>

> The law also requires vented skirting on homes raised less than 5 feet.

> Councilman Lynn Dean was the only council member to oppose additional 

> requirements for elevated homes because he said dictating such 

> specifics

to

> property owners is wrong.

>

> "What right do you have to say how a house should look?" Dean said. 

> "If I was a smart politician, I would go and shut my mouth."

>

> But Charlie Ponstein, a former two-term parish president who lives in 

> Chalmette, spoke in favor of the restrictions and told council members 

> it was their job to write specific laws to back up their intent to 

> protect current property values for slab homes.

>