The hauntingly abandoned Holy Cross School has been a hot topic of the Lower Ninth Ward since developer Perez, APC signed a purchase agreement last August. At yesterday's "Walk of Neighborhood Unity," a peaceful march, they called it, Holy Cross neighborhood residents (nicely) protested the proposed development with "No Zone Change! Tell Gray: Protect Historic Holy Cross" signs (referring to Councilman James Gray).
The Perez plans involve:
· renovating the remaining structure of the 1895 Katrina-damaged school
· turning it into an office building
· constructing two residential structures, one with retail space
After being dissed by the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association and the Historic Districts Landmarks Committee, Perez and Co. have scaled back the height of the buildings to 85 feet and the number of apartment units to around 250. Residents are most concerned about traffic issues, the modernity of the proposed buildings in their historic neighborhood, and coveted river views being blocked.
[Photos via Perez, APC] · Holy Cross Development Fails to Clear HDLC Committee [nola.com]