Request to demolish home near Magazine for parking lot rejected

 Posted by at 2:21 pm  city government, neighborhood groups
Dec 032012
 

820 General Pershing Street

A request to demolish a General Pershing Street home to build a small parking lot just off Magazine Street was unanimously rejected by a city panel Monday afternoon after sparking a heated protest by nearby neighbors.

Architect Anna Bertucci Ghelase was making the request on behalf of a client seeking to attract a tenant to the part of the large Top Drawer property on Magazine Street, she told the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee. She said the house was damaged in a fire several years ago and never seriously renovated afterward, and that the developer she represents wants to convert it to about parking spaces for employees in an effort to draw a new tenant to the Magazine property.

About seven residents from near the property spoke against the demolition, however. They said the home had been occupied until recently and could likely be renovated, and said that the parking lot would just bring the commercial activity of Magazine Street closer to their homes.

Following the residents’ comments, and without any further questions or conversation, the NCDC members voted 9-0 to deny the demolition request. The developer can appeal the decision to the City Council.

See below for live coverage of the Neighborhood Conservation District Committee meeting.

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  • steve garon

    So neighbors continually complain about the lack of parking on Magazine. Someone decides to fix the problem by making a small parking lot and it still gets shut down by the city council. Don’t worry neighbors, Costco is coming uptown. I am sure the breaking ground ceremony will happen right before Guidrys reelection. Small buisness will be gone and hopefully property value.

    • http://www.facebook.com/ann.d.farmer Ann De Montluzin Farmer

      I notice that it is the people who originate from Metairie that worry about parking. I have lived one block from Magazine Street for over thirty years-using all aspects of Magazine from the LGD to the Park and have never had a parking concern. We don’t need parking lots in residential spaces.

    • Uptowner

      Costco isn’t going to be remotely close to Magazine. Nice try though.

    • Kurt Buchert

      Yeah, Costco customers next to the Interstate & antique buyers on Magazine are the same customers. That is so dumb it’s funny. Where do you live? LaPlace?

  • http://www.facebook.com/boathead Clark Thompson

    Nice, the property owner who has neglected the property into near demolition now says it’s so neglected it must be removed? It’s not so far gone or bad off. I had no idea it was now vacant. Perhaps we can now clear his personal rock pile which he maintained at the curb there. Like Ann, I live blocks away from here and parking is not such a crisis. This ain’t near Whole Foods.

  • Uptowner

    I live a few blocks from here. Parking has never been a huge problem in the vicinity. Like Clark said, this isn’t Whole Foods’ neighborhood – there are other parts of Magazine that are much worse. The owner could fetch a good rent on this property with a decent renovation; renters love being just off of Magazine

  • http://www.facebook.com/conservatives.defeated Conservatives Defeated

    lovely…. yet another attempted ” demolition by neglect”.

    Thank Goodness Staff is actually looking at this application applying the facts and the law. This shouldn’t even get to first base