Photo by New Orleans Lady on Flickr

It appears that plans are in the works for the Circle Food Store. The following appeared on the City Planning Commission agenda for January 26, 2010:

ZONING DOCKET 131/09 – Request by CIRCLE FOOD STORE INC. AND VIP HOLDINGS, LLC for a Zoning Change from a B-1A Neighborhood Business District to a C-1 General Commercial District, on Square 632, Pt. Lots A, 2 and 3 or R, 2, 3, 4, 4B and 5B and Lots B-B1 or Pt. 10, B, A-1, A-1, B-2, C-4, M, N, and an undesignated lot in the Third Municipal District, bounded by Saint Bernard Avenue, North Robertson Street, Laharpe Street, and North Claiborne Avenue. The municipal addresses are 1502-1522 SAINT BERNARD AVENUE, 1517 LAHARPE STREET, AND 1546-1550 NORTH CLAIBORNE AVENUE. (ZBM D-13/PD 4)

We’ll find out why the zoning change is needed and we’ll keep you posted.

Media Contact: Jennifer Zawadzinski , 212-522-9046January 19, 2010

The Holy Cross Neighborhood in New Orleans Is Named One of the “10 Best Comeback Neighborhoods in the South” by Southern Living Magazine: The January Issue Reveals Neighborhoods That Were Once Down on their Luck But Are Now Resurging.

PRC Renovation in Holy Cross

Birmingham, Ala.– The Holy Cross neighborhood in New Orleans is named one of the 10 best comeback neighborhoods in the South, according to the January issue ofSouthern Livingmagazine, on newsstands now. For the full story, click here .

Southern Living scoured the South to find neighborhoods that were once down on their luck but are now resurging with community pride. It’s where revival isn’t just about fixing up old houses, it’s about working together to rebuild traditions and save the soul of a place, according to the magazine.

“These stories are the essence of the South,” Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Griffin writes in her editor’s letter. The “10 communities…are reborn with the feels-like-a-small-town lifestyle we Southerners cherish.”

“In choosing the neighborhoods, Southern Living considered civic pride backed up with community action. What makes our choices special are the owner’s drive to work beyond the walls of their own homes to improve public parks, support local shops, and each other,” according to Southern Living Building Editor Rex Perry. “We considered the comeback story — how far down did the neighborhood fall, and how far has it come back.”

“Our top choices recognize the importance of local amenities, walkable neighborhoods, and streetscapes with character. Finally, we looked at neighborhood green spaces,” he said.

“Natural disasters bring out the best and worst in people and the places where they live,” writes Southern Living. “The destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina on Holy Cross laid bare countless civic and social problems. More than four years after the flooding, the restoration of Holy Cross is also uncovering the resilience of people determined to save their neighborhood,” writes the magazine.

“Volunteers from the neighborhood and beyond, the Preservation Resource Center, and countless other organizations are saving Holy Cross by rebuilding the historic homes and allowing residents to return to this sliver of high ground within the Lower Ninth Ward,” according to Southern Living.

According to Southern Living, the Top 10 Comeback Neighborhoods are:

1. Springfield — Jacksonville, FL
2. North Chattanooga — Chattanooga, TN
3. Wilmore/South End — Charlotte, NC
4. Crescent Hill — Louisville, KY
5. Patterson Park — Baltimore, MD
6. Historic Fairmount — Fort Worth, TX
7. Phelps Grove — Springfield, MO
8. Viola — Greenville, SC
9. East Nashville — Nashville, TN
10. Holy Cross — New Orleans, LA

Southern Living , the premier lifestyle and entertaining magazine of the South, reaches more than 16 million readers each month and enjoys a circulation of 2.8 million. Published 12 times a year by a subsidiary of Birmingham, Alabama-based Southern Progress Corporation, Southern Living celebrates the heart of Southern life.