City of New Orleans

The New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission Architectural Review Committee convened a meeting via Zoom due to an inability to achieve a quorum under regular requirements, citing authority granted by Act 302 of the 2020 Regular Legislative Session. The meeting was scheduled to address matters critical to the continuation of the Historic District Landmarks Commission's business that could not be postponed. The agenda included several applications for architectural review, such as renovation and additions at 3715 Marais St, new construction projects at 1232 St Bernard Ave and 1238 St Bernard Ave, renovations at 826-28 N Robertson St, and after-the-fact renovation at 900 Philip St.

The Architectural Review Committee meeting addressed several applications for renovation and new construction within the Central Business District. Conceptual approval was recommended for the project at 1031 Annunciation St, contingent upon staff-level finalization of details. For the proposed ten-story hotel at 1060 Magazine St, conceptual approval was granted for the massing, but exterior treatments required further review to unify the two volumes. The application for 709 Tchoupitoulas St was denied, as the committee required further documentation regarding the proposed gallery addition and deemed the proposed overhead doors inappropriate. The committee denied the request to raise the parapet wall at 759 Carondelet St, suggesting screened concealment for HVAC instead. The application for 707-709 St Charles Ave was deferred pending research into the historic storefront condition. Conceptual approval was recommended for the renovation at 934 Canal St, with suggestions to restore facade elements documented in historic photographs. Finally, the renovation proposal for 1001-1015 Canal St was deferred to gather more information on new rooftop additions, specifically regarding height and setback compliance, and to retain an entrance at 1005 Canal St.

The meeting agenda includes roll call, review of the Minutes of the December 8, 2021 meeting, and the removal of Landmark Designation for 427 S. Rampart Street due to collapse during Hurricane Ida. The consent agenda addresses renovation of the John C Williams commercial building at 934 Canal St. Old Business includes a work application for the restoration of an existing warehouse facade and new construction of a commercial building at 1031 Annunciation St. New Business covers conceptual approval for a ten-story hotel massing following the demolition of the existing building at 1060 Magazine St. Other items involve proposed revisions to HDLC Design Guidelines for Roofing (Section 5-5 and 5-8) and proposed changes to the Rules, Policies and Procedures regarding ARC membership (Section II.B.1). The agenda concludes with ratification of Architectural Review Committee and Staff actions since the previous meeting and general reports/communications.

The key discussions for this meeting included the monthly reports from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), the Office of the Independent Police Monitor (OIPM), the Ethics Trainer, and the General Counsel and Executive Administrator. A significant portion of the agenda was dedicated to the reappointment/appointment process for the Independent Police Monitor (IPM), including discussions on Stella Cziment's potential reappointment, initiating a national search, and voting to post the announcement and authorize advertisements. The Board also addressed recommending an amendment to the Code of Ordinances to impose restrictions on IPM appointment similar to those for the Inspector General. Other items included discussion and potential votes on periodic salary adjustments for the OIG and OIPM, and an executive session to discuss investigative proceedings regarding ERB Complaints No. 2025-07 and 2025-08.

The meeting addressed the approval of the minutes from the January 4, 2023 meeting. A primary agenda item was the Landmark Nomination for 1001 Howard Avenue, a building listed on the national register of historic places, noted for its unique architectural blend and structural innovations, though the commission ultimately decided to defer the vote for one month to allow the property owner's representative to present concerns regarding potential delays to redevelopment plans. New business involved an application from Roofing Solutions for the retention of EIFS wall cladding installation at the penthouse of a contributing rated multi-family residential building at 900 Peters Street. Staff recommended approval of the retention, provided safety improvements confirming code compliance were verified, noting that the penthouse was a non-original addition and the previous cladding was also a panelized product.