NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Wednesday that her administration has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to bring a solution to the residents of Gordon Plaza. One part of that solution is finally relocating residents who have spent years trying to get help.
"The City of New Orleans is proud to partner with the EPA to finally bring resolution to the residents of Gordon Plaza," Cantrell said. "After consecutive mayoral administrations left this issue to be resolved by the next generation, my administration is committed to creating a solution that is a win-win-win for the City, for the residents, and for our federal infrastructure and climate goals. Working with our federal partners, we want to appropriately relocate residents who want to move and redevelop the site for clean energy initiatives that increase our resilience and reduce greenhouse gases. The first step is hiring a third party to assist in an assessment of the properties. The RFP for a third party will be out for public bid in the next two weeks."
The subdivision was built on top of what once was the Agriculture Street Landfill.
During a speech after an election night victor, Mayor Latoya Cantrell emphasized she heard the Gordon Plaza residents pleas to be relocated off the toxic site.
Some Gordon Plaza residents spent decades on the city hall steps and have gone through five city administrations demanding a fully funded relocation from the Gordon Plaza subdivision. It appears that they have finally been heard.
A 2019 study determined that the former Agriculture Street Landfill would be a suitable site for providing resilient solar power. In 2021, EPA Region 6 and its partners determined, through a study, that the site was viable, City Officials said in the statement.