It’s a first impression that some have said continue to threaten the recovery in one part of the Crescent City – it’s the stretch of blighted property in New Orleans East that residents and lawmakers said is misrepresenting their rebuilding efforts.

“Business wise, it doesn't look good,” New Orleans East resident Carolyn Stepter said.

Stepter is a long-time resident of the East who said, while residential properties are making a comeback, commercial properties are not.

"Mostly all of our businesses that we have here in New Orleans East are still boarded,” Stepter said.

And Stepter said it’s creating a misleading first impression, especially for drivers entering the city from Interstate 10 East.

"It makes it look like the East isn't coming back,” Stepter said.

Some lawmakers agree and say the view from I-10 doesn't actually reflect the level of recovery in New Orleans East."

"The view of the interstate does not tell the story of economic revitalization and of beautiful homes and vibrant neighborhoods and where commerce is occurring,” City Council member Cynthia Willard-Lewis said.

Urban planner Greg Rigamer estimated that as many as 52,000 residents are now living in New Orleans East, or about 50 percent of the area’s pre-Katrina populations. He is now doing work to research the number of businesses that have returned.

Meanwhile, Lewis said the city now has the tools to take care of rundown properties, including businesses.

“An individual has the choice to get their property brought back into commerce and appropriately rebuild, and if they don't get it done, then the city is going to get done it for them,” Lewis said.

The council recently passed an ordinance giving the city the power to take action against abandoned property – business or residential. If the owner won’t make the necessary fixes, the city now can charge the owner for the work, and in some cases, the city can even take possession of the property and then sell it.

"The person that buys it can then go out the next day once they have that active sale done and they get title insurance, which is really important to getting properties back into commerce,” city council member Stacy Head said.

The ordinance targets properties that could prove dangerous, even for things like dangling siding or standing water. But it also allows inspectors to target properties that, while maintained, could cause an “adverse effect on nearby properties by depreciating the value.”

Residents like Stepter hope taking care of the rundown businesses will help attract new ones.

“We miss them,” Stepter said. “We want them to hurry up and come back.”