Neighbors Letter
Dear Friends and Neighbors of the Dublin Street/Nelson Street area and all of Northwest Carrollton:
Today, I received a letter from the City Zoning Adjustment Board regarding a public hearing requested by Pivach-Perrino Realty (the owners of the vacant property on Nelson and Dublin Streets where the Canal Villere bldg is), and Robert's Fresh Market, doing business as Claiborne Fresh Market, LLC.They have submitted plans to build a grocery store/delicatessen on the lot. (Please see attached site plans). Unfortunately, the plans being submitted place the building directly on the corner of Nelson and Dublin Streets and not on the Claiborne/Dublin corner which is the most appropriate space for a commercial building.Although this neighborhood has worked long and hard to get a grocery store in our area, the site plans to be presented, in no way, honor the integrity of the residential area.As the plans read now, there will be large flat walls on the Dublin and Nelson Street sides, with a loading dock and garbage storage/pick-up area immediately on the corner of Nelson and Dublin Streets. They also own the vacant residential lot across on the opposite corner of Claiborne and Dublin.This placement lends itself to nothing but negative things for our neighborhood.1) Increased traffic They are requesting that Nelson become two way for the 8100 block only. This increase of traffic will greatly effect the corner of Nelson and Carrollton which is almost impossible to pass over now not to mention it could, most certainly put the Firehouse response time in jeopardy.
2) The loading dock and garbage areas will be intrusive, noisy, and very dirty.
3) From the property lines of the residents on the 3 adjacent corners, the distance is 50ft. to the proposed commercial property. They have requested no setback. This is a very highly trafficked area now. With the addition of a loading dock, garbage storage/pickup area, and two-way traffic on Nelson Street, there will be no room for two cars to pass in each direction and no on street parking for the residents.
4) The large, flat walls will create a dangerous site barrier at the corner. Because the grocery store will be selling alcohol, the blank corner will become a place to hang around for drinkers, could become a more heavily visited drug traffic area, and will provide space for graffiti and possible other crime.
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5) The garbage storage/pickup area location will increase neighborhood trash and debris and most certainly increase the rodent population.
6) If they are allowed to rezone the residential lot on Claiborne and Dublin it will
will remain a commercial space rather than reverting back to residential in the event that the grocery store does not remain open forever. Commercial properties will continue to encroach on our residential area.
As a resident of this area, I am asking for your help in opposing the site plans as they are being presented and to demand that the commercial building be placed at the other end of the lot where it will more appropriately serve the community, collect additional tax revenue dollars from passing Jefferson Parish residents for Orleans Parish, and allow us the respect to maintain our residential statusWe are not against the building of a grocery store, but in fact completely for it, just not as the site plans read now. If we allow these requests as they are now without a fight, we not only face all the negative possibilities sited above, but also the value of the properties in the immediate surrounding area will suffer greatly. Our City Council representative has seen alternative plans for this site, which places the store at the Claiborne/Dublin corner. It CAN work that way.The most effective and important thing we can do immediately as the neighborhood most impacted by this site plan is to attend the meeting at City Council Chambers on October 9th at 10:00 am to voice our opposition. If you do not have transportation I will arrange a ride for you. If you cannot attend the meeting, please write a letter of opposition and I will submit them to the Zoning Board. I will be going to speak and hope that you can join me and other homeowners of the Northwest Carrollton area.Thank you very much. This is a great neighborhood, full of people trying to make things good again. Please don't allow the big boxes to mandate how we will live.Best Regards,
Debi Theobald
8200 Nelson Street
October 1st, 2006 at 9:13 pm
This is really alarming and sad, especially with all the work your neighborhood has done to encourage a workable solution and completely reasonable use of the site.
October 1st, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Why can’t this just be resolved in the best interest of all the surrounding neighborhoods? I would think anyone having this issue so close to their homes would be very concerned.
I am told there are alternative site plans available for everyone to consider…it’s just a matter of integrity and fair play.
October 2nd, 2006 at 10:22 am
At a time so crucial to the rebirth of NOLA, one would think that developrs would seek to support the integrity of neighborhoods, and aim to respect the historical and residential value of each community. For any developer to plan a site with such disregard to neighboring residents is deplorable. Where there is no collaboration between business and residence, the eventuality is decay of the community. This will amount to another man-made disaster.
Residents must demand the cooperation of this developer to respect the quality of life for which they are fighting to experience in their community.
October 2nd, 2006 at 11:22 am
From both a business as well as a neighborhood and community perspective, placing the proposed grocery store at the corner of Dublin/Nelson rather than Claiborne and Dublin is irresponsible to the community and a foolish business decision.
At a time where our beloved city’s families are working diligently to rebuild after Katrina’s destruction, leveraging the much requested grocery store to expand commercial zoning beyond what is necessary for the store to be built and generate a good profit for the owners fails to respect the will of the community’s families, those who will most likely become frequent patrons of the store itself.
Being good neighbors is for business and good for the neighbors.
There is already a more appropriate spot on the property to construct the grocery. In doing so, this will build good will among the neighbors, build business for the store, and continue the process of re-building New Orleans.
October 2nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
I want this site to be redeveloped and am content with the idea of a walgreens and food store. However, I am totally opposed to the layout of the site. It is a typical surburban layout and does not fit with the character of our city. The buildings should be arranged to provide street frontage with parking tucked in the rear. There is no reason the site cannot be developed in this fashion. For the developer to refuse this simple request is just tasteless and disrespectful.
October 2nd, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Just when I thought that this zoning issue was one of the great triumphs for our neighborhoods, this comes along. I understood that Midura got Walgreens to agree to put Walgreens along Carrollton and Roberts on Claiborne. Sometimes it seems like we’re wasting our time fighting to have a say in how our neighborhoods are rebuilt.
October 2nd, 2006 at 2:40 pm
There is a design Review Commitee. I am not on it but one of our members is. I hope they will be able to understand our concerns about a loading dock 50 feet from homes.
October 2nd, 2006 at 7:06 pm
As a frequent guest and visitor to the exact area decribed in the letter, I cannot agree more with the logic expressed in the letter. It’s a wonderful area and bad planning and poor corporate citizenship should not be allowed to diminish it.
October 3rd, 2006 at 1:03 am
One would hope that once they’d reached some sort of resolution, it would stay resolved. It seems that they wait for neighborhoods to return to their recovery and then make changes. Either the neighbors don’t notice, or they’re caught in some other crisis, maybe this time it will get past. It’s incredible that people are able to squirm out of their agreements in this way.
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:57 am
Although Midura certainly hasn’t proven herself to be a political dynamo so far, one would think she’d identify this an opportunity to stand firm in the site plans that respect both the integrity of current zoning and the urban, residential character of the neighborhood. What a great victory she could declare for her constituents and for “neighborhoods,” er, again.
October 3rd, 2006 at 3:13 pm
I am perplexed as I study this proposed site plan of the Robert’s Fresh Market.
I distinctly remember the developers stating that Walgreen’s needed the overlay so there would be a strong line of site for the grocery to be successful. In this layout, the Robert’s is no longer visible from Carrollton (because of the Firehouse) and is obscured from view at the busy Carrollton/Claiborne intersection by the Walgreen’s building.
I want this corner developed in the worst way. I told Mr. Robert at the press conference that I would be purchasing a red wagon to “make my groceries” in his store (beacuse I live 3 blocks away, and I want to save the parking spots for those who need to drive). I am confused why they would want to locate the store in the corner where it cannot be seen.
In addition to the reasons stated by the neighbors adjacent to the property, the building should be sited where it appears visible, accessible, and safe. At least that was the argument a few months ago…
October 4th, 2006 at 9:06 am
The members of the City Zoning Adjustment Board wouldn’t want this to be inflicted on their neighborhoods. If they allow the development to go through in it’s current form, shame on them.
October 4th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Thank you for the detailed and insightful information on the proposed Walgreens development. I agree with you wholeheartedly. The plan is short sighted and obviously, in it’s current state, not in the best interest of our neighborhood and the community. I hope to be able to have a say as well in any community meetings on the proposed development however I fear that I and others like me that have been displaced “temporarilyâ€, will once again not be allowed the time or the voice and subsequently will end up dealing with the result of decisions made by individuals outside of our neighborhood that have limited vision of the net effect of this development near our homes. My aching concern is that; as our homes and lives are “rebuilt†it will done with foresight and in a way that enhances our and our childrens lives in the community we love.
Thank you again,
Doug
October 5th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
Based on the slow return of many of the former New Orleans residents, it surprises me that a business would do anything that would alienate or upset the folks who have remained loyal to the neighborhood. Please listen to your neighbors and reconsider this current site plan. Become an example of the type of re-building that will keep New Orleans the unique city that it was.