This news brief appeared in the June issue of PRC’s Preservation in Print magazine. Interested in getting more preservation stories like this delivered to your door nine times a year? Become a member of the PRC for a subscription!
Have you ever noticed a sign on a building alerting the public that the building’s owner has requested a permit to make changes in a local historic district? The City of New Orleans requires this form of public notice, but if you don’t happen to walk by the building, such signs can be overlooked. Now there’s an easier way to be alerted to potential changes in historic districts.
Permits requested and issued by the Historic District Landmarks Commission and the Vieux Carré Commission have been added to the city’s Notice Me tool, which provides subscribers with a weekly email digest for their geographic areas of interest. The service has for several years included land use decisions made by the City Planning Commission and Board of Zoning adjustments.
Notice Me was down for six months following a December 2019 cyberattack. Soon after it resumed operations, City Councilmember Joseph Giarrusso led the charge to have building permits added alongside conditional use requests, zoning changes and variances. The change, which took effect in March 2021, reflects the administration’s July 2020 internal restructuring, which placed preservation commissions alongside Safety and Permits and the City Planning Commission under the umbrella of the Office of Business and External Services.
To sign up for Notice Me, visit noticeme.nola.gov. You will need to create an account, after which you may select from pre-determined geographic areas, such as council districts and neighborhoods, or draw your own. When reviewing the weekly emails, be sure to note the meeting date or hearing date for items that interest you so as to submit your comments in time.
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