[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Issues Permits, Avoids Massive Fines

[Westley Annis]

Well, guess it's time to keep at least one patrol car by each project so
they're ready to go.





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	St. Bernard Parish Issues Permits, Avoids Massive Fines
	
	Residents Cleared To Move In At Four Apartment Complexes
	
	POSTED: 11:43 am CST December 23, 2011
	
	CHALMETTE, La. -- St. Bernard Parish officials say they have issued
	occupancy permits to four mixed-income apartment complexes in
Chalmette. A
	federal judge had threatened to fine the parish $50,000 a day unless
it
	approved the permits so the apartments could be rented.
	
	Parish councilman Frank Auderer Jr. said Friday that the permits
were issued
	to comply with U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan's order. The
permits mean
	people can live in the apartments, which have been under
construction.
	
	The apartments have been the center of a legal fight pitting the New
Orleans
	suburb against federal authorities and housing advocates.
	
	"Well, this is incredible," James Perry said, calling the move an
early
	Christmas present. "I think people will be able to move in over next
few
	days."
	
	But some in parish government called the repeated rulings against
St.
	Bernard a strike against home rule.
	
	"As a municipality, we lost our right to govern ourselves and
actually were
	governed by the bench," parish council member Wayne Landry told
WDSU.
	
	After Hurricane Katrina, the parish tried to restrict the number of
new
	multi-family apartments. Berrigan shot down those efforts, saying
they
	discriminated against African-Americans.
	
	Fair housing advocates spearheaded the fight to complete the
complexes,
	which were built by Provident Realty. The company must have its
units in
	service by Dec. 31 to qualify for federal low-income housing tax
credits.
	
	The developments are Magnolia Park, Parc Place, Riverview and The
Woodlands.
	
	Read more:
http://www.wdsu.com/news/30064175/detail.html#ixzz1hQYy4wjN