ST. Tammany News

A series of neighborhood planning sessions led by 30-year veteran city planner and attorney Steve Villavaso begins this month. Villavaso has join forces with Covington City Planner Nahketah Bagby to update Covington's comprehensive building plan.

The first meeting will be held Monday for the citizens of Zone 2 at Pine View Middle School's cafeteria, 1151 W. 28th Ave., at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is scheduled specifically to hear citizen input from those residents living in the West 30's, West 20's and in North Covington. "The plan will be a new plan, building on the one completed in the late 1990s," Villavaso said. The old plan, he said, is more data oriented than citizen based.

Villavaso conducted what was called the Renaissance plan for New Orleans East that took nearly two years to complete. By the time that plan was implemented, it had energized 35 new neighborhood associations.

"This type of revitalization also makes elected officials accountable," he said.

Mayor Candace Watkins expects the new plan's emphasis on a true engagement and revival of ideas with neighborhood and citizen groups, he said. The data-gathering phase, beginning now, involves meetings that will include community leaders and citizen groups. He hopes a large number of residents will become involved in the planning process.

To begin compiling facts for the new plan, the citizen advisory committee was chosen from a diverse section of citizens. Recently appointed steering committee members are Kenya Barney, Keith Duet, Ellen Blackall, Trevor Watkins, Loretta Best, Chris Blanchard, Lizby Eustis, Catherine Brown, Judge Jack Green, Sam Fauntleroy, Tammy Groover, Jeanette Hagardorn, Lucinda Keller, Jimmy Magee, Phyllis Ramos, Paul Swain and Beth Walther.

Villavaso said the challenge faced now with any local, citywide planning measure is coordinating pre-Katrina conditions with those currently experienced. The challenges span the important key issues to be utilized in assessing good planning elements such as traffic flow, density concerns and infrastructure needs. Demographic figures have changed, he said, and this will heavily impact Covington and the surrounding area.

Other meetings are:

Zone 1, July 26 at Lyon Elementary cafeteria, 1615 N. Florida St., at 6:30 p.m. It includes the Savannahs, Covington Point and Cherokee Lane neighborhoods;

Zone 3, 6:30 p.m., July 12 at the Kehoe France School on Patricia Drive for River Forest, The Village, Barklay Park and Inspiration Lane;

Zone 4, 6:30 a.m. at William Pitcher Junior High School, 415 S. Jefferson, for New Covington and Tyler Street area;

Zone 5, July 19 at St. Paul's cafeteria at 7 p.m. for Old Covington and Old Landing subdivisions;

Zone 6, 6:30 p.m., Aug. 9 at Covington City Hall for Claiborne Hill, District of St. John and Oak Ridge subdivisions.