'The citizens are screaming for us to clean the city up,' City Council member says
Gretna City Councilwoman Raylyn Beevers is looking to establish a 180-day ban on convenience stores.
View full sizeGretna residents have complained about an influx of bars, convenience stores and check-cashing businesses, according to City Council member Raylyn Beevers. This New Orleans-themed convenience store in Covington was photographed in 2003. The Gretna City Council will consider Beevers' proposal at its Oct. 12 meeting, and if approved it would be the second moratorium Beevers has established within the past three months. At the council's July meeting, Beevers got the council to ban all new bars that are not part of a restaurant.
Beevers said her moratorium would apply only to convenience stores that are not part of gas stations, and cited complaints from residents throughout the city as the impetus behind the ban. Many residents see the stores as unsightly additions to neighborhoods, and Beevers said the council has a responsibility to respond to residents' concerns.
"The citizens are screaming for us to clean the city up," Beevers said. "That's what they are complaining about."
At several recent town hall meetings, residents complained about an influx of bars, convenience stores and check-cashing businesses into Gretna, and they've urged the council to curtail that sort of growth, Beevers said.
She said she asked for the moratorium on bars because of the amount of crime around certain establishments and because she saw the businesses as a detriment to the city's ambiance. Beevers admitted that there haven't been the same sort of crime problems around convenience stores, but said there have been issues with loitering and the general impact they have on neighborhoods.
"I know the (residents) in my district are very vocal," Beevers said. "They said we have too many convenience stores."
There has been an increase in stand-alone convenience stores in Gretna in recent years, although exact numbers were not available. Many of the business have opened in formerly vacant strip malls that were seeking renters following Hurricane Katrina.
Gretna's code of ordinances allows the council to establish six-month moratoriums in order to conduct an impact study related to whatever has been banned. The council can then seek a six-month extension on its initial moratorium or make the ban permanent.
Beevers said city officials need to concentrate on improving Gretna's appearance and stature in the region. That means avoiding businesses with negative reputations and concentrating on attracting more upscale retail establishments, or job-producing industry, she said. Beevers added that the council is slated to consider new ordinances related to signage and landscaping for businesses on major thoroughfares.
She acknowledged that refusing to allow certain businesses could increase vacancies in the city, but noted that there has already been progress with the bar moratorium. Since the ban was established, several potential bar operators have reworked their proposals to include selling food, which improves the business and increases the city's tax revenue. Beevers said officials have to be aggressive about creating a positive image for Gretna if they want to see it expand properly.
"We're trying to upgrade and make the city a better place," Beevers said.
Allen Powell II can be reached at apowell@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3793.