In Central City, the historic Louisiana Avenue Firehouse, that has been vacant for years, will soon undergo a transformation.
“The end product will consist of seven affordable apartment units with long-lasting affordability and an early childhood development center downstairs, which addresses two of the city’s most urgent needs,” said People’s Housing+ CEO Oji Alexander during a Wednesday press conference.
New Orleans officials say the upcoming ballot proposition would support similar developments in the future.
According to Councilwoman Lesli Harris, the dedication would generate up to $20 million for affordable housing.
“It’s not a new tax,” Harris explained. “It is literally a savings account for money that’s already there, that is in the general fund that will be put towards creating and rehabilitating affordable housing.”
Stephen Stuart, the group’s senior vice president and research director, says they believe the proposition would create a restrictive funding dedication in the city charter, making it more difficult for the city to resolve fiscal challenges in other areas of government.
Stuart also states the city can provide new funding for housing through less constraining means.
Harris says, by amending the city charter, the funding is guaranteed, which benefits all New Orleanians.
“Making sure that we have stable housing in the City of New Orleans is critical,” said Harris. “If you think about housing as infrastructure, which is how I think about it, making sure that our infrastructure is sound to keep people in the city is critical to make sure that our entire city grows and thrives in the future.”
Voters will vote ‘yes’ if they support the plan, and they’ll vote ‘no’ if they oppose it.
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