Planning and City Development
City Development is your first stop when starting a business, purchasing or making improvements to property, commercial or residential. The Department ensures that appropriate, context sensitive development occurs within the City’s framework for long range planning and the Unified Development Code (UDC). The UDC is a new framework for development, adopted by City Council in 2019 to help guide growth and development within the City. Quick resources and tools can be found below in the HOW TO section, followed by more in depth planning initiatives.
Unified Development Code
The City recently adopted a new Unified Development Code (UDC) to support the Gretna Comprehensive Plan. The UDC is intended to improve development outcomes, increase administrative flexibility related development approvals and provide land development process transparency.
- The full current UDC text can be found here.
Geoportal
Click here to access the City’s web-based GIS platform to view a specific property zoning. Individuals can review zoning classifications by selecting Layers > Zoning and then searching for a specific property address.
Gretna Downtown 2020
Working with the public and the Tulane Regional Urban Design Center, the City of Gretna released its first small area plan in April 2016 focusing on improving the vibrancy of the downtown area. Gretna Downtown 2020 focuses on achievable design interventions that would help generate more activity within Downtown Gretna. The City is actively positioning projects to support the Gretna Downtown 2020 plan. The full Gretna Downtown 2020 report can be found here (14MB).
Gretna Comprehensive Plan
The GRETNA COMPREHENSIVE PLAN is a guiding document for the City to use to think about the next 20-30 years. The Plan includes analysis and recommendations for everything – from land use decisions to infrastructure development. The Plan reflects extensive public participation for defining the future of our City. As the Plan’s community vision statement captures,
“Our vision for the City of Gretna is to build upon the City’s strong foundation of community, while respecting the past and embracing the future, to improve existing infrastructure, enhance commercial corridors, and promote walkable and bikeable neighborhoods. The new connections should link our parks, diverse communities, and commercial centers, as well as connect the City to the Region, making the City a more united whole that is a premiere place to live, work and raise a family.”
For the full plan and executive summary please visit our dedicated Gretna Comprehensive Plan page here.
Gretna Resilience District
The boundaries and intent of the Gretna Resilience District were established in 2017 by the City Council to position resources to support low-impact design infrastructure features that support community scale flood risk reduction while satisfying long standing demands for other neighborhood amenities. The District centers around improvements to the 25th St. Canal and Gretna City Park. The District is bound by the Westbank Expressway to the north; Belle Chasse Highway and the Whitney Canal to the east; and the Hero Canal to the south and west.
To date, the City has positioned approximately $20 million with support from numerous external funding partners, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Louisiana Office of Community Development (OCD), the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD).
More information regarding the Gretna Resilience District can be found here.
Department Contact Information
Amelia Pellegrin, Director of Planning and City Development