Menu2739 Palmyra
Small Center worked with Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative (JPNSI) to envision a permanently affordable cooperative housing structure.
Project Dates
January 2011–May 2011
Context
The 2739 Palmyra project is located in the heart of one of the most ambitious revitalization and recovery efforts in the history of New Orleans urban renewal. 2013 American Community Survey data show that residents in the area are still maintly renters (79%) and that almost three-quarters of them are rent-burdened.
Small Center Engagement
Small Center and the Tulane School of Architecture Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development program assisted JPNSI to understand the housing options in the two buildings JPNSI owns. They worked to understand the legal complexities of cooperative housing, through researching cooperative housing in other cities, and making decisions for the nonprofit’s future. Small Center’s team traveled to New York City to research precedents and developed reports that outlined the framework of a Community Land Trust and a vision for the JPNSI buildings. The team also did schematic design work for the JPNSI housing units, providing floor plans, interior renderings, and exterior renderings.
Partner Organization
A nonprofit housing and community development organization established in 2008, Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative (JPNSI) is committed to creating sustainable, democratic, and economically just neighborhoods and communities. Utilizing the Community Land Trust model of land stewardship and shared equity, JPNSI works to increase the range of affordable housing options available to low and moderate-income residents.
Outcome
Supported by the research and visioning documents and with key partners including the City of New Orleans, Iberia Bank, Crescent City Community Land Trust, Enterprise Community Partners, Alembic Community Development, and MetroStudio architects, JPNSI rehabilitated the 2739 Palmyra Street into four units of permanently affordable rental housing available to families with incomes at or below 60% of Area Median Income (about $35,300 for a family of four). The historic building is the first permanently affordable apartment building owned by a community land trust in New Orleans. The $1.2 million project broke ground in 2015 and the facility is now fully occupied. To view or download the completed visioning documents, please click here and here.
Collaborators
JPNSI
- Isabel Barrios
- Maxwell Ciardullo
- Shana griffin
- Adrian Manriquez
- Kate Scott
- Brice White
Team Members
Project Leads
- Cordula Roser Gray (Design Lead)
- Dan Etheridge (Project Manager)
- Casius Pealer (Real Estate Advisor)
Students
- Evan Amato
- Andrew Mayronn
- John Nelson
- Brian Sulley
Staff
- Scott Bernhard
- Dozenia Marshall
- Emilie Taylor Welty
Support
- Johnson Controls, Inc.
- Surdna Foundation
