July 13, 2011Today, in keeping with his commitment to eliminate up to 10,000 blighted and/or vacant properties over the next three years, Mayor Mitch Landrieu joined City and FEMA officials in the St. Anthony neighborhood to mark the return of FEMA-financed demolitions of Katrina-damaged property. Mayor Landrieu and the City Council committed approximately $16 million to fight blight in the City’s adopted 2011 budget. The three project worksheets (PWs) associated with over 900 properties eligible for FEMA-funded demolitions of storm-damaged property are valued at approximately $23 million.
“Our work to eradicate blight throughout New Orleans is important because it threatens our safety, the value of our homes and our quality of life,” said Mayor Landrieu. “Our improved working relationship with FEMA has resulted in significant new resources to fight blight, much of which is a direct result of the damage sustained in Hurricane Katrina. Our continued recovery is dependent on reducing blight in all of our neighborhoods.”
The property demolished today at 6206-08 Wadsworth Drive had not been gutted or renovated since Hurricane Katrina. It is located in Council District D, just blocks from the campus of UNO, Ben Franklin High School and the recently-revamped Donnelly Park. It is the tenth property demolished with FEMA funds in the new program. In keeping with the Mayor’s place-based development strategies, much of the City’s code enforcement focus is targeted within a five-block radius of open schools, playgrounds, and high-traffic commercial corridors.
“In support of the city of New Orleans’ recovery efforts, FEMA has provided funding for crucial emergency protective measures warranted after Hurricane Katrina,” said FEMA’s Louisiana Recovery Office Acting Executive Director Joseph Threat. “Such measures, like this demolition, ensure that structures posing imminent dangers and threats to public health and safety are addressed in the best interest of the community and the city’s overall recovery progress.”
City Council President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson said, “Blight eradication is vital for the reduction of crime and the restoration of safer neighborhoods. Furthermore, the return of FEMA funding for the demolition of blighted property will greatly advance our City’s forward momentum.”
“The return of FEMA funded demolitions of blighted and dangerous buildings is most welcome,” said District D Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell. “Removing these eyesores and hazards will improve our neighborhoods and provide another spark to keep our recovery going.”
Based on the latest data from the U.S. Postal Service and Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, it is estimated that there are an estimated 48,000 blighted and/or vacant addresses in New Orleans. This estimate, which accounts for the highest percentage of blighted property in the country, includes both residential and commercial property.
“Since Mayor Landrieu revamped the City’s strategy to address blight last fall, we have seen success in a number of areas,” said Jeff Hebert, Director of Blight Policy and Neighborhood Revitalization. “As of the end of June, we’ve already completed 20,422 code inspections, 1,565 unit demolitions and 738 code lien foreclosures. Just as important, because of our strong enforcement efforts, over 400 properties were brought into compliance by the homeowner themselves. We must continue to reduce abandoned and vacant properties at a steady pace to spur economic growth and provide neighborhood stability, and these new resources to target storm-damaged properties will help us to meet those goals.”
