News

July 2, 2021

Helena Moreno

Council President Moreno and Vice President Glapion Gain Unanimous Support to Require Council Approval and Public Input for Any City Hall Relocation

Seal of the City of New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS - Today, the New Orleans City Council unanimously supported legislation requiring public engagement and Council approval for the relocation of City Hall. Despite decades of discussion over relocating City Hall, there has never been an official process developed to do so. This is now a permanent solution ensuring accountability and that all voices are heard.

 

The resolution authored by Council President Helena Moreno and Vice President Donna Glapion starts the process for a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) text amendment making any relocation of City Hall subject to the same inclusive, community-centric approach required in Conditional Use land-use decisions. Conditional Use processes provide early public input and require several public hearings and approvals before a project may move forward. Any such application would have to be made in public and prior to any planning or public expenditure. 

 

“What I kept hearing from neighbors in Treme and people from neighborhoods all across is our city, is what is the permanent solution for accountability and public engagement around a new city hall. So that is what CM Glapion and I worked to produce. Our proposal protects Treme and all neighborhoods that may be a potential site for a City Hall relocation project. We can’t move forward on something this big unless we’re all in it together,” said Council President Moreno.

 

"We are a government of and for the people, and if we are going to have a healthy and inclusive ecosystem in which we all coexist, we have to constantly work together to make sure the decisions we make and the needs of the people are not at cross purposes," said Councilmember-At-Large Donna Glapion. "Today's actions will institutionalize significant community engagement and ensure no such consequential matters are acted upon without the input of the people."

 

The next step in this process will be the consideration of a motion directing the City Planning Commission to amend CZO. That will take place during the July 15th full Council meeting.

 

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Media Contact:

Andrew Tuozzolo

Chief of Staff

Office of Councilmember-at-Large Helena Moreno

AVTuozzolo@nola.gov

504.281.9882

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