NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The New Orleans Office of Inspector General is calling for an increase in code enforcement against the owners of the Plaza Tower after years of alleged inaction from the city.
In a report released Monday, Aug. 21, Inspector General Edward Michel said the New Orleans Division of Code Enforcement failed to enforce minimum property maintenance, despite the building’s “obvious state of disrepair.”
In a public letter addressed to New Orleans Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano, Michel said that the city fined the owners of Plaza Tower $4,075 for violations, which the owners allegedly refused to pay.
Michel said that if the city had insisted on the $4,075 dollar fine, plus daily fines of $250 per day for violations not remediated within 30 days, the owners could have faced the prospect of paying the city more than one million dollars.
Besides the reported danger to pedestrians from debris falling from the abandoned building, Michel’s letter cited “170 incidents [of] crime-related complaints,” including trespassing, drug activity, burglary and aggravated assault.”
On April 23, the New Orleans Fire Department investigated a fire at the Plaza Tower that prompted several homeless people to evacuate.
The next day, officials with the New Orleans Police Department reported that a man died after he fell from the second floor of the Plaza Tower.
In May, the New Orleans City Council filed two motions to address the “public health and safety risks” posed by the deteriorating building.
Michel did not name the current owners but said the Plaza Tower has had “multiple owners” since 2002, “none of which have been successful in renovating the property and placing it back into commerce.”
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