[StBernard] 2, 000 Road Home properties turned over to St. Bernard cause problems

[Westley Annis]

2,000 Road Home properties turned over to St. Bernard cause problems



wwltv.com

Posted on July 3, 2012 at 8:11 AM

Updated yesterday at 8:22 AM



WWLTV.com

Email: webteam at wwltv.com | Twitter: @WWLTV

ST. BERNARD PARISH, La. - The St. Bernard Parish Council will discuss what
happens to properties turned over to the Road Home program at Tuesday's
meeting.

There are three ordinances on the agenda dealing with the Road Home
properties.

About 4,500 St. Bernard properties were originally turned over to the
program. Its subsidiary, Louisiana Land Trust, has been responsible for
upkeep, including grass cutting.

Nearly half have been transferred to other uses or purchased through
processes like the Lot Next Door program.

The Louisiana Land Trust is about to turn over the last 2,000 properties to
the parish.

Parish leaders have been working on the "redevelopment and purchase plan to
find new uses for the now vacant properties." They range from green space
and recreational areas, to small scale and large scale developments, and new
private owners through methods like the Lot Next Door program.

But, parish leaders said it cold cost $1,000 a year per property for
maintenance and security during the process, and Council Chairman Guy
McInnis said they want financial help from the state.

"We've been through so much, and now it seems like this is something else
they're putting on us," McInnis said.

The ordinances on Tuesday night's agenda include proposals for re-zoning the
Road Home properties during the transfer process, and to approve the
redevelopment plan and submit it to the state.