The New Orleans City Planning Commission is in the final stages of public input for the latest draft of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO). This is the first update of the CZO in forty years, and CPC staff are hard at work processing and integrating public comments into the final draft. This is a chance for your voice to be heard. We are urging everyone with an interest in seeing many of the principles of the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan (and implementation of the Bayou Land RC&D Stormwater Guidance Tool) become policy, to lobby for more stringent standards for the requirement of design review for stormwater management, by submitting comments to the CPC. The deadline is November 30, and comments can be sent to cpcinfo@nola.gov or via the form below. Be sure to reference the Draft CZO in your subject line.
View the entire document here Of particular interest to those of us working with water is Article 23, “Landscape, Stormwater Management, Screening” which sets design review standards based on square footage of impermeable surfaces. The current draft sets the threshold for which design review and plans are required at 10,000 square feet, and we are advocating that this number be reduced to 5,000 square feet when applied to developments, including both buildings and parking lots. Additionally, a landscaping provision specifying a minimum 30% native plant requirement for properties subject to these guidelines should be increased to 50% or greater.
The CPC has and is doing an amazing job with the new CZO. They deserve our support and encouragement for the many important and wise changes they are proposing. We encourage you to show your appreciation in your correspondence. This public comment opportunity is an important step to show our elected officials that we are active, aware and ready to participate. And this is one of several steps requiring our input and vigilance. We’ll do our best to keep you informed as the process continues. For now, please review Article 23 and contribute your thoughts and recommendations before the November 30 deadline.