[StBernard] New rules set for raised homes

[Westley Annis]

The proof that St. Bernard is being repopulated with IDIOTS.  Greedy idiots,
at that.

Sam


> -----------------------------------------------------

>

> 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.

>