Posted on December 8, 2014 by Matt King

Life is a voyage in which we choose neither vessel nor weather, but much can be done in the management of the sails and the guidance of the helm.
Ruby Leigh Orgain
 
December 1, 2019
 
Dear French Quarter Citizen Members:
After eleven years on the FQC board and seven as President, I will be stepping off the board as of December 31st.   There will be a new President who will be elected by the new board in January.  I have enjoyed my tenure as President and I have been honored to represent the members of this extraordinary organization. I am proud of what we have accomplished.  However, after eleven years, it is indeed time for new leadership, new energy and new ideas. There is a great deal of talent on the 2020 board and more waiting to be tapped.  I hope you will all continue to support French Quarter Citizens and continue to meet and connect with your neighbors at the Quarterly meetings and annual Gala.  It is the connection between all of us who live in the Quarter and love the Quarter that makes FQC so special.   As the quote above states, we have seldom been able to choose the vessel or the weather, but I believe that, working together as a neighborhood, and with other neighborhoods, we have done much in the management of the sails and the guidance of the helm and have been able to accomplish extraordinary gains for our neighborhood and our neighbors. My thanks to you all.
This has been a year of intensity.  Intense is the only word that describes it adequately.  The year 2019 often seemed to be a long endurance race that had no finish line. That is, until the last few months when several  issues that have been boiling over for years finally came to a vote at the City Council.  As with most issues in life, there are still some strings to tie up, but we have taken a giant step forward in making the French Quarter a better place to live, to work and to play.
We crossed the finish line . . . . .  

  • Short Term Rentals–   A huge round of applause to all of those who rallied the troops, attended meetings whenever possible, and appeared in front of council at each and every opportunity. Despite setbacks and delays that often seemed insurmountable, none of us ever gave up and ultimately brought about a radical change in the rules governing short term rentals.  The neighborhoods banded together to create a united front that included the French Quarter organizations, the Marigny, By-water,  New Orleans East and the Irish Channel. This was a colossal endeavor spanning five years of writing letters and repeatedly knocking on the doors of all City Council representatives, “wearing red” to endless City Council meetings and sitting for hours waiting to speak on  negative effects of STRs on residential quality of life. Throughout this time period, we asked our City leaders to support restricting short term rentals in order to maintain the character of our neighborhoods.  In August, Council voted on a new Short Term Rental ordinance.  It was a triumph for the French Quarter and the Garden District where all STRs are prohibited except for the Vieux Carré Entertainment District on five blocks of Bourbon.  Other neighborhoods gained ground with rules put into place to do away with “whole house rentals” and increased fines for illegal operators, along with a new requirement  that the operator have a Homestead in New Orleans, and that a “responsible party be on site at all times.”  At last, we have turned a major corner in preserving the quality of life for residents in the French Quarter.


  • Public Safety– We have great news this year.  The crime rate is down 43 percent. Yes, 43 percent!!  Our thanks goes out to all of our officers in NOPD,  the Louisiana State Police and the French Quarter Task Force that are working together to keep us safer.

As residents of the French Quarter and the City of New Orleans, we are continuously battered with news of violent crimes, robberies, and vandalism.But the tide is turning. More illegal guns have been taken off the street this year than ever, (66 to date off of Bourbon Street) and the new crime cameras are up and working via the Real Time Crime Center. Many crimes are viewed as they happen, allowing officers to be on the scene in minutes, before the perpetrator can escape.
 
Vagrants and “Travelers” have been increasing in the last few years, sleeping on the sidewalks and aggressively soliciting residents and visitors who walk by.NOPD has coordinated with the SPCA and Dept. of Sanitation to perform weekly “sweeps” that move the vagrants off the street, check for outstanding warrants and issue citations for violations, collect any pets for later return, and clean up the area so that residents do not have to do it.
We can also celebrate the opening of the new Sobering Center on South Claiborne at Basin where those who have “over imbibed” can be taken for sobering instead of having them put themselves and others in danger by sleeping on the street or in resident doorways. This will be a very good addition and will be effective in increasing our quality of life.Our special thanks to FQC Board Member BB St. Roman for her efforts in making this a reality.
As you all know by now, the sales tax that pays for the State Police for the French Quarter will be up for vote in November 2020. Visitors to the city pay the vast majority of the sales tax and French Quarter Residents residents benefit one hundred percent from the additional security provided by the State Police. Only registered voters in the French Quarter will be able to vote.  Please make a mental note or pre-calendar the date on your smart phone.  Make your voice heard at the voting booth.  Lives depend upon it! 
FQC will continue to make the safety of our residents and visitors one of our highest priorities and French Quarter Citizens will continue to work closely with the 8th District, and LSP to inform them of citizen concerns on crime.

  • Amendments to the City’s Alcohol Beverage Ordinance (ABO) – For the first time in many years City Council revised the ABO to crack down on bars.  FQC supported the Amendments, and despite pushback from the bars, and despite FQC’s opposition to certain amendments, the Council passed a new ordinance that is a vast improvement. The new ordinance does the following:
  • Deletes certain outdated language
  • Provides an appeals process for applicants
  • Creates a process for an emergency suspension of an ABO license pending a review hearing when action is required to protect the safety of the community.
  • If the State revokes a license, the City must automatically revoke the license and it will not be reinstated until the State reinstates.
  • Requires that a designated manager be on site at all times and must have and ID card
  • Allows bars to have public seating on the sidewalks – but this does not apply to adult entertainment venues.

FQC will continue to monitor the enforcement of these amendments throughout the years.
On the preservation front we have been busy as well:

  • Tout Ensemble – The “Tout Ensemble” is front and foremost at the VCC once more. “Tout Ensemble” status was created in 1936 when the state constitution was amended to create the Vieux Carré Commission and was part of the city’s CZO as far back as 1953. It obligates the Vieux Carré Commission to apply specific standards of review for proposed projects in the French Quarter to insure they are respectful to the Quarter’s unique character. Past VCC Commissions have not consistently upheld this critical standard that preserves our architectural integrity and the residents’ quality of life in the neighborhood we live, work and play in.  Fortunately, over the past year, there have been changes on the VCC Commission and we now have a Commission which once again views the “Tout Ensemble” as a priority for maintaining our neighborhood.  FQC is proud to recognize that one of the new Commissioners is a former member of the FQC Board of Directors, Rodney Villerreal.
  • Eat Restaurant on Dauphine at Dumaine – this restaurant filed an application to spot zone the lot from residential with conditional use to commercial in order to be granted a liquor license.  FQC has always opposed spot zoning because it allows commercial encroachment into residential areas.  Spot Zoning also opens the door for a restaurant to morph into a bar inside of a residential area.  After contacting our District C Council Member, Kristen Palmer, and speaking at City Council on the subject, we were gratified to learn that the owner withdrew his application.  The site will remain a restaurant, but will not receive a liquor license.
  • 336 Decatur – Members may recall that developers proposed a building for the empty lot on 336 Decatur. Unfortunately, the developers proposed a design that consisted of a “metal and glass box” that would have been lit from within, so brightly that it could have been visible across the river in Algiers.  This design was completely in conflict with the “Tout Ensemble” of the French Quarter.   After much opposition from FQC and VCPORA, the developer agreed to radically revise the design to fit within the “Tout Ensemble” of the French Quarter. The new design will be a good addition to the Quarter and will stand as an example of what we can accomplish when we act quickly and with determination.


We fought the good fight. . . . .

  • French Quarter Management District – A big disappointment this year was a security study conducted by French Quarter Management District (FQMD).   The Louisiana Legislature created the French Quarter Management District, a State Agency, in 2007 to revitalize the French Quarter and address post-Katrina and systemic issues confronting the neighborhood. The FQMD Commission is comprised of thirteen Commissioners who were appointed to represent residential and commercial interests.  Unfortunately, there are only two commissioners representing residential interests – one appointed by FQC and one appointed by VCPORA.  The remaining eleven commissioners represent commercial interests, city council and the Mayor’s office.  From the beginning, the residential interests have taken a back seat to the commercial interests.  Recently, FQMD conducted a study to determine how all of the French Quarter policing groups could be used most efficiently. However, the study was conducted in secret by a select group of self-appointed commissioners, with little to no residential input. There was no transparency and no regard for residential participation. It was only when FQC’s commissioner publicly questioned their methods that the residential groups were included. The results of the study will be tainted due to the lack of transparency, secrecy and questionable methods of some commissioners, and as a result, the study will lack credibility.

Put your running shoes on . . . . .  
 In the coming year we will continue to address ongoing issues that place our unique and irreplaceable architecture in danger:

  • Short Term Rental enforcement issues are still in process and will be crucial. We will need to be vigilant on enforcement issues and we must closely monitor the City’s proposed enforcement efforts. Lack of diligent enforcement could severely impact the make-up of our neighborhoods and alter the residential nature of our streets.  We have much to do.  All members should stay involved and speak out on this issue.
  • Heavy Trucks – Fleets of heavy trucks grind though the French Quarter each day and night shaking our homes to their foundations.  We will be addressing this critical issue in the coming year in order to preserve our fragile architecture from this onslaught.
  • Planes flying over the Quarter- Extremely loud jets have been flying over the French Quarter in the past few years and they seem to be increasing in number. We will be working with our City Council to determine a plan for addressing this quality of life issue.


 
Despite our intense preservation activities, we’ve had some great fun as well. Our Quarterly meetings and Pot Luck Dinners were blessed with great weather and are always a wonderful way to see our neighbors and to catch up on the preservation activities in the French Quarter. We were fortunate to have many entertaining and informative speakers at each meeting. Our annual fundraiser Gala took place in the stunning Bourbon Orleans Hotel ballroom where guests enjoyed mouth-watering dishes prepared by our local restaurants, and heard smooth Jazz by Philip Manuel as well as spontaneous appearances of several musicians who played with Phillip. We honored Rodney and Francis Smith, the owners of the Soniat House, an architectural gem in the French Quarter. We also honored Joe and Becky Jaeger for their support of preservation efforts in the French Quarter. Our thanks to all of you who supported the Gala and attended.
So we end 2019 on a very high note.  Although we cannot choose the vessel or the weather, FQC will continue to manage the sails and guide the helm whenever possible. We appreciate our members and hope you will help us in these efforts as we move into 2020.
                               A safe and happy new year to you all!
Susan Guillot
President,
French Quarter Citizenstirelessly to strengthen French Quarter Citizens’ position in this community and I congratulate them on their efforts which were not only successful but exemplary. We have accomplished much, but there will always be new challenges to face and more dissenters to convert!

To the Board of 2015 I say, “You have big shoes to fill!” Fortunately the footprints are there for you to follow as we all have done in the past. The “way” is marked. Follow it with your own style. That’s what makes each of us special.

Lastly, I thank all of you, our members for the vote of confidence you have placed in me for several years now to lead this organization. I have grown as a person by being a part of this group and you have each taught me by unselfishly sharing your talents and through your generous outpouring of friendship and compassion along the way. I will miss you all!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you!

CoCo Garrett

This entry was posted in FQC News. Bookmark the permalink.