However, perusing Dec. 10th’s agenda I can imagine me in the audience applauding each time they approved another demolition. There are at least 6 agenda items I would support for demolition today. One more I’d be inclined to support on the principle that I think all students should be going to new schools. So that leaves 2305 St. Roch St. No, I can’t say whether it could be salvaged. I don’t know what condition it is in. But I’m going to go with what the owner wants.

I can’t put my hands on numbers at the moment, but have read in study after study that statistically vacant lots in urban areas take years longer to redevelop than abandoned houses. That is the reason today so many city processes require the submission of a redevelopment plan with a demolition request. In some cities, the clearing of land actually scared away large investors and caused a further decline.

A random google search pulled up the below article about Baltimore that offers some good perspectives on the issue of demolitions in older neighborhoods:
http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/programs/hpd/pdf/HPD_1203_cohen.pdf

That said in favor of rehabilitation, on the flip side the City of New Orleans needs to be taken to task for not prioritizing demolitions so neighborhoods can rid themselves of the worst, unsavable housing stock. At some point, the federal Katrina money to fund demolitions will run out and the current City lists of demolitions (http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=2&tabid=10) still has too many houses that are only mildly blighted or even worse, in the process of renovation or receiving Road Home money. (Houses under renovation continue to be torn down by mistake, including two recently in a HDLC district, with several lawsuits filed against the City.)

We need to demand that taxpayer funded demolitions be the worst of our housing stock, with no hope of being renovated. There are a significant number of houses that fit into this category that can keep the bulldozers busy for a few months, if not longer.

The proposed Victory project should be viewed in this light. Is it worth $10 million worth of public funds for demolition? Without a redevelopment plan, it is hard to determine yes or no.

I stand by my assertion that the primary cause of blight and abandoned buildings are de-population because of economic and population decline. And this has led me to the point where I am that we need to let more marginal buildings go to concentrate first on saving those with the best chance of being economically feasible to restore (meaning starting with the ones in the best condition and tearing down those in the worst condition.) We have a limited amount of resources and a limited population, and many of our population has limited resources. I’m saying start with the low hanging fruit.

St. Thomas’ redevelopment helped with almost every neighborhood from the River to Carondelet. Carondelet’s issues are that the properties were useful to the businesses on St. Charles. And it seems to me that if Haley gets to be the commercial corridor everyone predicts that it will be two things are going to happen with Carondelet and Baronne. 1)Marginal buildings are going to come down for support of those businesses 2)Good buildings are going to enjoy values they’ve never seen before and be renovated and put into use. But the growth of businesses on St. Charles has been accelerated over the last 10 years. Buildings that were vacant on St. Charles 10 years ago are now in commerce. And that’s a good thing.

And yes, I do feel expropriation, properly handled, is an acceptable course of action. Even before Katrina many individuals and agencies (with proven track records in development and renovation) were clamoring for the properties on the books on NORA (many of which have been “land-banked” for YEARS.) As I said before, the city has failed to make expropriation an effective tool for revitalization, whether by design or sheer incompetence (*cough*cough*Lisa Mazique*cough*) I don’t know.

I’m not sure what question you’re asking in your penultimate paragraph but I find your contention that the St. Thomas Hope VI project helped revitalize lower St. Charles Avenue questionable on the grounds that a), the business development on St. Charles (and the corresponding gutting of Carondelet) predated the Hope VI project and b), one of the primary reasons for the abandonment of the Albertson’s site (which remains empty to this day) was the introduction of the Wal-Mart component of the project.

And finally, your citation of American Can as a success story is an argument AGAINST demolition, not for it.