business

Belladoggie building to be converted into apartments; doggie day care business relocating

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The site of Belladoggie, the doggie day care and boarding company, will be converted into apartment buildings with one small retail space on the ground floor, according to records filed with the city. The building on 821 Washington Avenue was sold for about $2.6 million last March, according to the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office, to a company called 821 Washington Avenue LLC. City records show that Rozas Ward Architects received a permit last month put residential units into the building, which housed a school before it was converted into a kennel and dog boarding business. The application calls for 30 units, but on Friday morning Myles Martin, an architect with the firm, said the details for layout were still being hashed out. Former plans called for a pool, records show, among other amenities.

city government

Councilwoman Latoya Cantrell urges participation in Master Plan amendment process

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As New Orleanians continue to grapple with affordable housing, with about 70 percent of residents spending more than 36 percent of their incomes on rent or mortgage, City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell is urging city residents to get more involved in a citywide plan that, among other things, dictates the framework for the city’s land-use rules. To that end, Cantrell, who oversees parts of Uptown and Mid-City, held a meeting Monday night to educate residents about the Plan for the 21st Century. Commonly referred to as the Master Plan, the City Charter-mandated framework helps govern the look and function of New Orleans by addressing the core systems that shape New Orleans’ economic, social and environmental future. “It think we deal with these matters often in District B,” Cantrell said. Right now, residents have an opportunity to propose changes to the current Master Plan, an opportunity that only arises once every couple of years, according to Bob Rivers, the executive director of the City Planning Commission.

city government

Coliseum Square Association to make fundraising push for Lower Garden District parks

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Members of the Coliseum Square Association are planning a fundraising push to better service the parks and fountains throughout the Lower Garden District. The organization was one of four chosen in February as a 2016 Freeman Challenge winner by The Greater New Orleans Foundation. Should the Coliseum Square Association raise $50,000 by December, the foundation will provide $25,000 in matching funds. According to Julie Simpson, the board’s chair, the money from that fundraising effort will go to improving several parks and fountains scattered throughout the neighborhood. In 2007, the Coliseum Square Association restored and put back into operation the neighborhood’s largest fountain, the Coliseum Square fountain.

business

Member of family behind Barq’s root beer planning ice cream and liquor store for Magazine Street

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Hillary Barq, a member of the family that invented Barq’s root beer, is planning to open a combination ice cream parlor, high-end wine and liquor store and café on Magazine Street, she announced at a Coliseum Square Association meeting Monday. Some say Barq’s dream is delicious, but it could also be a pie in the sky, according to several neighbors. First, as she explained, she must convince the city to grant permission for her to sell off-premise packaged liquor. To that end, she had come to the neighborhood organization for support. Although several said they wished her success, they expressed trepidation about another project involving liquor in an area inundated with bars – leaving Barq to convince them of her commitment to the neighborhood and its residents’ wellbeing.

Man shot Friday in Central City

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A 49-year-old man was shot Friday on the corner of First Street and Claiborne Avenue, according to New Orleans police. Police said he was approached by a man armed with a black handgun shortly before 2 p.m.

He was taken to a local hospital after the man shot him.

crime

Man cut attempting to buy drugs, police say

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A 42-year-old man was cut Uptown on Sunday afternoon after attempting to buy drugs from another man, according to New Orleans police. Police said the victim was taken to a hospital after the man produced a knife and stabbed him in the 2500 block of Peniston Street shortly before 12:30 p.m.

crime

Three women report rapes in or near Central City over the weekend, police said

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Three rapes were reported in or near Central City in Uptown over the weekend, according to the New Orleans Police Department. On Friday, a 14-year-old girl reported a rape in the 1900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that happened in early January 2015, police said. The victim said she was sexually assaulted in early January 2015 by a male subject that goes to her school. Two additional rapes were reported in Central City on Saturday, New Orleans police said. Saturday’s first incident happened in the 2400 block of Willow Street shortly after 1 p.m., when a woman told police she was sexually assaulted, according to the NOPD.

business

Reveillon dinners still available in Uptown, Mid-City

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Christmas may be over, but that doesn’t mean that it’s too late to ring in the New Year with holiday festivities New Orleans-style. Some of the city’s most famous restaurants are still offering Reveillon dinners, a delectable dish of Creole tradition dating back to mid-1800s, through the end of December. Roughly 50 restaurants around the city offer multi-course, pre fix menus, ranging in cost from $40 to $110. The participating eateries range from the traditional fine-dining scene such as Commander’s Palace in the Garden District to New Orleans newcomers, such as Rue 127, a New American-style restaurant in Mid-City that opened in 2011. The Reveillon tradition started in the 19th Century, when Creole families would come back from midnight Mass and celebrate the break of Christmas eve fasting with a lavish dinner.

business

Sewerage and Water Board announces low water pressure, street closures for sections of Uptown

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Sections of Uptown can expect low water pressure, street closures and traffic delays for several days starting Thursday as the Sewerage and Water Board undergoes a series of repairs, officials announced in a series of press releases. The first project, an emergency repair to a valve on a waterline, will result in low water pressure for residents and businesses in parts of the Uptown area on Thursday, the Sewerage and Water Board announced. Areas affected are Dryades Street from Bordeaus Street to Jefferson Avenue and Robert Street from Dryades Street to Loyola Avenue. Officials said service was expected to be restored around 1:00 p.m.

Then, on Saturday, the Sewerage and Water Board plans to close the right lane of traffic on the westbound side of S. Claiborne Avenue between Napoleon Avenue and Jena Street. The section of street will be closed from 8 a.m. to noon while crews perform a water main repair, officials said.

crime

Five men rob two victims at gunpoint in Central City, police say

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Two victims, ages 35 and 32, were robbed by five men at gunpoint Wednesday evening in Central City, according to New Orleans police. In an intitial report, NOPD said the men were approached by the group of five, one of whom was armed with a gun, shortly after 7 p.m. in the 1700 block of Terpsichore Street. The robbers demanded the victims’ belongings, and fled after they complied, police said.