NORA COMMITTEE NEWSLETTER REPORT

February 2009

            The NORA Committee continues to work closely with NORA and its staff to effectively handle the use and disposition of properties sold by property owners through Louisiana’s Road Home program.  At this stage of the disposition process, the Lot Next Door program has entered its appraisal phase.  As of the end of January, NORA has mailed nearly 40 certified letters containing appraisal amounts to Lakeview residents who returned formal Statements of Interests to NORA.  The remaining 90 appraisals have been completed and certified letters containing those amounts should be mailed to eligible property owners in the coming weeks.  If you are eligible, once you receive the appraisal letter, please follow the instructions closely in order to move toward a formal closing.  The LCIA NORA Committee continues to monitor the Lot Next Door program and will keep our neighbors updated on the latest developments as this process continues.  If you have not received a certified letter from NORA but you believe that you are eligible under the Lot Next Door ordinance, please contact NORA directly through www.noraworks.org or by calling NORA at 658-4422.  Please note that you must have a homestead exemption on the property next to the NORA property to qualify under this program.  For more information on this program, please visit our web site at www.lakeviewcivic.org where regular updates will be posted with additional information.

            For those neighbors who are interested in purchasing a NORA property but who may not be eligible under the Lot Next Door program, please pay careful attention to the following.  NORA has begun the process of appraising all NORA properties in the 70124 area in an effort to streamline the next phase of sales.  In addition, in an effort to administer and dispose of NORA properties in a more efficient manner, LCIA is currently working on a proposed partnership with NORA that would allow LCIA to assist NORA in the next round of property sales.  Please attend the March LCIA neighborhood meeting for additional information on this proposed partnership and the procedure for purchasing NORA properties through this phase.  In addition, the NORA Committee will host a town hall neighborhood meeting as soon as the partnership is finalized so that we can update our neighbors on how the process will work and to provide an opportunity for banks, builders, architects, etc. to assist those neighbors in their rebuilding of the NORA properties.  If you have any questions regarding a NORA property, feel free to email our committee at noracommittee@lakeviewcivic.org.

DISPOSITION OF NORA PROPERTIES – NORA COMMITTEE UPDATES

UPDATED: JULY 24, 2008

For several months, LCIA’s NORA Committee has devoted substantial time in working with the New Orleans Recovery Authority (“NORA”) to advise the agency on the disposition of lots and properties sold to the State of Louisiana through its Road Home program. As properties are sold to the State, ownership is held by the Louisiana Land Trust until NORA is ready to sell a particular property. LCIA’s NORA Committee has had substantial input with NORA and the agency continues to work closely with us to insure that the ultimate use and transfer of NORA properties are in the best interest of Lakeview, its residents, and our recovery.

The first phase of the disposition of properties by NORA has begun. The New Orleans City Council created the Lot Next Door program by passing an ordinance that allows residents to purchase a NORA-owned property immediately "next door" to their own. Beginning in late July 2008, NORA began sending notification letters by registered mail on a rolling basis to eligible homeowners based on NORA’s review of City tax and property records. These letters will include specific instructions for participating in the Lot Next Door program. Letter recipients are determined based on the status of their city tax and homestead exemption records and whether they are adjacent to NORA-owned or potentially owned property. If you have questions about your homestead exemption, we urge you to contact the City Assessor’s Office at (504) 658-1320. Again, you MUST have a homestead exemption on your current property to be eligible under the Lot Next Door program.

Please visit www.noraworks.org to learn more about the program and its requirements. However, for ease of reference, to be eligible, Lot Next Door participants must:

1. Have a homestead exemption on your property;

2. Live directly to the right or left of the property NORA owns or will come to own;

3. Currently comply with City building codes and health and safety ordinances on all properties you own in Orleans Parish;

4. Be current on taxes on all property you own in Orleans Parish;

5. Be prepared to pay NORA the appraised, fair market lot value plus legal fees and costs; and

6. Plan to hold ownership of the subject property for at least five years or pay a penalty

Back taxes may be paid to the City Bureau of the Treasury, located in City Hall, (866) 493-7404. Property health liens may be addressed at the City Health Department, (504) 658-2595. The Code Enforcement office is responsible for all other liens and can be reached at (504) 658-4300. NORA’s website also contains an interactive map that shows NORA properties and is updated on a regular basis.

If you are NOT eligible to purchase property under the Lot Next Door program, other options will certainly be available. LCIA’s NORA Committee is currently working with NORA on the next phase of property transfers that we hope to assist NORA in implementing this Fall. The NORA Committee will host a Town Hall meeting in August or early September to further address the Lot Next Door program and the next phase of property transfers as well as to solicit the community’s input in this important process. For more information on NORA properties, please visit www.noraworks.org and continue to look for regular updates on this LCIA website.

If you have an interest in acquiring one of the properties NORA owns or will come to own, you can complete LCIA’s Statement of Interest in Purchasing Road Home Property Form and faxing it to 504.799.1954. We are maintaining a list of all interested purchasers of Road Home Properties (regardless of whether they own the property next door or have a Homestead Exemption) and will be certain that NORA is aware of all potential purchasers of their properties.

Todd Wallace

NORA Committee Chair