[StBernard] La Housing Finance Multi-Family Housing Committee Cancels St. Bernard Tour on Monday/Public meeting at 5:15 p.m. still to be held

[Westley Annis]

LA Housing Finance Multi-Family Housing Committee Cancels St. Bernard Tour

Public still invited to discuss issue with parish officials during Monday
5:15 p.m. meeting 

 

Despite a scheduled tour and confirmed itinerary for a public comment
meeting with the Louisiana Housing Finance Authority Subcommittee on
Multi-Family Housing, the members have cancelled their visit on Monday, July
13, St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro, Jr. said.

 

"We are extremely disappointed that the board's visit has been delayed,"
President Taffaro said. "We believe it is critical that this visit and
interaction with the public of St. Bernard be accomplished. The meeting with
the landlords and civic leaders as well as the meeting with the public at
5:15 p.m. on Monday, July 13 will still be held because we believe it's
important to continue this dialog." 

 

Councilman Wayne Landry added, "I want to continue to pursue a dialog with
the members of the board so we can go over the anomalies in their
statistics, which could cause St. Bernard devastating financial harm. I am
optimistic that we will be able to get together in the near future."

 

President Taffaro, on behalf of the St. Bernard Parish Government and Parish
Council, requested the tour and established the itinerary after he and
Council members Wayne Landry, George Cavignac, and Fred Everhardt attended
the LHFA multi-family subcommittee meeting last month in Baton Rouge. The
St. Bernard contingency requested that the subcommittee make the trip to St.
Bernard Parish in hopes of providing a greater depth of understanding of the
housing market challenges and conditions that are specific to the recovering
community.

 

The visit by the multi-family committee members has been requested as a
result of ongoing and growing opposition to four 72 unit low income housing
units scheduled to be placed in St. Bernard Parish, three in District A and
one in District B.  A critical aspect of the developments includes the link
between the developments and the tax credits awarded to the Provident group
which makes the developments possible.  The developers of the apartment
complexes have challenged St. Bernard's stance in federal court and have
been granted support and some relief by Federal District Court Judge Ginger
Berrigan.  Currently, the request for the re-subdivision of the land which
will house each of the four developments is under consideration by the St.
Bernard Parish Planning Commission.