[StBernard] Dana's St. Bernard Voice Article - Facts on Provident

[Westley Annis]

Dear All,
 
In case you didn't read it in last week's St. Bernard Voice, the following
is my response to St. Bernard Parish being forced, by Judge Berrigan, to
issue the Occupancy Certificates to Provident Realty.  Please feel free to
pass it on.
 
Thank you all for your interest and support.
 
Dana Arcement
 
**********************************************
 
IT'S TIME YOU KNOW...
 
Judge Berrigan's "judicial threat" to fine St. Bernard Parish government
$50,000.00 per day unless Provident's certificates of occupancy are issued
is absolutely outrageous and clearly shows the partial, biased and liberal
agenda, in favor of Provident Realty and the G.N.O.F.H.A.C, and against St.
Bernard Parish, that Judge Berrigan has displayed all throughout this entire
matter.  There is a positive thing about the certificates of occupancy
having been issued, however, and that is all Judge Berrigan's biased,
partial and liberal judgments and motives can now, finally, be reviewed by
unbiased, impartial and non-liberal judges who sit on the Court of Appeals,
judges who, hopefully, will see this entire matter for what it truly has
always been about, judges who will do what is legally right and reverse all
of Judge Berrigan's unjust, and outrageous decisions that have irresponsibly
and falsely tainted the Parish of St. Bernard, and its citizens, as being
racists, simply because they opposed Provident's mixed-income apartments.
In my opinion, I think this entire matter is an abuse of federal Fair
Housing laws and blatant abuse of a federal judge's power.  If these
judgments are allowed to remain, they will be setting huge and dangerous
legal precedents for future judgments.  That's what makes this case so
serious.
 
While the facts have been totally distorted and ignored, under the guise of
racial discrimination, the truth of the matter is a dozen real reasons for
the opposition to these apartments have always been as follows:  
 
1) These apartments simply are not needed, and local MLS market data clearly
confirms this fact.  St. Bernard Parish has a tremendous amount of
affordable rental property, scattered all throughout the entire parish, and
to insist on building 288 un-needed apartments will have a huge, detrimental
impact on the current local real estate market, including impacting all the
individual property owners who are already financially struggling to keep
their properties occupied and keep themselves out of foreclosure.
 
2) These apartments are opposed because Louisiana individual property
owners, of both single and multi-family property, should not be forced to
pay taxes so that their own state can then turn around and give $30 million
of "their" LA tax credits and $20 million of "their" CDBG funds to a
"private (for-profit) developer" from Dallas, Texas, to build 288 new
apartments that will over-saturate the local rental market in their
community, and then those very same individual property owners then have to
compete with that "private (for-profit) developer" from Dallas, Texas in
terms of attracting and maintaining  a very limited amount of tenants, in a
community that is still trying to recover from a devastating hurricane that
happened six years ago.  This, too, is a form of blatant abuse, perpetuated
against not only St. Bernard Parish taxpayers but against ALL Louisiana
taxpayers. Everyone should be opposed to this outrageous government waste
and abuse.
 
3)  These apartments were built not because they were so needed.  They were
built so that a select few "powerful, privileged and politically connected,"
namely, the Meraux Foundation, and the Torres/Randazzo families, could sell
their land to Provident Realty, in a "packaged, sweetheart deal," for $4
million dollars, an amount that has recently been proven, by independent
appraisal, to have been $1,450,000.00 MORE THAN FAIR MARKET VALUE. These
over-inflated land sales were funded by the above-described Louisiana
taxpayer credits, the Louisiana taxpayer CDBG money, and a taxpayer-backed
Fannie Mae loan.  This misuse of taxpayer money is outrageous, totally
unacceptable, and another reason why these apartments are so opposed.
 
4)  These apartments are opposed because at the very same time individual,
multi-family property owners in the Village Square neighborhood were
specifically told by officials that they could not rebuild their
multi-family properties after Hurricane Katrina, Provident Realty was
engaged in "backroom meetings" with local government officials, and
so-called neighborhood leaders, receiving the "Royal treatment," and
obtaining approval to build their 288 multi-family apartments.
 
5)  These apartments are opposed because Provident Realty irresponsibly let
their local building permits expire and then just started building, WITHOUT
legal building permits and WITHOUT legal building inspections, while
jeopardizing their neighbors' and the public's safety.
 
6)  These apartments are opposed because while the Parc Place site consisted
of inhabited wetlands, Provident didn't even have the proper wetland permits
needed to begin construction, yet they bulldozed and destroyed those
wetlands, whenever and however they wanted, with total disregard to any
precious wildlife that were inhabiting the property.
 
7)  These apartments are opposed because of the fact that they have already
devalued adjoining property.
 
8)  These apartments are opposed because State and local building codes were
not followed which resulted in many construction deficiencies, all
throughout the building phase, including major drainage issues, that are
still negatively affecting adjoining property.
 
9)  These apartments, and their developer, are opposed because while
Provident Realty was too busy playing the race card against St. Bernard
Parish, they, in fact, were the ones who were in violation of federal Fair
Housing laws in the way they were advertising.
 
10)  These apartments are opposed because they DID NOT provide a $60 million
dollar economic impact for St. Bernard Parish, as has been erroneously
stated by James Perry, Executive Director for the GNOFHAC, one of the
plaintiffs who falsely accused and sued St. Bernard Parish for racial
discrimination.  Instead, these apartments provided a $60 million dollar
economic windfall to Dallas, Texas, and other areas, due to the fact that
Provident Realty hired subcontractors and laborers from OUTSIDE St. Bernard
Parish, and Provident Realty also "trucked-in" the loads of building
materials from not only OUTSIDE St. Bernard Parish but from OUTSIDE the
State of Louisiana. 
 
11)  These apartments are opposed because while the overwhelmingly majority
of residents in St. Bernard Parish are opposed to them because of all the
legitimate, factual reasons stated above, they were still forced upon us,
against our will, and under the ugly, false claim called racial
discrimination.
 
12)  These apartments are opposed because Provident Realty received $60
million in Louisiana taxpayer credits, Louisiana CDBG money and a
taxpayer-backed Fannie Mae loan, to build 288 un-needed and unwanted
"apartments," an outrageous amount of money that equates to $208,000.00 per
750 to 1,145 sq. ft. "apartment unit," in apartment complexes that feature
built-in saltwater swimming pools, custom playgrounds, underground sprinkler
systems, gated entrances, 24 hr. security guards, clubhouses, professional
landscaping, while individual property owners struggled and begged to
receive as much as they could of the maximum $150,000.00 offered them from
the state's Road Home Program following Hurricane Katrina to rebuild or
purchase homes that don't have anywhere near the above-described luxury
amenities in Provident's apartments.  While many individual St. Bernard
property owners, of all races, received the "Royal shaft" and were told they
either didn't qualify at all for the Road Home Program, or they received far
less than the maximum $150,000.00 allowed by the Road Home Program,
Provident Realty was powerful enough, privileged enough and politically
connected enough to receive the "Royal Treatment" to build their apartment
complexes.  This, too, is unacceptable.

 
What's next for us?  We will continue to take up all these issues with local
and state officials and file further lawsuits, if necessary.
 
What's next for Provident Realty Advisors, Inc.?  They will simply move on
to the next town, with their "race card" in hand, and repeat everything
they've done in St. Bernard.  After all, one of Provident's own construction
supervisors, Chuck Wright, personally told me one day at our property line,
quote, "This is what we do."
 
 
Dana Arcement, President
Chateau Lafitte Homeowners' Association



-- 

DEBBY ROSENBERGER
2513 JEAN LAFITTE PKWY
CHALMETTE LA 70043
504 494 1184
 
we're back home!