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Council approves master plan funding for Armstrong Park and Municipal Auditorium after large public turnout
Summary
The New Orleans City Council approved funding and a process to develop a master plan for Louis Armstrong Park and the Municipal Auditorium after extended public comment from culture and preservation groups. Advocates called for community-led, culturally respectful planning and protections for Congo Square.
The New Orleans City Council on March 12 authorized funding and a community-centered process to develop a master plan for Louis Armstrong Park and the Municipal Auditorium, a move supporters said will return long-awaited investment to a culturally significant site.
Supporters from the Save Our Soul Coalition, the Congo Square Preservation Society and other local groups filled the chamber and urged the council to proceed with care and community leadership. ‘‘The Municipal Auditorium represented all the people of New Orleans,’’ said Jackie Harris, president of Save Our Soul, who told the council the group had worked on the issue for years and welcomed the council’s support.
Cyril Saulny of the Congo Square Preservation Society said the planning effort would honor the site’s history and help expand access: ‘‘It will mean 50 free concerts every year,’’ he told the council, describing the cultural and economic opportunities the plan could unlock.
Other speakers, including music-industry representatives and longtime neighborhood residents, emphasized workforce development, preservation of cultural practices and the need to guard sacred sites. Max Bonanno of MidCitizen Entertainment urged the council to center music and culture in redevelopment plans and to avoid funding strings that would undermine community control.
Council members framed the vote as correcting years of underinvestment. After public testimony and council discussion, the chamber approved the motion to transfer bond or capital funds and to authorize the planning process; the measure carried unanimously in the recorded vote.
The council’s action directs City Planning to lead a master-planning process in partnership with community groups and named partners; it funds a study and calls for community engagement, with details and timelines to be developed under the city’s planning staff oversight. The next public step will be planning notices and community meetings set by City Planning and partners.
The meeting also included several related items on cultural designations and budget reallocations that supporters said complement the master-plan authorization.
