Faubourg St. John Discusses Short Term Rentals

August 2, 2016 by Charlie London

The City Council is voting on short term rentals on October 6th.
Write to them and tell them you want to keep neighbors in your neighborhood.

 

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no-air-bnb
 

YOU BETTER PAY ATTENTION OR
YOU’LL PAY A WHOLE LOT MORE

 


Short term rentals drive up rents.

The New Orleans City Council will vote on short term rentals on Thursday, October 6th.

fsjnalogo4fsjnadotorg
August 8, 2016

Director Robert D. Rivers
City Planning Commission
1033 Perdido Street, 7th Floor
New Orleans, LA 70112

RE: FSJNA Positions on Short-term Rentals

Director Rivers,

The Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association (FSJNA) would like to put on record our opinions regarding Short-Term Rentals in New Orleans. These opinions are based on the existing CPC study, research into how other cities in the country are handling the same challenges,  recommendations from other New Orleans neighborhood associations and,  our members.

FSJNA found there is a greater adverse impact to our neighborhoods from short-term rentals than we originally anticipated and that the number of housing stock used for short-term rentals has increased from what was observed in the 2015 festival season.

For the four types of Short-Term Rentals itemized in the existing CPC study:

PRINCIPAL RESIDENTIAL / “WHOLE HOUSE” – FSJNA is in complete opposition to this type and strongly believes the CPC was right to remove this option from the earlier report. This type of use has the most adverse effect on neighborhoods and residents. It removes valuable housing stock that could be used as affordable rentals or sales to primary residents, and artificially inflates home sale prices and property tax values.

TEMPORARY – We are against any whole home rentals, even if owned by an owner-occupant. We believe there is no practical way to enforce the proposed 30 day/4 times per year restriction.

ACCESSORY – Allow only a permanent resident owner to rent out spare bedrooms or additional units in a multi-family that he or she occupies, but he or she must occupy at least one of the units.

COMMERCIAL – FSJNA believes that the CPC must identify the types of commercial zones they will allow this use, not just all “Commercial or Mixed Use” properties. Additionally, FSJNA believes that ALL short –term rentals in Commercial or Mixed use zones should ONLY BE ALLOWED AS CONDITIONAL USE.

For Overall Short-Term Rental Options:

FSJNA supports requiring a permit number be associated with every online listing.

Fines for enforcement or taxation violations should be the cost of doing business or a minimum of $1000 per instance whichever is greater. Penalties for breaking the law must be very high to ensure compliance with any new zoning use and enforcement. They should also attach to the property, such as a tax lien, to ensure compliance.

FSJNA reserves the right to offer additional opinions to city agencies and City Council pending the results of CPC Staff draft ordinances and reports expected this summer.

Thank you for your consideration, we would be happy to work with you to offer our ideas about ways to ensure compliance and to ease enforcement. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Steve Mardon
President, Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association
[email protected]
(504) 486-8125

CC:
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SHORT TERM RENTALS

brinkman_j_lgby Emile J. Brinkmann

intlunionI am submitting these comments in connection with the City Planning Commission’s reconsideration of the issue of Short-Term Rentals (STRs) in Orleans Parish, and the City Council’s directive that a proposed zoning ordinance be drafted. As a point of background, I am the retired Chief Economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington and spent years running a research group dedicated to housing and housing finance issues. I have appeared on all of the major network and cable news shows, and have been quoted in newspapers through the US and other countries. Even though I retired and moved back to New Orleans two years ago, I am still the US representative on the executive committee of the International Union of Housing Finance, a 100-year old organization dedicated to housing issues around the world.

1strdestructionBased on my background, I cannot think of an action that would be more destructive to the fabric of our neighborhoods and the well-being of our homeowners than the legalization of STRs for the benefit of a few, thereby rewarding those who take advantage of a lack of enforcement to violate existing laws with impunity. In Part One of my comments, I will make three basic points about the negative economic effects on homeowners. In Part Two I will address comments that have been made to the effect that AirBNB, VRBO, and similar operations are like Uber and are merely part of the growth of the so-called sharing economy.

Part One
1) STRs fundamentally upset residential valuations by introducing unsustainable commercial valuations into residential neighborhoods.
We have already seen home prices in historically significant neighborhoods increase at rates far in excess of the local incomes needed to support those prices. A significant portion of those home price increases are due to ability of some of the properties to earn upwards of 20 percent to 25 percent return on investment through illegal renting. This is great news if you already own a home in one of these areas and will be selling soon. Because the Assessor’s Office has no way to separate out house sales for STR usage, this is great news if you are the city collecting residential property taxes based on values inflated by STR commercial use. It is bad news if you are trying to buy or rent in Mid-City, Treme, the Bywater, or other impacted neighborhoods in order to live in the city.

It is terrible news if you are a long-term resident with no intention of moving, but are now faced with an annual property bill driven up by the valuation effects of illegal renting.

The valuation and property tax problem will likely be exacerbated by the idea that the city can mitigate the negative impact of STRs by limiting the number allowed per block face. The owner of the first one on the block makes a killing, and the value of that property goes up. However, the other owners on the block not only have to deal with the disruptions caused by the STRs and the higher property taxes, they are precluded from selling at the higher STR-driven prices because no other STRs will be allowed on their block (assuming for the sake of argument that the city would actively enforce density limitations). Therefore, the idea that the negative impacts of STRs can somehow be ameliorated by reducing the permitted densities can actually make more people worse off from a valuation perspective.

Given the instability of this structure and the lack of equitable treatment in terms of valuation and who is allowed an STR and who is not, I do not believe density limits would survive legal or political challenges, and are therefore not a viable option to prohibition.

1neighborhoods4neighborsThe result is that if you are a New Orleans resident with no intention of selling and moving, you would not only face the prospect of having weekly fraternity parties next door, you get to pay higher property taxes for the privilege. The result is that if you are looking to buy, you risk over-paying and being underwater on your mortgage if something were to happen suddenly to impact negatively the STR business, as will be covered in the next point.

2) Short-term Rentals directly inject the business risk of tourism into residential neighborhoods.
keepneighborsHotel owners and operators are accustomed to the business risks associated with the travel and hospitality industry. These risks are reflected in their operational plans, capital investments, and equity and debt financing costs. They understand that in a recession, travel is disproportionately impacted as businesses cut back on discretionary travel as a first response. They learned in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks that terrorism can interrupt air travel, and that even when flights are restored, companies will impose travel restrictions on key personnel.

In New Orleans and other hurricane-impacted areas, they have learned that even the threat of a storm, with or without a mandatory evacuation, can cause their rooms to empty and disrupt operations for some time. (As a side note, would operators of STRs be required to maintain enforceable hurricane evacuation policies for their guests, or would responsibility for these visitors fall on the city?)

In contrast, the health of the hospitality industry has a more muted impact on the traditional residential housing market in New Orleans. Tourism is only one of the legs of the New Orleans economy, and there are other legs to support the New Orleans jobs market and home prices. STRs, however, directly inject the risk of the tourism market into every neighborhood of the city where they exist. Demand for houses and high prices exist when owners can earn high returns, but what happens in a downturn? What happens when tourism suddenly slows for one of any number of predictable and unpredictable reasons? What happens is what we have seen in other housing markets dominated by investors and speculators. At the first sign of a reversal, they sell with a vengeance, driving down prices and leaving the long-term residents suffering the consequences of rapidly falling prices and “For Sale” signs everywhere. If the properties are leveraged, they can sit for months and years as they work their way through the mortgage foreclosure (and probably bankruptcy) process, further depressing values.

Real estate speculation is a fact of life. Some people win and some people lose. When a strip mall goes bankrupt on Airline Highway, the negative consequences (other than to the property’s owners and lenders) are limited to having one more eyesore around town. When that speculation, however, is driven by STRs and is occurring in some of the city’s most important and historic residential neighborhoods, the negative consequences of a drop in tourism will go right to the hearts of these neighborhoods, and will be much more severe and widespread than any normal downturn.

3) Weekly bachelor parties are more than a nuisance. They represent a real loss of value for the neighbors.
Many of the comments presented to the CPC and the City Council on this issue have dealt with the horror stories of late night parties and the problems that occur when out-of-towners believe that they can freely extend the revels of Bourbon Street to the residential neighborhood where they have rented a house for the weekend. The problems go far beyond loss of sleep, frustration with the inability of an under-staffed NOPD to deal with noise issues, and the absence of a private right of action to move against the owners of the offending properties. They represent a real loss of value to anyone attempting to sell an impacted home to anyone other than an STR operator. (I do not know whether the failure to disclose a nearby nuisance STR in a real estate declaration has been tested in a Louisiana court, but I am fairly certain it would be actionable in other jurisdictions.)

The logical outcome is that once an STR opens on a block, the only informed sales that would not be negatively impacted by the existence of the STR would be those to another STR operator. As already noted, however, such a sale would be prohibited if density limitations were put in place as part of an attempt to make STRs politically palatable.

This points again to the utter fallacy of putting any faith in density limitations. The idea that the CPC and the City Council would not be inundated with requests for exceptions, and that many of those requests would be granted, simply ignores political reality. That assumes, of course that the many illegal operators of STRs would even apply for exemptions to the density limits. The reality is that the city has failed for years to deal with illegal STRs. Based on this history, it is reasonable to expect that any density limits would be ignored or gutted in a few years.

keepneighborhoodsIn conclusion, the adoption of a legal STR framework for residential neighborhoods, particularly for non-owner occupied structures, would have tremendous and largely irreversible negative impacts on the fundamental character of the city for years to come. Ignoring the quality of life issues, the economics alone will lead to a further hollowing out of the city’s full-time residents. Homeowners will see that the rational action is to sell. They would avoid both the higher property taxes and the risk of a speculative bubble bursting with downturn in the tourism industry.

Part Two
AirBNB is not like Uber
It has often been argued that AirBNB and similar operations are nothing more than Uber for houses, that they are simply one part of an irreversible movement toward a shared economy where technology brings together the buyers and sellers of various services. At their best, such arguments are facile and do not stand up to even a modest amount of economic scrutiny. At their worst, they are a bald-faced attempt to direct attention away from what is illegal activity by saying that it is no different from what everyone else is doing in other areas of the economy. In reality, the only similarity between Uber and AirBNB is that both rely heavily on computers and smart phones.

Uber is an example of what the Austrian-American economist Joseph Schumpeter described as “creative destruction”. The idea is that in a capitalist system, economic growth occurs when innovators put their money behind new ideas for goods and services. While the creative process is the key for creating new markets and new opportunities, it comes at the cost of destroying old products and services, and the capital invested in delivering those old goods and services.

A prime example is Blockbuster versus Netflix. Blockbuster invested huge sums in brick and mortar stores and an inventory of video tapes, and later DVDs, to fill the shelves in those stores. It had a large complement of employees to man the cash registers and stock those shelves. Along came Netflix with the idea that people could go to their computers, select what titles they wanted to see, and have the DVDs delivered a few days later by the postal carrier. Immediately successful, the service Netflix created began the destruction of the hundreds of millions of dollars Blockbuster had invested in its system. Later, when Netflix switched to streaming content, it effectively destroyed the capital Netflix itself had invested in DVDs and its mail order business.

In Uber’s case, it challenged the existing way of summoning a taxi, as well as introducing a model that matched supply and pricing to peak periods of demand. Uber was challenging the economic model of the taxi business, but, more importantly, it challenged the local regulatory framework for taxis that existed in each of the cities where it sought to operate. Its success has come in exposing and differentiating between those regulations that were necessary for the public’s protection and those regulations that merely existed to protect the status quo. After all, until Uber, the method of summoning a cab outside a hotel had not really changed since the 1800s. This is Schumpeter’s creative destruction process at work.

The key difference between Uber and AirBNB (and similar companies) is that there is nothing fundamentally illegal about the service Uber provides. Paying someone to take you in his or her car from Point A to Point B is not inherently illegal, provided appropriate licensing requirements are met. The only ones harmed by the Uber innovation are those invested in the old ways of doing business.

In contrast, AirBNB and similar services are providing technology platforms that offer services that are fundamentally illegal. The regulations of which AirBNB facilitates the violation are not there to protect capital invested in the hotel industry. Rather AirBNB is facilitating, for a profit, the violation of zoning laws that were enacted to protect individual homeowners from this type of commercial activity. If the only harm was to the established hotels and legal bed and breakfast establishments, it could be argued that AirBNB is just another example of Schumpeter’s creative destruction. However, the true harm and destruction is to the residents of the neighborhoods disrupted by the illegal short-term rentals. The residents of these neighborhoods do not have capital at risk in the hospitality industry like Marriott or Hilton. Rather the capital they have at risk is in homes that they trusted would be protected by zoning laws and the enforcement powers of the city government. It appears that trust was misplaced.

Therefore, AirBNB has nothing to do with Uber or Schumpeter’s growth through creative destruction, but is simply a case of making a fast buck at the expense of someone else by facilitating an illegal activity. The closest parallel to AirBNB is not Uber, but hiring prostitutes with Craig’s list.

Sincerely,
Emile J. BrinkmannNO-short-term-rentals

 

 

 

 

TODAY, Tuesday, June 14, at 1:30 p.m., the City Planning Commission will propose a CZO amendment to allow all categories of short-term rentals, and make short-term rentals permitted and conditional uses in all neighborhoods. The CPC Staff Preliminary Report makes these and other recommendations, and has little information on enforcement mechanisms to control and penalize illegal operators.
For information on today’s meeting and a link to the Preliminary Staff Report, please use the link, below – short-term rentals appear as agenda item 9.
http://cityofno.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php
Call the CPC at (504) 658-7033 before you go to make sure the vote will take place today and that there will be time for public input.
If you are able, please attend the 1:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, June 14 CPC meeting in City Council Chambers to voice your opinion. Thank you.

Preliminary Staff Report

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 1

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 2

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 3

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 4

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 5

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 6

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 7

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 8

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 9

Preliminary Staff Report – Public Comments 10

Jay Brinkmann is the retired Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Education at the Mortgage Bankers Association where he worked on a wide range of issues impacting single-family, commercial and multifamily real estate finance. His team handled economic forecasting, responding to regulatory and legislative issues impacting the mortgage industry, and benchmarking the operational efficiency and profitability of the mortgage divisions of commercial banks and independent mortgage companies.

Jay is a native of New Orleans, but began his career on Capitol Hill as the press secretary to U.S. Rep. David C. Treen. He then served as Treen’s deputy chief of staff when Treen was elected governor. He worked in commercial banking at what was then Louisiana National Bank/Premier National Bank in Baton Rouge, and was on the business school faculty at the University of Houston where he specialized in financial institution regulation and energy markets. Immediately prior to joining Mortgage Bankers Association, he worked in the portfolio strategy group at Fannie Mae.

He has published articles on bank regulation and housing finance in various academic journals and on the op-ed pages of The Wall Street Journal and the American Banker. He was frequently quoted in print and electronic news outlets on real estate finance topics, has appeared on the news shows of all of the major broadcast and cable networks, and has testified before the US House and Senate banking committees. Jay holds a Ph.D. in finance from Purdue University, an MBA from Tulane University and a BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University. He currently serves at the US representative on the executive committee of the International Union of Housing Finance, a 100-year old organization dedicated to housing issues around the world.

He returned home as a full time resident to New Orleans in 2014 after a 40-year absence, intending to spend his time being a grandfather, and renovating an old home. He has instead found his time increasingly occupied by being a volunteer for various public policy and community service projects.

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Lisa Amoss writes, “This is a problem that is rapidly spiraling out of control. While, in our post-Katrina recovery and rebuilding mode, we haven’t been paying attention, our neighborhood (and many others) have been invaded by short-term rentals and they are drastically changing our character and culture. I am NOT talking about neighbors renting out rooms in the homes they occupy, nor about anyone occasionally renting out the entire home they occupy for Jazz Fest while they are out of town. I am talking about developers coming in and buying up multiple houses, then renting them out as a business venture. These are hotels in residential neighborhoods. They are creating parking and noise problems on our residential blocks, and they are helping to drive up housing prices so that young families cannot afford to buy homes here any more. Our neighborhood is becoming increasingly occupied by transients who have no vested interest in keeping this a vibrant, diverse and safe place to live. If your block has not yet experienced this, there are many in FSJ that have. And it’s changing faster than you can imagine. ”

Cynthia Scott writes, “The ‘hotel’ on my block has now graduated to an events rental venue. Last week, for 3 or 4 days running, the space was rented to someone from Tales of the Cocktail for a daily party from early afternoon to 7 pm each day, with a DJ blasting extremely loud hip hop and other music and a constant stream of people being ferried from the CBD to the location via Uber. A week or two earlier the space was rented for the day to a HUUUUUGE (to paraphrase a certain candidate) birthday party which drew people from all over the city, with cars racing up and down our one-way street and parking in people’s driveways. They departed by sundown, so neither of these rentals could be considered a “home rental” by any definition.

An open letter to the Tales of the Cocktail Community regarding the effects of Short Term Rentals in New Orleans

Dear friends,

This open letter is not about Air…BnB as such, but about the challenge of supporting your industry and community amidst new paradigms of travel and tourism. When Tales of the Cocktail was founded, we deliberately placed the event in July, one of the most difficult months for our local economy, in an effort to help increase revenue for New Orleans’ many hospitality businesses and employees. The hotels, bars, restaurants and thousands of hospitality workers they employ have been grateful for Tales of the Cocktail, and we want to continue to do right by them. In this spirit, we write to you today to help raise awareness about the effect short term rentals, such as AirBnB, are having on residents, business owners, and event producers, like ourselves.

Bar manager at Erin Rose, and former CAP, Rhiannon Enlil was given a notice of eviction last week, after four years in her apartment because her landlord wants to list the property on AirBnB. This is by no means an isolated incident. There are now over 4,316 AirBnBs operating in New Orleans.

“There are a finite number of homes in this city, and the demand is high for workers and residents who keep the economic engine running. If you allow short-term rentals to eat away at that supply, the appeal to live and work in this city diminishes. All of the visitors who use short-term rentals, who want to eat in our restaurants, listen to our live music, drink in our bars… who will serve them if we in the service and entertainment industry cannot afford to live here?”

Rhiannon Enlil
Erin Rose
Newly evicted tenant

This issue is also having a significant impact on the hotels and licenses B&B’s in New Orleans. Hotels are one of the longest standing harbingers of hospitality. They employ hundreds to thousands of people, provide insight and infrastructure to guests, and work with event organizers to facilitate events that would otherwise not be possible, such as Tales of the Cocktail. Every tasting room and seminar we facilitate is done so in a hotel, and it’s hard to imagine where else we could possibly produce so many events within one week. Because of our longstanding relationships with these hotels, we’re able to negotiate special rates for Tales attendees year after year. Hotels are experienced in the practice of hospitality, and legally qualified to accommodate our guests, whereas short term rentals, which are illegal in New Orleans, fundamentally upset residential valuations by introducing unsustainable commercial valuations into residential neighborhoods.

In this spirit, we encourage you to stay with one of our partnering hotels (or even another local hotel if you prefer), but please avoid staying at an AirBnB or other short term rental property that is not legally sanctioned to operate in New Orleans. Each short term rental takes revenue away from our own hospitality industry; if the hotels are operating below projected capacity, staff hours get cut, and employees get laid off. Tales of the Cocktail is one of many organizations in New Orleans working to have these illegal rentals addressed by our city government, but in the meantime, we encourage you to consider the matter for yourself. Everyone wants the best deal they can find, but sometimes the best deal results in an exceptionally rotten deal for everyone else. We employ you: help us keep locals in their homes and guests visiting our city in the many beautiful and hospitable hotels and B&Bs New Orleans has to offer. Thank you for your time and consideration. If you support this effort, please share this post.

Respectfully,

Tales of the Cocktail

Thank you to our partnering hotels: Hotel Monteleone, Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans, Ace Hotel New Orleans, AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon, Bienville House, Bourbon Orleans Hotel, Dauphine Orleans Hotel, Hotel Le Marais, Hotel Mazarin, MOXY NOLA, Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, W New Orleans – French Quarter.

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“Venice, whose world-famous canals are constantly in a precarious condition because of the environment, is now seeing some 22 million visitors per year, which dwarfs the estimated 55,000 people who actually live there. And while many Venetians rely on tourists filling hotels, going for gondola rides, and eating in restaurants to stimulate the local economy, it’s clear that some people would rather the travelers go home.”

The effects of “over visiting” in Venice is reaching a boiling point, so much so that residents are posting signs telling tourists to go away. An independent study projects by 2030 there will be zero locals living in Venice.

http://www.cntraveler.com/story/venice-locals-to-tourists-go-away?mbid=nl_082016_Daily&CNDID=31819853&spMailingID=9388026&spUserID=MTMzNDg1MTk2ODkzS0&spJobID=981661951&spReportId=OTgxNjYxOTUxS0

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Filed Under: CRIME, Featured, HISTORY, More Great Posts! Tagged With: air bnb, bayou, best neighborhood in New Orleans, blight, Charlie London, destruction of neighborhoods, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, fsjna, fungus among us, homeaway, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, no more neighbors, preservation, short term rentals, str

BOUNTY on the BAYOU

November 1, 2013 by Charlie London

Over 600 children arrived Halloween night to join the
Pirates of Fortier Park for Bounty on the Bayou.


 
There was music and bottled water in the park and, of course, all manner of treats for the kids supplied by Faubourg St.John neighbors. Below are just a few photos of a very Happy Halloween in Faubourg St. John:

bounty2013aHalloween2013vignaud1


alexis2013halloween
daltonHalloween2013

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, best neighborhood in New Orleans, bounty, candy, faubourg, fire truck, fortier, fortier park, fun, great neighbors, halloween, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, pirates, police cars, trick or treat

Faubourg St. John Cultural District is Official

July 1, 2013 by Charlie London

FSJ-CulturalDistrict-2013
FSJ-cultural-district

Click HERE to learn more about CULTURAL DISTRICTS.

FSJ-cultural-district-map
guidelines1
guidelines2
guidelines3

Many thanks to Pierre Gautier Walker, III for doing the work
to make the Faubourg St. John Cultural District a reality!


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Click on the logos below to visit the websites of Faubourg St. John businesses where you can purchase one-of-a-kind works of art that are exempt from state and local sales tax.

AlexaPulitzer
cafe-degas1
cc-coffee
FairGrinds
JacksonHill
JenniferZdon
liuzzas
LOLAs
pitot-house1
SANTAFE
swirl
trumpet

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: art, bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, esplanade, faubourg, faubourg st john, fsjna, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, orleans

Bastille Day Celebration

June 30, 2013 by Charlie London

toussaint-photobyToryTaylor-2013july13

Allen Toussaint at the 2013 Bastille Day Celebration in Faubourg St. John. photo by Tory Taylor.

Bastille Day Celebration
in Faubourg St. John.
photos below by Laura London

click on any thumbnail for a better view


bastille2013poster1
Norbert Slama and Raphael Bas (Manouche Musette) will perform from 5 – 7 and Johnny J and the Hitmen from 7 – 9. Cynthia Scott will sing the Marseillaise at 5:30. Ukulele Jake will perform at the Bastille Day Celebration too!

Come on out from 5 pm to 9 pm on Saturday, July 13th and enjoy the Bastille Day Celebration in Faubourg St. John. Generously brought to you by the Faubourg St. John Merchants Association.

(3100 block of Ponce de Leon just off Esplanade)

Please join us for the annual Faubourg St. John Merchants Association Block Party on Ponce de Leon Street between Esplanade and North Lopez.

 

Saturday, July 13, 2013 | 5 PM – 9 PM | Le Marseillaise will be sung by Cynthia Scott

 

Come dance in the street at our annual Bal Populaire! | Local merchants will sell food and beverages on the street. | Art market with local artists | Children’s activities and fun for the whole family! | This event is sponsored by the Faubourg St John Merchants:

Cafe Degas | Fair Grinds Coffee Shop | Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association | Maple Street Book Stores | Nonna Mia | Pal’s Lounge | Santa Fe Restaurant | Swirl Wines

In addition to a cool art market and great kids’ table there will be plenty of food, drink and dancing in the street at the Bastille Day Celebration in the 3100 block of Ponce de Leon on Saturday, July 13th from 5 pm until 9 pm. Plan to join the fun! It’s free!


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Norbert Slama and Raphael Bas will perform at the Bastille Day Celebration in Faubourg St. John on Saturday, July 13, 2013. More soon!

Johnny J will perform at the Bastille Day Celebration in Faubourg St. John on Saturday, July 13, 2013.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: 3100 ponce de leon, art, band, bastille, bastille day, bayou, bayou st john, best neighborhood in New Orleans, block, block party, bookstore, business district, Cafe Degas, canseco's, celebration, city, creole, day, esplanade, faubourg, faubourg st john, french, grocery, jacob, jacob windstein, jake, kids, liuzza's, maple street bookstores, market, merchants, music, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, nonna mia, pal's, party, ponce de leon, rock, rock-n-roll, roll, swirl, terranovas, ukulele, ukulele jake

Many Thanks to Canseco’s!

April 25, 2013 by Charlie London

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Canseco’s has generously supported
the Fortier Festival for 7 years!


rodney-fortierfest

Rodney “Grill Master” Beals worked hard all day
cooking burgers donated by Canseco’s!

Many thanks to Canseco’s for their generous donations of supplies and food to help make the Fortier Festival a huge success year after year!

Fortier Festival would not be the same without help from great neighbors like Canseco’s.

Please be sure to stop in Canseco’s today and tell them
THANK YOU for their years of generosity that has
helped keep Fortier Park beautiful.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best, best neighborhood in New Orleans, canseco's, eclectic, esplanade, faubourg, fun, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, party

Help Park at the Haus

April 21, 2013 by Charlie London

Volunteers Needed

As you know, we are going to use the future home of Deutsches Haus at 1700 Moss Street (near the corner of Esplanade Ave. and Moss St.) to raise money for the new Haus.

However, we still have several things to do at the Moss St. property before we are ready to park cars for Jazzfest.

Here are some of the items on our “To-Do” list:

Put up orange fencing

Cut numerous conduits and protrusions on the slabs

Put up the banner and other signs

Mark and stake out hazards

Trim some tree branches

Designate ‘no parking’ areas on the slabs

Pick up rocks and debris

Mark some initial parking spaces

Treat residual ant piles

Clear an interior sidewalk

Install a 2×4 step down from the 3rd District slab

Secure the fence perimeter and prop the cemetery fence with 2x4s

Weather permitting; I will be working on site Thursday (9am-4pm), and Friday (9am-4pm). Check the volunteer tab on our website for more details.

Also, weather permitting; our final setup will be on Wednesday. April 24th. Again, I will post this under the volunteer tab on our website.

Parking cars at our Moss Street location is a revenue-producing venture for the new Haus; HOWEVER, at the moment, it looks like we will not be able to open the gates everyday due to the lack of volunteers.

WE NEED MORE VOLUNTEERS!

The following is the number of volunteers we need for each shift:

Friday, April 26th, 1st shift – 6 needed
Friday, April 26th, 2nd shift – 12 needed
Saturday, April 27th, 1st shift – 6 needed
Saturday, April 27th, 2nd shift – 5 needed
Sunday, April 28th, 1st shift – 9 needed
Sunday, April 28th, 2nd shift – 4 needed
Thursday, May 2nd, 1st shift – 1 needed
Thursday, May 2nd, 2nd shift – 9 needed
Friday, May 3rd, 1st shift – 0 needed
Friday, May 3rd, 2nd shift – 10 needed
Saturday, May 4th, 1st shift – 4 needed
Saturday, May 4th, 2nd shift – 2 needed
Sunday, May 5th, 1st shift – 8 needed
Sunday, May 5th, 2nd shift – 3 needed

Please email me at [email protected] or [email protected] with shifts you can work.

Thanks,
Charlie Rome
Deutsches Haus Volunteer Coordinator
Moss Street Parking Team Leader
[email protected]

parking

Here is an opportunity to volunteer for the DEUTSCHES HAUS to help raise money by parking cars and pickups ($30) during Jazzfest at their future location at 1700 Moss Street.

Write to [email protected] with the days and shifts that you can help. It is important to let Deutsches Haus know if something comes up after you sign up since there will only be about 15 people working for each shift.

There will be 2 shifts each day. The first shift is from 8:30 am until 2:30pm. The second shift is from 2pm until 8pm.

Day 1 is Friday, April 26th
Day 2 is Saturday, April 27th
Day 3 is Sunday, April 28th
Day 4 is Thursday, May 2nd
Day 5 is Friday, May 3rd
Day 6 is Saturday, May 4th
Day 7 is Sunday, May 5th

OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE

Cashier – Standing job taking money as cars pull into the location
Guide – Some sitting. Directs vehicles to parking areas.
Parker – Standing and moving to various spots to be sure vehicles are properly parked
Exit monitor – sitting at the exit to prevent entry
Cook – to handle beverages and grill brats for the workers
Two people, preferably in German dress may be posted on Esplanade and Moss to wave signs advertising our parking

Food and beverages will be provided.

For more information contact Charlie Rome, Deutsches Haus Volunteer Coordinator at
[email protected]

parkatdahaus1

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best, best neighborhood in New Orleans, Deutsches Haus, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, german, haus, help, heritage, jazz fest, jazz fest parking, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, new orleans jazz and heritage festival, new orleans jazz fest, parking, volunteer, where can I park for jazz fest

Get Your Bass Out There April 6th

March 18, 2013 by Charlie London

big-bass-rodeo

If people concentrated on the really important things in life,
there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ~Doug Larson


BigBass
To welcome springtime fishing, New Orleans City Park will host its Big Bass Rodeo and Fishtival, the oldest freshwater rodeo in the country. This 66-year-old event attracts over 600 participants and affords an opportunity for anglers of all ages and backgrounds to catch those elusive lunkers for bragging rights and trophies.

Unlike high caliber bass fishing tournaments, this nonprofessional rodeo encourages families and friends to enjoy a day in the park. This year’s Rodeo will be held on Saturday, April 6th with registration beginning at 6:00 a.m. at the Casino Building (presently Morning Call Café).

Fishing begins at 6:30 a.m. and weigh-in ends at 11:00 a.m. by the Bandstand. The entry fee is only $10 for Adults (13 and older) and $5 for kids (12 years and under). Be sure to visit: www.neworleanscitypark.com/bigbass for details, online registration, registration forms, rules & regulations and a fishing map.

There are 5 fishing categories:
1. Bass by baitcaster, spincast or spinning reel.
2. Bass by fly rod and reel.
3. Team Event-Rio Grande Roundup for the team bringing in the heaviest stringer of cichlids.
4. Junior Anglers for those 12 years and under catching the heaviest single bream or cichlid.
5. Champion’s Challenge for past 1st place winners of the Bass category compete against one another for the largest bass.

Catfish Kids is a bonus for those 16 years and under catching the 3 single heaviest catfish.

The Fishtival complete with music by a DJ begins at 9:00 a.m. (its free!) around the Casino and Bandstand area and offers activities for young and old alike. A special section for children by Wish To Fish La. offers a casting contest for ages 6-15, free casting and cast net throwing lessons and other activities. Wildlife educators from Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries will have demonstrations and exhibits as well as their pellet-shooting trailer. Numerous other exhibitors include local artists, ecology, wildlife, conservation groups, kayak displays, live “critters” to pet and more! And if you are feeling lucky you can participate in the $1 raffle for great fishing and outdoor gear including a fishing kayak or the $5 raffle to win one of 3 charter boat fishing trips with well known Captains C.T. Williams, Dudley Vandenborre or Aaron Gelfand. The popular Mardi Gras toss of fishing tackle during the awards ceremony affords an opportunity to put up your hands and catch baits to fill up your tackle box.

The Big Bass Rodeo was founded in 1946 by Paul Kalman. Paul spent many hours of his childhood fishing the tree-framed waters of City Park. For Paul, it was an angler’s urban heaven. After serving in World War II, Paul conceived the idea of an annual fishing rodeo, planting the seeds of what would become City Park’s Big Bass Rodeo. A reporter for the New Orleans Item at the time, he persuaded his bosses to sponsor the inaugural event. So armed with a meat scale borrowed from Schwegmann’s original grocery store, the Rodeo was launched. Under his guidance, the rodeo grew to where it drew as many as 1,000 participants. Although he passed away in 1987, his legacy lives on today with the Paul Kalman award presented to the angler 12 years old or less who lands the largest bass. The Joe Courcelle award has since been added to rodeo to honor his 30 years plus serving as Weigh Master and is given to the angler 13 years and up landing the largest bass.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 6th and try your luck to catch a record-breaking bass. Good Fishing!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bass, bass rodeo, bayou, best, best neighborhood in New Orleans, big bass, city park, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, fish, fishing, fishing rodeo, island, landrieu, neighborhood, New Orleans, new orleans best neighborhood, park, rodeo

Trees and Treasure

December 2, 2012 by Charlie London

article by Richard Angelico
The photo above shows
Mr. Angelico with a cannonball
found deep in the
Louisiana woods.
I usually spend my Saturdays somewhere along the Mississippi River, swinging my metal detector and digging in cane fields or battle fields looking for War of 1812 or Civil War campsites and relics.

This first day of December I was working on my second cup of coffee and wondering where I should head to when my phone rang. It was an excited Charlie London calling to tell me the crews digging holes for the new oak trees were turning up bottles and pottery shards as they dug. That’s not surprising since decades ago the city used the area along the bayou as a dumping ground for trash to fill in marshy areas. Charlie suggested I take a quick look so I grabbed my metal detector and headed out. By the time I got there three trees had been planted but two were awaiting placement in their holes.

A quick look at the excavated dirt showed hundreds of pieces of broken glass, bottle necks and fragments, brick and pottery shards all clues the relic hunter looks for to indicate a good site.

The tree planting crew would be heading my way soon so I had only a few minutes to swing my detector over the dirt piles.

The first relic to pop up out of the ground was a brass Lion’s Paw, followed by half of a lady’s hem weight, a brass escutcheon, half a musket ball and an underwear button.

At first I thought the escutcheon may be a foreign coin with a hole in the center but it turned out to be a piece of Eastlake hardware, most likely for a drawer pull or knob. The lead hem-weight was used to hold ladies skirts down and men’s frock coats as well. The brass Lion’s Paw is found as “feet” on umbrella stands, cache pots and andirons. It is hollow brass and was filled with lead to give it weight. The underwear button is interesting it has the words “ Artistic Paris” on the face which suggest it may have adorned a lady’s undergarment long ago. And why one half of a musket ball? Well, these were often cut in half or flattened as were other lead bullets during the Civil War to be used as “game pieces” or “poker chips” by enterprising soldiers.

Back at home I cleaned them all up and now I have some nice relics to give to Charlie for display at the next neighborhood meeting.


Click here to view a PDF of the “Trees and Treasures” article by Richard Angelico.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: banks, bayou, bayou st john, best, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, finds, louisiana, metal detector, neighborhood, New Orleans, relic hunters, relics, richard angelico, treasure, treasure trove, treasured trees, trees and treasure, unknown

Neighbor Exposed at City Hall

November 17, 2012 by Charlie London

Faubourg St. John neighbor Liz Garcia is part of a group show at City Hall for the National Arts Program. Liz is definitely honorable and worth mentioning!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: art, bayou, bayou st john, best, eclectic, elizabeth garcia, faubourg, faubourg st john, garcia, liz, liz garcia, neighborhood, New Orleans

Unique Visitor

November 10, 2012 by Charlie London

by Charlie London

Mona McMahon caught this visitor looking in her back door.


I often see cats and dogs walking down the sidewalk in Faubourg St. John but was a little surprised to see the animal in the video above taking a stroll down the sidewalk at 9:30 this evening.

How to live with possums
(1) Block access to your roof by:
*placing collars made from sheet iron, 60 cm wide and 60 cm above the ground, around the trunks of all trees giving access to the roof. Collars may also be used to keep possums out of fruit trees.
*lopping branches which lead to the roof.
(2) Make or buy a nest box and install it in your garden as an alternate den site for the possum. Possums are territorial. If one adopts the nest box, it is likely to keep others away from your garden (and roof).
(3) Block all known entrance points once possums have left your roof, and wipe around entrance points with household bleach to remove possum scent.
(4) Ornamental plants or fruit being eaten by possum may be protected by placing blood and bone fertilizer around the base of plants or by making a solution of hot english mustard (mustard powder and water) which can be sprayed on the affected fruits or foliage.

Trapping and removal of possum is not recommended
*it seldom solves the problem, since another possum usually moves in to occupy the vacated territory and den site in your roof.
*released possums may displace other wildlife, such as owls or gliders, from hollows.
*released possums are at high risk of being killed by cars, foxes or dogs, or battle with the local possums for a den site. Possums are protected, like all other native animals under the Wildlife Act 1975. They must not be harmed in any way.

More information in the link below:
http://members.tripod.com/wires_msc/page3.html

possum2012nov10

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, neighborhood, New Orleans, opossum, possum hollow

Friday Fun in the Faubourg

November 9, 2012 by Charlie London

FRIDAY FUN IN THE FAUBOURG

Enjoy glasses of wine as you watch the sunset over Bayou St. John.
It’s Vino on the Bayou at The Pitot House (1440 Moss St.) tonight from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Come enjoy the wine tasting event of the Fall season. Enjoy a glass of wine and the live music of the Jesse Morrow Trio while watching the sunset on Bayou St. John.

$5 admission for Louisiana Landmarks Society members and $10 general admission.
No reservations. Tickets sold at gate only. (1440 Moss on beautiful Bayou St. John)

New Orleans native Poppy Tooker will be signing: Mme. Bégué’s Recipes of Old New Orleans Creole Cookery.Wine selections are donated by Cork & Bottle Fine Wines, located in the American Can Company on Orleans Ave.

From bestofneworleans.com…
“Slow food advocate and author Poppy Tooker revives the work of one of New Orleans’ first famous chefs in Mme. Begue’s Recipes of Old New Orleans Creole Cookery (Pelican). The cookbook was first published in 1900 and has been out of print since 1937. Tooker’s new edition sheds light on the legendary Madame Begue and makes her recipes more accessible to contemporary home cooks.

Madame Begue came to New Orleans in 1853 as Elizabeth Kettenring. She opened Dutrey’s coffee shop in 1863 with her first husband Louis Dutreuil, a French Market butcher. When Dutreuil died, she married bartender Hippolyte Begue, and they renamed the French Quarter restaurant Begue’s. The restaurant’s popularity and her fame rose dramatically during the 1884 Cotton Exhibition, which brought an influx of tourists to New Orleans.

“At that time she became the No. 1 tourist attraction in this city,” Tooker says. “[Visitors] could actually see her in her kitchen at her coal-burning stove surrounded by her copper pots.”

Begue’s served an elaborate “second breakfast,” which evolved into New Orleans’ brunch tradition. The menu included classic dishes such as shrimp jambalaya, crawfish bisque and Creole gumbo. In the book, Tooker’s updated recipes appear alongside Begue’s original recipes.

Tooker says Begue’s recipes are “some of the purest records of the original Creole cuisine that put New Orleans on the map.” — BRAD RHINES”

***
Friday Free For All, November 9, 6-8pm
Peggy Hymel is joining Swirl Wine Bar & Market this evening for a Latin wine themed evening with wines from Chile, Argentina and Spain! Walter is out this week, but Swirl Wine Bar & Market is working on a guest appearance from one of their favorite chefs…Check out their Facebook page for the lineup, chef and menu!

Swirl Wine Bar & Market | 3143 Ponce de Leon Street | New Orleans | 504.304.0635

***

FAUBOURG ST. JOHN

“Where Big Dreams Grow!”

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best, drink, drinks, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, free wine, friday, louisiana landmarks, most, neighborhood, New Orleans, pitot house, vino

MASQUERAID

October 28, 2012 by Charlie London


Masqueraid / Re-Bridge’s 2nd Annual Fundraising Gala will be held Saturday, December 1, 2012 at the home of Eric Hess and Judge Frank Thaxton III, retired at 1001 Moss Street.

This year will be a masked cocktail affair! Guests will gather to support the rehabilitation of two historic bridges, while enjoying an open bar featuring two exclusive Re-Bridge drinks, gourmet bites from SoBou, and dancing to a master DJ set of tunes from the 70s to today.

Masqueraid is designed to raise awareness and funds for rehabilitating the Magnolia and Walter Parker Memorial (aka Dumaine) Bridges that cross Bayou St. John, a community effort led by the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association in collaboration with the Re‐Bridge organization. The Magnolia Bridge is considered the oldest in New Orleans and was recently named one of Louisiana Landmarks Society’s “New Orleans Nine.” The Sanctuary is a private residence, once Walter Parker’s home, who helped transform the squalid bayou and surrounds into the wonderful neighborhood it is today. Re-Bridge is continuing the vision that Mr. Parker initiated 80 years ago.

Masqueraid is open to the public (cocktail attire). All monies raised for Re-Bridge are under FSJNA’s charitable 501c3 status. The tickets are $100 each with all proceeds going to Re-Bridge to raise matching funds for city and state funding. SoBou has graciously donated the cuisine.

Masqueraid will also include five incredible raffle items for fans of the arts, fashion, dining, drinking, and sports. Get your tickets today!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: bayou, bayou st john, best, bridge, bridges, dumaine, dumaine bridge, eclectic, faubourg, faubourg st john, magnolia, magnolia bridge, neighborhood, New Orleans, rebridge

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