Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Don't let Louis Armstrong International Airport land languish: An editorial

Land around Louis Armstrong International Airport that was bought out to settle a lawsuit over jet noise has been empty for more than 15 years, and that's far too long to let so much property lie razed and vacant. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General criticized airports across the country in a 2005 report for failing to put bought-out property back into commerce -- and money from sale of the land would go back to the federal government.

Since that report, the airport has traded a few pieces of property for land it wanted, but those swaps haven't yet brought any property into commerce.

It's not just the federal government that's affected. According to a 2006 study, Kenner is missing out on $2.5 million to $5.9 million a year in sales and property tax revenue that the land could be generating. The empty property also contributes to blight.

That needs to change, and fortunately, officials from Kenner, New Orleans and the airport are meeting and working on a plan to streamline sales, create flexible zoning and ensure that redevelopment isn't limited to the most desirable properties.

Those are needed steps. Right now, it takes too long to maneuver the bureaucratic hurdles involved in buying the land -- about 16 months. That scares off developers. New Orleans and Kenner officials are considering a plan to reduce the time to about two months by starting the approval process for all the buyout properties at one time and moving them through most of the process, halting only before final approval.

There's also a study under way by two University of New Orleans professors that is looking at potential uses for the property. Officials say they want to see flexible zoning for the 80 properties. While none of the land can be used for residential development, it could be developed as offices or commercial space.

Any developments would have to go through public hearings, ensuring that neighborhoods will have a say in what's built on their borders.

While recent progress is encouraging, one solid prospect is languishing: a single operations and maintenance complex that the East Jefferson Levee District wants to build on 13-1/3 acres of airport property along with land owned by other parties.

Kenner officials support the proposal, which would bring people into the area and also Levee District police vehicles. But New Orleans has been holding up the purchase. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration says it wants to review any deals made under Mayor Ray Nagin. That's understandable, but surely there's been adequate time for scrutiny. Moving forward on this project would be a solid step toward redeveloping land that's been fallow for too long.

http://www.nola.com/opinions

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