My wife, my daughter and I have lived for the past four years in the American Can Apartments. I am very familiar with the blighted, 50s-style apartment building located at 635 N. Scott. It is about two blocks from my home and is surrounded by mostly well-kept, modest doubles dating to the 1910s and 1920s. It is also across the street from the gigantic, circa 1960 PEL Hughes printing facility, originally constructed by the American Can Company as a warehouse and employee parking structure.

635 N. Scott has sat gutted and abandoned since we’ve lived in the neighborhood (since November 2005).

I am in favor of the building’s conversion to condos, as I support home ownership. I am not especially perturbed by the 25-unit size, as that was about how many apartments were in the building beforehand, I’d estimate. I view the conversion of a 25-unit apartment building into a 25-unit condo building as a positive development, especially since the apartment building has been vacant for nearly four years and is the only vacant structure around. The building is also close to the Carrollton Spur of the Canal streetcar line, so having two or three dozen more nearby potential transit customers to support frequency of service is a good thing.

I am less inclined to support demolition of any adjacent structures to afford easier parking access. 635 N. Scott was built with a large penetration in the front facade specifically to accommodate vehicles (rather like a 1950s-style motor hotel). This should suffice, in my view. If the clearance is too low to allow for gigantic SUVs, too bad. They can park on the street. Given the above-mentioned good transit connections and the nearby Rouse’s, it’s possible some of the buyers won’t even own vehicles.

Best regards,
Frank

Frank Rabalais, MPS, MBA
Tax Credit Consultant
Crescent Growth Capital, LLC
201 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 4205
New Orleans, LA 70170