8405 Jeanette Street (via Google Maps)
The committee overseeing demolition requests across most of Uptown New Orleans balked at a mortgage company’s recent request to tear down a single-story Carrollton home amid protests from the Preservation Resource Center and confusion over what the bank intends to do with the property.
CitiMortgage repossessed the home at 8405 Jeanette Street, and has determined that it cannot be renovated before it is sold, April Marrone, a CitiMortgage demolition representative, told the Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee on Feb. 15. The house suffers from extensive termite damage to the structure and the roof, and engineers have told them that the foundation can’t be repaired without risking collapse of the rest of the structure, Marrone said.
The building has a lean that they worry could lead to it falling on the neighbors’ home, and the interior is worse, Marrone said.
“In this condition, they wouldn’t sell the property,” Marrone said. “They were willing to renovate it, until we got the information from the foundation company stating that it was in complete disrepair.”
Maryann Miller of the Preservation Resource Center, however, countered that the home may be in poor condition, but can likely be renovated as have similar properties. It has sat unimproved for so long, Miller said, that its owner should sell it rather than be rewarded for its disrepair.
“I don’t see a strong reason to give this owner an additional chance,” Miller said. “There are a lot of people renovating buildings in this condition or worse. It’s the kind of market that can bear this type of renovation, and I think we should consider the situation of this applicant being a for-profit business owner that I don’t think has been the best neighbor to date, and could probably be encouraged to sell the property.”
Marrone said she was unfamiliar with the Preservation Resource Center, but committee members said the organization is well known in the city for its work saving traditional New Orleans homes.
“They have a reputation that the city knows of, of them doing quality work on houses that look like they should have been demolished,” said committee member Helen Jones.
Committee members said they wanted to know more about CitiMortgage’s plans for the property after the demolition, but Marrone said she didn’t handle that aspect of the job and couldn’t speak to the property’s future.
“I only represent the demolition part. That’s what they pay me for and I don’t ask questions otherwise,” Marrone said, noting that she’s not sure how much more information the company will provide about the project. “You’re talking about CitiMortgage, a multimillion dollar company. I’m not sure what they’re capable of.”
In order to schedule a meeting with the proper CitiMortgage representative, the committee voted to defer the matter by 30 days. They also encouraged CitiMortgage to meet with the Preservation Resource Center to discuss options for the building.
In separate actions, the NCDAC also recommended approval of the following requests around Uptown New Orleans:
- A partial demolition at 4916 Chestnut Street to allow a camelback addition on the rear,
- The demolition of a house built in the 1960s or 70s at 634 Calhoun Street for replacement with a new, two-story home,
- A demolition of a termite-infested home at 9110 Pritchard Place,
- The demolition of a “Metairie-style” house at 7531 Oak Street for a larger house more in keeping with the architecture of the Uptown/Carrollton/Garden District area,
- The removal of a rear section of the New Orleans Mission at 1130 O.C. Haley Boulevard, which will be rebuilt as part of the building’s renovation,
Another demolition request for a house at 8731 Birch Street was also deferred for a single meeting amid questions about the public-notice for that project.
Why hasn’t the PRC found a buyer if the property is truly worth renovating, they have programs that are supposed to do exactly that. If it is a tear down the property seems to be worth the value of the land less demolition costs, Citi should be eager to sell. If the conditions are as Mr. Maronne states the property is a danger to the neighbors.
The Neighborhood Conservation District Advisory Committee has too much authority if that property is considered historic, and too little expertise to evaluate danger to the community.