The city of New Orleans has hired Peter Bowen, the former general manager of major short-term rental operator Sonder, as the city’s new deputy chief administrative officer of land use. In his new position, Bowen will manage and oversee major departments including the Department of Code Enforcement and the Department of Safety and Permits, whose long list of responsibilities includes short-term rental permitting and enforcement.
But Bowen isn’t simply replacing the former deputy, Chad Dyer, who left the position in September. Bowen’s role is being expanded and recast as the “founding entrepreneur” of the newly created Office of Business and External Services.
In an interview, Gilbert Montaño — the city’s Chief Administration Officer and top aide to Mayor LaToya Cantrell — told The Lens that the new office represented “a major paradigm shift” and an attempt to blend the city’s land use regulation departments with its economic development initiatives.
Broadly, the aim of the new office is to present New Orleans as “the world’s best city to do business.”