[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish ponders fate of 2, 200 vacant lots it will own

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish ponders fate of 2,200 vacant lots it will own

Published: Friday, March 02, 2012, 6:30 PM

 By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, The Times-Picayune 

Within a few months, St. Bernard Parish will take possession of about 2,200
empty lots currently held by a land trust, and a gigantic question now looms
for parish officials: What to do with all of that land? The official
transfer of the Louisiana Land Trust lots will likely occur in September,
but the parish must take over insurance, and likely maintenance, on June 1.
So there's a ticking clock for the parish to decide on new lot sales and
maintenance strategies so the vacant properties do not sink a parish already
struggling with financial woes.

"We have worked out many problems since Katrina and this is another one, a
unique one, but we'll work this one out too," parish Chief Administrative
Officer Jerry Graves said during a Thursday evening discussion session.

Graves admits the parish could end up holding on to some lots, waiting for
the market to stabilize. Meanwhile, the parish could start forming a master
plan, although funding for such a undertaking is not yet in place.

Graves says the amount of lots that could remain in the parish's possession
could be anywhere from 500 to 1,500, based on whatever course of action is
taken.

When the Louisiana Land Trust, which is the nonprofit holding company for
properties acquired under the Road Home program, transfers the lots to the
parish, it also will hand over control of a fund of about $3 million, money
made thus far on the lot sales. About 4,000 lots in the parish were sold to
the Road Home program after the storm. Many of those were sold to
neighboring property owners in what was dubbed the Lot Next Door program,
leaving the land trust now in control of about 2,200 properties.

The average cost of cutting grass on a parish lot is $700 to $1,200 a year,
according to Waggonner & Ball Architects, which the parish commissioned last
year to create a plan for such lots. That would equal about $2 million a
year for 2,200 lots, simply to cut the grass.

Throughout today, the Parish Council and David Waggonner are holding
meetings at the Parish Council Chambers, 8201 W. Judge Perez Drive,
Chalmette, to lay out the scenario, present some thoughts and get public
input. Waggonner will then incorporate public comments into the final
proposed plan.

Members of District A are invited between 8 and 10 a.m.; District B between
10:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.; District E between 1 and 3 p.m.; District C
between 3:15 and 5:15 p.m. and District D between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

District A in Arabi and Chalmette has by far the most vacant lots -- 940.
District B has 228, District C has 432, District D has 373 and District E
has 170.

Often, parish residents cringe at the idea of an auction, but many parish
officials are quick to point out that auctions allow for more restrictions
on the development that can be built on a site.

District A Councilman Ray Lauga and District D Councilman Casey Hunnicutt
held meetings this week with Waggonner and their district constituents. The
council members say the first step likely is expanding the Lot Next Door
program to allow people to buy lots nearby, but perhaps not right next door,
or combining two or three vacant lots to make them more enticing.

Waggonner in part suggests using empty lots for green space, parks and
tree-planting efforts -- possibly even small crop farms or community
gardens. St. Bernard lost about 2,000 acres of tree cover to Katrina, he
said.

"We have to find a mix of how to deal with these properties and how to
dispose of them so your neighborhoods are going to be what you want them to
be at the end," Council President Guy McInnis said during the Thursday night
meeting. "Are going to like all of it? Probably not."

He urged the public to attend the meetings today and make their opinions
heard.

"Nobody wants to be in this situation but we are in it and if we don't work
together, if we can't get a happy medium with the council, the
neighborhoods, the parish, with the law, with HUD, fair housing, and all
that stuff, if we can't come to a happy medium, I'm afraid what will
happen."

McInnis and Graves said they expect to have a plan for the lots in place in
the next few months.

Benjamin Alexander-Bloch can be reached at bbloch at timespicayune.com or
504.826.3321.



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