Public Can Now Comment on 4100 Royal Redevelopment Plans
If you live in or just love the Bywater, now is the time to make your voice heard in the Section 106 review of a proposed development at the former St. Mary's Asylum site. FEMA is accepting comments through October 27. FEMA has contributed federal funds to the project. The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) owns the site and has selected Texas-based ITEX as the developer.
An architect’s rendering of the proposed mixed-income housing development in Bywater.
Plans call for a complex of two-, three- and four-story sections with the greatest density fronting Mazant and Chartres St. Though the designs undoubtedly improved in response to input from the Historic District Landmarks Commission, it was relegated to an advisory only role by the public ownership status (the commission’s authorizing ordinance limits its jurisdiction in this way.)
The National Historic Preservation Act requires projects using federal dollars to minimize and mitigate impacts to historic resources — in this case, the Bywater National Register District. The Section 106 compliance will include archaeological work on the site, which was formerly home to Olivier Plantation. It could also yield design changes or offsite mitigation measures, such as surveying nearby properties for National Register eligibility.
Learn more about the plans and how to comment here. When ready, you can comment online here.