The New Orleans City Council is asking the state Legislature to consider whether the project is in the best interests of the neighborhood, amid intense criticism from residents over plans to build a grain terminal in Holy Cross.
The City Council on Thursday approved a resolution asking the Legislature to consider Sunrise Foods International’s plans to open a terminal at Arabo Street Wharf this summer. The Port of New Orleans, which owns the pier and is a state agency, approved the company’s plans.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to fight this battle here today,” City Council President JP Morrell said, adding there was “an unequal distribution of power between the Lower 9 Wards and Minato Ward.” .
This resolution was unanimously approved by Council members, represents the opinion of the Council, and is not legally enforceable. But it’s a symbolic victory for Holy Cross and Lower 9th Ward residents, who have been fighting against the terminal since the day they learned of its plans to open.
According to Sunrise’s plan, Congress warned Congress about the risk of grain dust, which can cause respiratory illnesses, and the possible noise and safety hazards posed by the trains used daily to move grain. It calls for an investigation into concerns raised by residents about gender. The terminal will be operational by summer.
The city council also wants a study to determine whether the project will attract rodents or other pests and whether property values near the terminal will decline once it is operational.
Sunrise Foods officials said Thursday they were already working on a study of how the project would affect the surrounding area.
“As the tenant and operator of the Arab Street Wharf at the Port of New Orleans, we are currently completing an environmental assessment,” company officials said in a statement. “Findings and next steps will be shared with the public.”
It’s not clear what that review will cover, but the company says it will be ready by the end of January.
Holy Cross and Lower 9th District residents say the port should have told the public more about the proposal before giving it the go-ahead last year. Residents, as well as state Rep. Candace Newell and District E Councilman Oliver Thomas, first heard about the project in September when port officials mentioned it at a small town hall meeting Newell hosted in Bywater. I learned about this project.
That came after the port had already approved a lease agreement with Sunrise Foods at its June board meeting.
Holy Cross residents subsequently filed a lawsuit accusing port officials of violating transparency laws. The port disputes those claims and says it was properly aware of the meeting before voting on the issue.
Meanwhile, along Arabo Street and St. Claude Avenue, work continues to bring long-abandoned railroad tracks back into normal use, which Sunrise’s plan would require. Additionally, by the end of this month, the port authority plans to issue $100 million in bonds, some of which will be used to pay for renovations to the Alabo facility.
Morrell called the recent controversy part of the port’s long-standing practice of promoting industrial expansion in the Holy Cross and Lower Ninth Ward areas, without providing specifics.
“Every time we fight that battle, and every time we lose that battle, it’s as if they’re just waiting for enough people to die or move to fight again,” he said. Said. “When you see this type of heinous behavior repeated over and over again, by various port operators and over long periods of time, it’s like the drum of a heinous death knell.”
Port officials called Morrell’s comments “disappointing” and said the Arab Street Pier had been part of the fabric of the Holy Cross District for more than a century.
“The Port of New Orleans has worked collaboratively across the administration and city council to support international trade and economic development for our region and state,” officials said in a statement. “This project represents a transformative investment in the future of our region’s economy. Port NOLA has worked with the community and complied with all applicable laws throughout this process and continues to do so. I will continue to do so.”
Residents said Thursday their concerns require an extensive investigation. William Edwards lives just three blocks from the proposed terminal under the port’s plans, and just feet from where trains will soon pass every weekday.
“I scooped up a grain of oatmeal and threw it into a bowl, and for the first time, I saw a little cloud of dust on my kitchen counter,” he said while eating breakfast Thursday morning. “It finally occurred to me what would happen if I exploded that small amount of dust into something the size of a train car.
“My knees are giving out and I’m about to pass out. I don’t know what to do.”
