Nola Reporter

NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today was joined by Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Office of Business and External Services (OBES) Thomas Mulligan and Director of the Department of Code Enforcement Anthony Davis to officially announce the full “Dirty Dozen” list of the 12 most notable blighted properties across the city. Following the press conference, the department began the demolition of 3418 Sullen Place after receiving an emergency demolition order earlier this month. 

“Thanks to the aggressive work by Code Enforcement, there has been significant progress with blight remediation across the entire city, including the demolition of abandoned buildings that have become hot spots for criminal activity,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “This department has achieved many big wins as they continue to hold bad actors accountable and clean up our neighborhoods. This why Code Enforcement has identified the top 12 blighted properties that are my administration’s priority to address. It is my hope that by identifying and focusing on these properties, it will aid in reducing crime and attracting investors to revitalize these spaces to bring it back into functioning commerce.”   

In no particular order, the Department of Code Enforcement has identified the following properties as the “Dirty Dozen” list, or the top 12 blighted properties for the administration to address: 

• Plaza Tower, 1001 Howard Ave. - owned by Joe Jaeger; City imposed a $180,000 fine to recoup costs of barricades and lost revenue due to closed metered parking spaces and later imposed $220,000 in fines for 11 guilty violations, which is the second largest fine the department has ever imposed due to a Code Enforcement matter; it is currently in litigation 
• Harlequin Theatre, 1031 N. Claiborne Ave. - owned by Tracy Williams; found guilty of 10 violations, fined $4,500 and currently in litigation 
• DeGaulle Manor, 3010 Sandra Drive - owned by Josh Bruno; found guilty of 15 violations, fined $7,000 and currently in litigation 
• 6700 Plaza Drive - owned by Mitch Crusto; found guilty of 11 violations, fined $3,200 and currently in litigation 
• 5501- 5585 Bundy Road - hundreds of owners; City began abatement efforts in May to clear debris, including abandoned vehicles and over 8,000 tires, as well as manage overgrown vegetation; once these efforts are complete, the long-term plan for the site is to sell it during a Sheriff’s sale or a sale of adjudicated property for future housing development 
• Lindy Boggs Hospital, 301 Norman C. Francis Parkway - owned by Flower/Hoffman; found guilty of 4 violations, fined $1,500 and prior case been paid and closed. The owners are currently working on securing funding and developing a new plan 
• Orwood Creek Apartments, 10151 Curran Blvd. - owned by Moshe Silber; found guilty of 13 violations, fined $5,000 and prior cases have been paid and abated. Currently awaiting Code Enforcement inspection in an opened administrative case to potentially impose new fines 
• State Palace Theatre, 1108 Canal St. - owned by Chen Horng Lee; 7 violations have been recorded and awaiting hearing to potentially impose fines  
• Canal Street Hotel, 1630 Canal St. - owned by Joe Jaeger; found guilty of 10 violations, fined $4,500 and Daily Fines hearing determined the property abated, but a new Code Enforcement hearing is under consideration 
• 2025 Canal St./115 N Prieur St. - owned by Hirschkop/Rosenberg; 19 violations have been recorded and awaiting hearing to potentially impose fines 
• Washington Gardens Apartments, 2119 Washington Ave. - owned by Josh Bruno; found guilty of 16 violations, fined $7,000 and property has been remediated and continues to be a work in progress 
• Parc Fontaine Apartments, 3101 Rue Parc Fontaine – Many units of which are owned by: Global Ministries Foundation (GMF) Preservation of Affordability Corp; violations cited and imposition of fines are pending

“There has been an unmistakable rise in Code Enforcement activity within this administration, which is evident in the investments made in the department this past year,” said Mulligan. “With all cases of blight, and especially with these very large-scale and longstanding properties, it is not just a Code Enforcement issue, so we must have all partners at the table and are already deep in the process of working together across departments to get to a final resolution. We always prefer to work collaboratively with owners of blighted properties; however, when that is not possible, we have a range of tools at our disposal to protect the public from blight. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to these properties; however, our ultimate goal is to work with owners, get these properties back into the community, and that is what we are committed to doing.”   

“It has been an incredible year for Code Enforcement,” said Davis. “We are not a punitive organization – we are looking to work with owners who are willing to do the right thing. While some owners appear to be headed in the right direction, Code Enforcement will continue to follow the law and do those things that are necessary to get these properties into compliance. We are exciting about moving forward and have great plans in motion for 2024 in terms of how we continue to tackle blight throughout our city.” 

Aligned with this focus on tackling the most blighted properties, the City Attorney's Office is working collaboratively with Code Enforcement, the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) to institute a process to utilize the recently amended Criminal Blight Statute. Owners of criminally blighted properties have been referred to the NOPD who have begun efforts to serve defendants to appear in Municipal Court due to the condition of their properties. The Criminal Blight Statute is based on administrative judgments from Code Enforcement cases where a hearing officer has determined a property as blighted and a public nuisance and those violations have not been abated. These property owners will not be named publicly until a judgment or charge for a criminal violation has been issued.  

As of Nov. 15, 129 demolitions have been completed across the city, surpassing 2022’s total of 105 demolitions by 23 percent. So far this year, 4,831 lots have been cut, which is on track to exceed 2022’s total by 30 percent or more. Additionally, Code Enforcement has collected approximately $2.6 million in fines and fees. At this rate, the department may exceed 2022 by over 20 percent. The staffing size was also increased by 23 percent from 2022 to continue aggressively tackling blight across our city. 

"The 'Dirty Dozen' initiative is a dedicated effort to address the challenge of blight, which impacts the heart of our neighborhoods,” said Councilmember King. “In collaboration with Mayor Cantrell, Deputy CAO Thomas Mulligan and Code Enforcement Director Anthony Davis, we are working to turn back the tide of neglect. The abatement of these troubled properties is one of the keys to setting a foundation for ongoing progress and revitalization." 

Today’s event concluded with the demolition of 3418 Sullen Place, which received an emergency demolition order on Nov. 8. In October, the property maintenance and demolition inspection cited nearly 30 violations, most notably that the right side of the foundation had failed. This caused the wall to lean, putting the property at risk of fully collapsing and endangering the dwelling located next door.

Original source can be found here.