A proposal to place a swath of downtown New Orleans under a new appointed board with the power to levy taxes drew the attention of the Coliseum Square Association on Monday night, based on the possibility that the “hospitality zone” could easily be expanded into Uptown.
The "Zone" would be governed by an unelected board of business owners with the power to tax residents in order to hire security, sanitation, and advertising for their businesses. It is understood that the Zone could be expanded should the board of business owners decide that any other parts of town are particularly desirable to them. Places like Coliseum Square, for example, might fit that bill. At one time, it was considered America's "hippest" neighborhood, you know.
Finally, there’s a strong possibility that the city will reduce the amount of services it provides in the “hospitality zone,” letting the new taxes pick up the slack — instead of increasing services as they were intended to do.
“We’d prefer we all have a lot more time to review this, because it’s creating a new government structure for the city,” (VCPORA Executive Director Meg) Lousteau said, noting that the idea usurps some authority and responsibility from the City Council.
That doesn't sound good. Naturally residents living in potentially Zoned-in neighborhoods are going to be wary of such a coup d'etat. Of course some of them might just welcome their new tourist-focused overlords. It's at least implied here that we should have some confidence in their "wisdom" anyway.
After the meeting, (CS Association President Robert) Wolf said that the “devil is in the details” when it comes to the plan’s merits, especially if the zone could move up St. Charles Avenue. Ensuring that money is invested wisely in tourist areas is important, but the burden on downtown residents should be carefully considered, he said.
Update: And now, please, see also Dambala who has much more on this business.
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