A proposal that would allow new advertising billboards in a large portion of New Orleans East was recently rejected by city planning officials on the grounds they would add to an already visually cluttered landscape.
But on Thursday, the City Council introduced a measure to overrule that decision in the hopes that more business advertising opportunities would spur economic growth and help rebrand New Orleans East as a destination community.
Under a proposed zoning change, initiated by a group of New Orleans East residents, new billboards would be allowed anywhere north of Chef Menteur Highway between Paris Road and Downman Road, including residential areas.
Currently, they’re prohibited by the city’s zoning ordinance.
New Orleans East considers allowing more billboards. But some residents are pushing back.
There are already nearly 500 billboards across New Orleans, mostly in mixed-use corridors along major streets such as Canal, Broad and St. Bernard Avenue, according to a 2019 billboard study conducted by the city planning commission.
In New Orleans East, most are concentrated along Interstate 10 and Chef Menteur Highway in a region littered by shuttered strip malls, overgrown lots and blight.
“There’s already an abundance,” East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission Dawn Hebert said in an interview. “I can’t even envision where one would be erected and if it was, it would be in the backyard of someone’s home,” she said, referencing a multitude of single family neighborhoods close to the interstate.
“People need to have some other marketing strategies in 2024 instead of something that will clutter up the sky,” said resident Claudia Celestand.
At a June city planning commission meeting, officials recommended denial for the zoning changes and acknowledged that while billboards can provide consistent rental income for landowners, allowing them goes against the city’s Plan for the 21st Century, a master plan that guides the city’s growth over the next 20 years.
According to the plan, the zoning district that would be affected by the billboard change must “promote pedestrian-friendly and bicycle-friendly environments.”
Billboards, which could stand up to 25 feet tall and up to 672 square feet in size, could be disruptive to pedestrian environments and distracting for vehicle traffic, according to the city planning commission.
On Thursday, Council member Oliver Thomas sponsored a measure to overrule the commission’s recommendation after speaking with business owners and community members looking for more ways to showcase the area’s offerings.
“I keep hearing, ‘I have a good product and a good location, but no one knows its there,'” he said.
Thomas, who represents New Orleans East and parts of the 9th Ward, said communities forging partnerships with advertising companies is common in other areas, and that it’s a good time to explore those partnerships as New Orleans East continues heading in the right direction.
The move comes as data shows violent crime at its lowest since 2019 and as the area prepares for a number of new development projects. It also comes as frustrated residents are calling for more retail and grocery store options following decades of disinvestment. Earlier this year, Thomas pushed for a study on ways to curb concentrations of beauty supply stores, nail salons, tire shops and discount retailers in the area to make way for a wider variety of businesses.
The city has dedicated $24 million toward revitalizing the historic Lincoln Beach. A master planning process is underway for that project with a soft opening date expected in 2025.
Last year, Bayou Phoenix development group signed a deal with the city to redevelop the former Six Flags site and transform 227 acres of land into a multi-use sports complex that would include hotels, restaurants, water parks, an entertainment center, and a beach.
The City Council will take up the zoning change at a later date.