Historic District Commission
The City’s Historic District Commission (HDC) governs the architectural and design quality of all exterior work visible from public right-of-way within the City’s two historic districts – Mechanickham/Old Gretna and McDonoghville. The HDC is a seven member, volunteer commission appointed by the Mayor and City Council. Their expertise promotes the integrity of the City’s historic districts to ensure that they remain a valuable cultural and economic resource for the future.
Certificate of Appropriateness Application
In addition to the customary building permits, all exterior work visible from public right-of-way within the City’s historic districts must receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from the HDC. Applications for review by the HDC may be found below and submitted to the Building Department for consideration on HDC agenda. Individuals wishing to make exterior improvements or changes are solely responsible for obtaining the Certificate of Appropriateness (and, additional building permits if necessary) from the HDC and Building Department.
Historic District Commission Appeal Process
Appeals regarding HDC decisions may be made to the City Council via the City Clerk. The City Clerk, Mrs. Norma Cruz, can be reached at 504.227.7614.
Historic District Commission Calendar
The HDC typically meets in the Council Chambers on the Monday of the week before the monthly City Council Meeting – though there are exceptions and applicants are strongly encouraged to reference the HDC calendar to ensure they attend the meeting when their application will be reviewed. For applications to be considered by the HDC, they must be received in full by the Building Department no later than the close of business Monday of the week prior to the meeting.
Historic District Design Guidelines
The administration has developed design guidelines to assist residents as they develop projects within the City’s historic districts. These guidelines provide information for residents to consider while developing an application for HDC review. Generally, HDC review is considerably easier if residents stick closely to the recommendations outlined in the design guidelines.
The design guidelines may be found at the links below:
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Full (46.2 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part I (5.6 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part II (5.5 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part III (6.0 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part IV (5.5 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part V (5.9 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part VI (5.5 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part VII (6.3 MB)
Gretna Historic District Design Guidelines – Part VIII (6.4 MB)
Current Commission Members
Paula Peer – Architect
James Rolf – Historian
Burdell Muller – District 1
Zachary Dieterich – District 2
Peter Spera – District 3
Sandra Banks – District 4
Peter DeBroeck – At Large
Commission Contact Information
For all inquiries regarding the Historic District Commission and Certificate of Appropriateness approval process, please contact the Building Department at 504.363.1563.
Louisiana Main Street Incentives Toolkit
The purpose of this toolkit is to give an overview of the various financial incentives that may be available to assist real estate developers and individuals to rehabilitate, restore, and revitalize historic buildings located within commercial historic districts and Main Street Districts.
