Chris Litherland | CC Wikimedia
New Orleans City Councilmember Freddie King has proposed an ordinance that would allow a one-year moratorium on Vieux Carre Commission enforcement of preserving historical integrity of buildings in the French Quarter.
The ordnance would also allow permits for businesses to go through despite outstanding VCC fines.
On Monday, a town hall meeting was held at the Preservation Resource Center on Tchoupitoulas Street, where residents and business owners called on King to either withdraw or pursue the proposed ordinance.
Opponents said the proposed ordinance would gut preservation enforcement on the neighborhood, which is more than 300 years old, while business owners said it would offer financial relief and fast-track the permitting process.
The VCC was given power to regulate historic preservation of the French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carre, in 1936 and the district was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
The proposed ordinance is scheduled to be presented at the June 26 Community Development Committee Meeting. Read the proposed ordinance below:
VCC-ordinance