Old Mandeville Historic District Boundaries Proposed
A committee studying the creation of a historic district for old Mandeville has proposed a district that would run from Galvez to Jackson streets and from U.S. 190 to Lake Pontchartrain, and would be overseen by a five-member preservation commission. The district would endeavor to protect the historic and cultural ambiance of old Mandeville, a section of the city that dates to the 1830s, when Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville began selling off pieces of the property he owned on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
The Mandeville Planning Commission has scheduled an Oct. 2 public hearing 
on the plan, which the five-member Historic Preservation Study Committee unveiled this week. From there, the plan could make its way to the City Council, which would have to create such a district by ordinance, city Planning Director Louisette Kidd said.
The committee recommends that construction in the proposed district not be tied to a specific style, but that “gentrification and suburban automobile-oriented construction be discouraged.”
The committee recommends a historic district ordinance “that clearly defines the distinct features and characteristics of Old Mandeville that are important to its citizens and one that allows property owners the greatest latitude of expression, consistent with the criteria identified as necessary to maintain the community’s integrity.”
Kidd said construction would be subject to the city’s Design Review Committee — currently a requirement in some areas of old Mandeville — but emphasized that the intent is not to place burdensome restrictions on residents and builders. “It’s to protect the historic fabric that is there,” she said. “It’s not designed to prohibit painting their house or putting up a fence.”
The commission’s five members would be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council.
In putting together its recommendations, the committee relied on data compiled by historian Sally Reeves, who was commissioned by the city in 2008 to survey the city’s historic structures, as well as material from the state Historic Preservation Office and public hearings with the Planning Commission, the committee said in its report.
Alarmed by the loss of historic buildings in recent years to hurricanes and other forces, the City Council last year extended a moratorium on demolishing or moving historic structures in old Mandeville. Kidd said the moratorium runs through December.
