In his capacity as Chair of the New Orleans City Planning Commission, managing partner, Robert Steeg, has been quoted in several articles by The Times-Picayune, Gambit and The Lens, regarding Canal Street economic development, a daiquiri shop proposal, affordable housing, and short term rentals. The articles are excerpted below and linked to each publication so you can read them in their entirety.
Lane reductions? Planners offer ideas to improve Canal Street
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, October 25, 2018, By Beau Evans
“On Tuesday (Oct. 23), the City Planning Commission got an overview of the city planning staff’s 167-page study on Canal Street, the latest in a stack of analyses done since 1970. The study arrives as Mayor LaToya Cantrell has set the corridor’s resurgence as a top economic development priority for her administration.
A study recommendation calls for a “temporary demonstration project” that would reserve the outermost of Canal Street’s three traffic lanes for temporary loading zones and passenger drop-off. Planners suggest a 90-day pilot to test whether such a reduction could work.
The proposal drew strong pushback Tuesday from Planning Commission chairman Robert Steeg, who called it “a terrible idea.” Kurt Weigle, the Downtown Development District’s CEO, didn’t take an official stance on the idea, but said he thought it could possibly work if done wisely.”
Daiquiri shop proposal on St. Charles Avenue leaves neighbors frosty
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, October 23, 2018, By Beau Evans
“Plans for a new daiquiri shop on the lower end of St. Charles Avenue that faces pushback from neighbors is headed to the New Orleans City Council for a final vote.
For his part, the commission’s chairman, Robert Steeg, worried the proposed shop’s size might set a troubling trend for cramming high-volume alcohol establishments in relatively small spaces on St. Charles Avenue.
“I do think there’s some problem with setting a precedent for this small a space,” Commissioner Robert Steeg said.”
New Orleans city planners reluctant to support ‘mandatory’ affordable housing idea; here’s why
Gambit, October 9, 2018, By Alex Woodward
“City planners are asking for more time to determine how New Orleans can best address its affordable housing crisis by requiring affordable units in new developments.
Commissioner Robert Steeg asked the CPC staff whether the city would be better “using a carrot rather than a stick” to attract affordable development through tax incentives, and whether there are “any empirical studies or data driven analysis as to which of those two methods works best.”
Planning Commission votes for tighter restrictions on short-term rentals
The Lens, October 3, 2018, By Michael Isaac Stein
“After more than three hours of public comment, the New Orleans City Planning Commission on Wednesday voted to recommend tight restrictions on short-term rentals proposed by its staff in a report last month. The proposal now goes to the City Council for its consideration.
But even if the council does adopt the recommended regulatory structure, there could be significant alterations. Commission Chair Robert Steeg referred to the study as a “baseline document.”