New Orleans News

New Orleans City Council approved a nearly $1.5 billion city budget for 2023 on Dec. 1. We took a look at the housing and transportation priorities for the new year.

The New Orleans City Council took steps toward overhauling the rules governing short-term rentals like those listed on Airbnb at its Thursday meeting, but stopped short of banning permits in residential areas.

To supplement the city’s offers to buy out Gordon Plaza residents, New Orleans City Council created a fund to help with any moving costs associated with relocation during its meeting Thursday.But where the money will come from – and how much residents will be eligible for – remain open questions.

Louisiana will receive about $2.4 million to monitor air pollution from the Environmental Protection Agency. On Thursday, the agency announced that it will funnel more than $50 million into expanding air monitoring within communities dealing with pollution nationally.

As the city prepares to overhaul its short-term rental rules, city council could move to effectively ban short-term rentals in residential areas at its upcoming meeting Thursday, after months of rule changes and moratoriums that have wreaked confusion on the controversial vacation rental industry.

An evaluation by an outside company found several flaws with the first public appraisal conducted on a house in Gordon Plaza, a New Orleans neighborhood built on top of toxic soil.A letter by ARC Appraisers provided an overview of possible problems within the appraisal based on federal and state standards. Chris Baker, the company’s chief appraiser, clarified that the letter didn’t serve as an official review of the report, which requires more scrutiny.

The "Healthy Homes" ordinance appeared to enjoy widespread backing by the Council at a packed hearing in September. But the Council has since deferred voting on it twice, and advocates fear a broad exception could be carved out for a wide swath of rental units across the city.

The city’s first public offer to buy out a home built on toxic soil fell short of Gordon Plaza residents’ expectations on Friday, raising concerns that the city won’t fully fund their relocation.

Even before the pandemic and Hurricane Ida, the city was experiencing an affordability crisis. But the pressures of the last few years have made the situation worse, according to HousingNOLA.

If you’ve wracked up late fees on parking tickets, library books, or water bills, a returning city program could temporarily help pay them off.