This ferry would definitely be more for pleasure than actually commuting. It would make no sense for me to drive to the ferry, take it across the lake, and then catch a cab into the CBD. For more time and cost efficient to drive.

Included in the $34 round trip is a ticket onto one of three shuttle routes. One would go to CBD destinations, Touro Infirmary, and Audubon Zoo. The second would hit major destinations in Metairie and Kenner. The third would go to UNO.

news video on the dome progress...

http://www.fox8live.com/news/local/s...GPi32c7DA.cspx

Love that this iconic structure was saved and renovated. it is looking great and is a much better spot to hold national sporting events than anywhere else in the country.

This is very cool imho. I love the commute boats in Boston, one of my favorite was to get into the city from the Southern burbs. Time wise they seem competitive with the trains, not much infrastructure to build to get them up and running, and very enjoyable way to travel.

I personally can't think of much cause for me to use them when visiting NO, but I think its a cool approach. I hope its successful.

Well, the effectiveness is limited in New Orleans because the lake and river aren't connected very well, and they're at different elevations. A direct route might be possible via the Industrial Canal, but the locks there are ancient and tiny. They need to build some new locks, and the 9th Ward people need to stop bitching.

It's too bad we got rid of the New Basin Canal... boat service directly from Mandeville to the Superdome in 40 minutes.

LSED seeks to close part of LaSalle Street by Superdome
 

The LSED unanimously voted to support the closing of the strip of LaSalle Street between Poydras and Girod to facilitate the construction work at the stadium and completion of a portion of the Dome's entertainment square.

The one block of street already has been closed for the construction and renovation on a temporary basis. LSED chairman Ron Forman said the commission wants to close the street to traffic permanently to enhance the game-day experience around the stadium.

Full Story:
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf...art_of_la.html

Benson Tower opening set for mid-December
 

Anyone know if the exterior will be painted? I say it should be painted black and have gold windows :)

Note that this article refers to the pregame area as "Champion Square". I'm not necessarily a fan of this, but its definitely an upgrade over Dome Square. How about "NOLA Square"?

http://www.nola.com/business/index.s...set_for_m.html

http://media.nola.com/business_impac...a0d91d249e.jpg
Workers lay plastic sheeting over fresh concrete on the stairway leading from Champion Square to the Louisiana Superdome on Wednesday.

http://media.nola.com/business_impac...415ae6ee92.jpg
The 26-story Benson Tower was photographed in December 2009.

:yuck:

"Dixon Plaza" sounds pretty good to me. It honors a person for their accomplishments and vision in life, and that person isn't still alive, which is more than I can say for a lot of renamings these days.

"NOLA" is slang, and recent slang at that. Maybe we should have a ROFL Park and a G2G Garden? Dome Square is actually kind of clever as a geometrical oxymoron, but most people won't think of the geometry aspect and will instead just see something cheesy.

If not Dixon, then keep "Champion Square". It's fitting, doesn't sound cheesy, and it has sponsorship potential from the sweatshirt company or the spark plug company. Any sponsorship money only means that the plaza will get more amenities.

Developers move to turn Hibernia Tower into housing units

http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/bl...housing-units/

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...berniabank.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/...a6c0234896.jpg

Cool. I had no idea the building had been unoccupied. I'm always excited to see more residential units downtown, but at what point do we start to have a glut of new apartments and condos? The supply of professional-level jobs downtown for people who can afford these units is very low. The biggest employers downtown, the oil companies, all moved out to Houston or the North Shore, leaving rusty hulking office buildings behind them.

This is New Orleans, where most young professionals want to own their own home (the larger the better, which usually means suburban) and the urban revival here is driven by bohemians and hipsters who don't make a whole lot and probably wouldn't want to live in a old converted office building anyway, since other cities have them and it wouldn't be unique enough. The only other potential market is wealthy jet-set types who want a pad in New Orleans for their drinking and strip club trips. I'd hate to see that happen, though - that's not how you build a neighborhood.

I suppose if the residential buildings are successful, it might encourage companies to start opening downtown offices, the reversal of the usual trend where young people move into the city to avoid a long commute to their downtown job. This is really rare, though, since the decision-makers at suburban corporations tend to be older men and women who are fully sold on the suburban life and wouldn't consider moving the company elsewhere. It's part of the reason that Motorola has such shitty phones now... their location in suburban Chicago is unable to attract the talented young designers and engineers who live in the city, and they're very resistant to the idea of moving into the city.

All I can say is that there must be good demand with all the new housing developments downtown. Union lofts, Maritime building, Saratoga, 200 Carondolet, etc... Must have good occupancy if developers are still trying to build more units. I agree that more residential downtown is always a good thing.

Exactly...where are the jobs that go along with renting/owning these housing units?

I fear that if they can't get occupancy up they will go to "affordable housing". I have heard that the Falstaff apartments are already overrun with young thugs and the property management isn't helping the situation.

I am sure that there is research already done on the demand of these apartments.I think that a lot people would rather live in this building than newly built condos.The new Rouses will help with development too.Hopefully the theaters on canal will kick in and if the city can get rid of the Iberville there might be a reason for people to really live in this part of downtown.Are there really young thugs living in the Falstaff?Where are they getting 800 bucks a month for rent?

A lot of these developers may also be banking on the continued growth of the biomedical district. Between the 3 research centers (n.o. bioinnovation center, lcrc, va research center) and the 2 new hospitals there may some high-end job growth downtown.

Glad to see one of the most iconic skyscrapers in the city get a new life. This type of development makes the most sense for an older building like this. It would have to be substantially rebuilt inside to accomodate the needs of a modern office user. This is the main reason why Capital One moved from the old building to Place St. Charles in 2006.

More Info and Details on CHAMPIONS SQUARE
 

From Nola.com. The article talks about when the square will be open, what will be located in the square, the setup and artwork, future phases, etc. There also a small photo gallery of the construction. Some nice little info.

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf...to_open_f.html

http://media.nola.com/saints_impact/...6488a8e4fc.jpg

Also found this article with interesting quote...


"They have even dreamed that the area will be successful enough to build a residential tower sprouting out of the top of the former Macy's department store space. "

http://www.nola.com/business/index.s...ector_and.html

Also good before/after of the new dome entrance


http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo...m_665xauto.jpg

http://media.nola.com/tpphotos/photo...m_665xauto.jpg

Great to hear about all the Dome activity. Looks like the city is moving ahead with the Lafitte Corridor as they have chosen the same design firm again.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s...te_lafitt.html

Wind turbine blade facility could create 600 jobs at Michoud

http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/bl...bs-at-michoud/

NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in eastern New Orleans will be the site of a wind turbine blade manufacturing plant under a $30 million state incentive package that could create up to 600 new jobs over the next decade.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and other government and business officials announced the deal today at the Michoud facility.

Blade Dynamics, a British-based maker of the giant windmill blades, is partnering with American Superconductor Corp. of Devens, Mass., and Dow Chemical Co. on the project. It will move into a manufacturing and warehouse facility on the Michoud campus that NASA is not currently using.

Louisiana Economic Development provided an incentive package worth up to $30 million to help lure the company to New Orleans. In order to qualify, Blade Dynamics had to incorporate in the United States and will base its headquarters in New Orleans.

The incentive is contingent on the company meeting capital investment and job creation milestones. The facility is expected to create at least 600 direct jobs over the next 10 years, according to American Superconductor Corp.

The LED’s Louisiana FastStart program will provide workforce support to Blade Dynamics, including assistance with recruiting employees, training development and delivery, for up to two years during the company’s start-up period.

A number of the jobs are considered to be adaptable to the skill sets of workers who had been working for Lockheed-Martin, the major tenant on the Michoud campus. It has scaled down its work force from a high of 5,000 reached during the peak of NASA’s space shuttle program. External tanks for the shuttles have been built at Michoud since the program’s inception in the 1970s.

Blade Dynamics, founded in 2007, builds wind turbine blades for rotors ranging from 230 feet to 360 feet in diameter. In order to maximize the power output of the rotors, the company has developed a carbon-fiber blade that improves power output while reducing the cost and weight of wind turbines.

American Superconductor also announced today that it has acquired a 25 percent share of Blade Dynamics ownership for $8 million.•