[StBernard] St. Bernard community development director answers readers' questions on comprehensive plan

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard community development director answers readers' questions on
comprehensive plan
Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on June 11, 2014 at 3:14 PM, updated June 11, 2014 at 4:14 PM

The draft of St. Bernard Parish's first ever master plan to guide
development, released Friday, elicited questions from NOLA.com | The
Times-Picayune readers, wondering how such a big-picture plan could be put
in practice. 

To follow up on those inquires, we asked Michael Albert, the parish's new
director of community development, how practical and applicable the plan is,
and how it would be used moving forward.

Paid for with about $400,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant
funds, the plan is a vision of a possible future based in part on comments
gathered through public hearings and discussions with community leaders,
along with U.S. Census and other data. 

(Take our readers' survey about the plan by clicking here.)

Albert mainly pointed to several sets of "actionable items" in the plan.

"Within the plan there are a series Goals, Policies, and Actions, usually
towards the end of each chapter," Albert said in a written response. "These
are the things that the plan takes up as measures of progress or growth.

"For example, page 17 sets forth the items the plan intends to do in regards
to Storm Water Management. These items allow the Administration, Council,
and Commission to make informed decisions and refer to already accepted
plans of action from the citizens."

See topic-by-topic links to the draft plan at the bottom of this story. For
the specific Storm Water Management section that Albert is referring to
above, click here.

"The other side to the actionable items in the plan are a series of maps
comparing current growth patterns and future desired growth patterns,"
Albert continued. "The Future Land Use Map guides growth and redevelopment
by managing the rezoning process in a predictable way."

In terms of how practical and applicable the plan is, Albert wrote that the
plan "sets forth a responsible set of policy objectives that aim to improve
quality of life for Parish residents."

"These objectives are well within the capacity of Parish government and
going forward the plan will be used as a growth management tool," he
continued. "From zoning decisions, to parks and trails, housing, and
economic development; the plan offers options to Parish residents in guiding
their future." 

In the comment stream below ask any further questions and NOLA.com | The
Times-Picayune can follow up with Albert to get some additional answers. 

The land-use plan is being spearheaded by Winston Associates of Boulder,
Colo., and czb LLC of Alexandria, Va., with Donald Poland Consulting of
Hartford, Conn., providing additional planning services, and James
Richardson, the director of Louisiana State University's Public
Administration Institute, advising the team on economic development issues.

Copies of the plan are available for review in the Parish Government
Building and at the parish public library.

Until July 6, the Parish Planning Commission will be taking comments on the
draft plan and parish staff will be available to assist citizens with
questions. Comments may be made through the parish website via the "Stay in
Touch" link, or by contacting Albert at malbert at sbpg.net.

A public hearing to discuss the plan is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 9, in the
Parish Council Chambers, 8201 W. Judge Perez Dr. in Chalmette.

Below are links to view and download the various sections of the draft plan:
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/06/st_bernard_community_developm
e.html