Housing Developments in Carrollton, by Keith Hardie, Vice President, Maple Area Residents, Inc.

Doubles 2 Dorms

Councilmember Giarrusson’s proposed University Area Off-street Parking Interim Zoning District (IZD), which will require additional parking spaces when developers seek to increase the density of residential structures, was approved by the City Planning Commission. The purpose of Giarrusso’s proposal was to slow the growth of developments known as D2Ds (Doubles to Dormitories), which are replacing housing occupied by long term residents with student rentals going for as much as $ 1750 per month for a single bedroom. The Planning Commission made one change to Giarrusso’s proposal: that the area of the IZD be reduced by moving the borders on the west to Carrollton Avenue and on the north to Claiborne, excluding all neighborhoods on the upriver side of Carrollton, and north of Claiborne, including Riverbend, Hollygrove, Northwest Carrollton, Fountainbleau, Gert Town, and Broadmoor, from the IZD. The proposal now goes back to the Council. Residents of the excluded neighborhoods should contact the Council if they wish to be included in the IZD.

D2D Signs If you would like a “Stop D2Ds” yard sign, send an email to maplearearesidentsinc@gmail.com, give us your address, and we will drop a sign off. The signs are free, but if you want to help us buy more signs, you can make a donation to MARI.

Tulane Proposes Extending Campus Other proposed land use legislation  includes changes to the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). The proposed changes include Tulane’s request to convert several residential properties near the campus to “Institutional” use. See link below. One proposal, for properties on the block bounded by Broadway, Willow, Audubon, and Plum, is reportedly intended for a parking structure and housing for juniors and seniors. (Tulane has declined to confirm or deny that, meaning that they want the City to allow them to change the land use, but won’t reveal exactly what they are thinking about doing with the properties.) Tulane will be required to hold a neighborhood meeting concerning their request. Click here for a map pf the proposed FLUM changes.

Housing Opportunities Study

Finally, the Planning Commission staff is proposing another “Housing Opportunities” study, which will include public meetings. Pay attention to these meetings, as changes to the zoning rules often begin in the Housing Opportunities meetings. One example of a significant change is the “Established Multi-Family” rule that allows a developer to convert a property on a lot zoned single or double family to a four-plex if he can show that the property had four units at any time in the past. As the legislation includes no limitation on the number of bedrooms, an existing single-family property that was a four-plex consisting of four one-bedroom apartments in 1920 could be converted to four four-bedroom apartments today. There are restrictions preventing expansion of the footprint and floor area, but in one case, the rule resulted in a structure on a two family lot with 11 bedrooms expanding to fourteen bedrooms in four units.

Contact Keith at: keithhardie@yahoo.com