From the article:

"New Orleans voters agreed Tuesday to amend the City Charter to give the city's forthcoming master plan the force of law, meaning that all zoning and land-use decisions will have to conform to the plan.

With all 442 precincts reporting, voters favored the charter change by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent.

The master plan is supposed to guide the city's development for the next 20 years, creating a framework to promote goals such as economic development, better housing, improved infrastructure and environmental quality.

The City Planning Commission has hired a team of consultants to create the plan, which is expected to be finished by late 2009.

The charter amendment also requires the city for the first time to create "a system for organized and effective neighborhood participation in land-use decisions and other issues that affect quality of life."

Read the full article here.