In April of 2008, the New Orleans City Council took a voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance to amend the City’s Charter, to mandate a Master Plan with the Force of Law. As with all amendments to the City Charter, the people decide whether or not to make a change, and after a public vote was taken on November 4, 2008, the amendment passed.
With this vote, New Orleanians decided to set the rules for the game of development, to create a fair and citizen-driven set of development rules that are not subject to political whims.
After many community meetings and much public discussion, the Master Plan was created and unanimously adopted by both the City Council and the City Planning Commission. To give the Master Plan its full force, the City Charter requires that a Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO), based off of the Master Plan, be adopted.
After many years of work, the City Planning Commission approved the draft CZO and sent it to the City Council for approval. Although the City Planning Commission has spent years creating the draft CZO, there is still work to be done. Citizens are encouraged to submit public comments on the CZO before it is adopted by the City Council and becomes the official guide for growth in New Orleans.
Click here to view the Master Plan.
Click here to view the draft Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.
Click here to view the New Orleans City Council’s Master Plan FAQ’s page.