FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. We’ve been planning a lot since Katrina. What’s different about this plan – the Master Plan/CZO project?
2. What about the UNOP plans, neighborhood plans and other plans that New Orleanians have worked on during the last three years? Are they going to be superseded by the Master Plan/CZO project?
No – they will not be superseded; rather they will be incorporated. The recovery plans are focused on the rebuilding process after Katrina, but they also contain many valuable ideas for the future. These plans will be the foundation of the Master Plan and new CZO. The first task of the planning team is to review all the UNOP and other plans and make sure that this Master Plan builds on all the work that has already been done. This plan will take all that work, add new policy and strategic approaches, and put it all together for a citywide plan with a long term perspective. The Master Plan focuses especially on providing long term guidance to city decision makers – elected officials, appointed officials, city staff – and providing a framework for them to work in partnership with community leaders from neighborhoods, the business sector, and nonprofit organizations.
3. How is the proposed charter amendment for a “Master Plan with the force of law” related to this project?
The current city charter requires, in general terms, that the City Planning Commission must prepare a citywide master plan and that land use actions should be consistent with the Master Plan. Among other changes, the proposed amendment specifies the legal relationship between the Master Plan, the CZO, and the city capital plan and budget:
The Master Plan/CZO project will create a Master Plan and a new draft CZO reflecting the Master Plan’s policies regardless of action on the proposed charter amendment.
- A 20-year plan and agenda. The Master Plan has a long term horizon. The post-Katrina planning efforts were focused on recovery from the Katrina disaster and rebuilding of the city. The Master Plan will create a clear, multi-year agenda for the City to focus its own resources and to advocate effectively for the additional resources it needs.
- An integrated citywide approach. The Master Plan will integrate neighborhood goals into a broader plan for balanced growth and municipal systems across the city.
- New approaches and alternatives. The plan consultants will bring to the community a range of new approaches being used around the country as well as alternative scenarios for New Orleans’s growth so that New Orleanians can decide what fits their vision for the city’s future.
- Implementation from the beginning. Implementation strategies and action steps will be discussed as the plan is developed and opportunities for early actions and early successes will be identified.
- Zoning compatible with the plan. The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance will implement the Plan, translating Master Plan policies into user-friendly city land use and development regulations.
2. What about the UNOP plans, neighborhood plans and other plans that New Orleanians have worked on during the last three years? Are they going to be superseded by the Master Plan/CZO project?
No – they will not be superseded; rather they will be incorporated. The recovery plans are focused on the rebuilding process after Katrina, but they also contain many valuable ideas for the future. These plans will be the foundation of the Master Plan and new CZO. The first task of the planning team is to review all the UNOP and other plans and make sure that this Master Plan builds on all the work that has already been done. This plan will take all that work, add new policy and strategic approaches, and put it all together for a citywide plan with a long term perspective. The Master Plan focuses especially on providing long term guidance to city decision makers – elected officials, appointed officials, city staff – and providing a framework for them to work in partnership with community leaders from neighborhoods, the business sector, and nonprofit organizations.
3. How is the proposed charter amendment for a “Master Plan with the force of law” related to this project?
The current city charter requires, in general terms, that the City Planning Commission must prepare a citywide master plan and that land use actions should be consistent with the Master Plan. Among other changes, the proposed amendment specifies the legal relationship between the Master Plan, the CZO, and the city capital plan and budget:
- The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) must be consistent with the Master Plan.
- Any amendments to the CZO must be consistent with the Master Plan
- The capital improvement plan and capital budget must be consistent with the Master Plan.
- The City Council must establish a system of neighborhood participation.
- The Master Plan must be reviewed for possible amendments or a comprehensive revision at least once every five years, but no more often than once a year, with public hearings and consistency with a neighborhood participation system to be adopted.
The Master Plan/CZO project will create a Master Plan and a new draft CZO reflecting the Master Plan’s policies regardless of action on the proposed charter amendment.