[StBernard] St. Bernard is awarded $60,000

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard is awarded $60,000
Thursday, September 18, 2008St. Bernard bureau
The St. Bernard Community Foundation has awarded $60,000 to St. Bernard
Parish government, which will allow the parish to hire a consulting firm to
rewrite the parish's zoning regulations in an effort to simplify the
rebuilding process for officials and private developers. 

Donald Poland Consulting, of Hartford, Conn., will update and modernize the
regulations by the end of the year, according to a news release from the St.
Bernard Community Foundation. 

Under the effort, a design development district will be created to introduce
mixed uses and the latest in "smart codes" along major entryways and
high-traffic areas, such as Judge Perez Drive near Jackson Barracks, the St.
Bernard Highway gateway, the parish government complex area and Village
Square. 

The new designs will allow the parish to phase in more pedestrian-friendly,
mixed use development without excessive, complicated requirements that could
slow the rate of reinvestment. The approval and permitting processes also
will be streamlined. 

The St. Bernard Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Greater New
Orleans Foundation.