At-large councilman Oliver Thomas held up enlarged images of several New Orleans areas, including land that once was home to low-income housing projects since torn down. Those lots already have sewer, water and electrical service.
"You don't have to take away a park — the infrastructure's already there," Thomas said, adding that the lands are federally controlled.
Donna White, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said HUD is negotiating with FEMA over use of the land, but did not know how many trailers might eventually be placed on the land in question, which includes the former C.J. Pete and Desire housing developments.
FEMA is installing or has plans to install 22,500 trailers for returning evacuees in New Orleans — either at individual home sites where repairs are under way or at makeshift trailer parks on large tracts of land. Public opposition has arisen, however, over some of the proposed locations, particularly the use of some neighborhood parks and playgrounds.
Already, public opposition has led to the halt of work on a trailer park at a playground in the Lower Garden District, a once-blighted neighborhood now full of renovated 19th century homes.
The ordinance was sponsored by council member Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, who represents the hard-hit Ninth Ward. It was designed to make it legal for trailers or mobile homes placed on individual lots to extend over sidewalks.
But the council added an amendment by Jacquelyn Clarkson saying trailer parks would be allowed only with written approval of the council member in the affected district.
"We have children home, playing on playgrounds," said Clarkson, whose district includes the French Quarter and neighborhoods on the west bank of the Mississippi River that received the least damage from Katrina.
Would the people who live in these trailers be required to work and pay rent? If not, they're nothing but replacements for the Projects. I wouldn't want a Project on my playground either.
This must make too much sense to somone.
??
LVM