NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[IceCream]

Originally Posted by rcp11889

In addition to that...check out this article in the Gambit about biking in the city. Kristen Palmer wants to make NOLA number 1 in bike commuting soon.

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gamb...nt?oid=1658650

I am heavily involved in the Where Ya Rack (WyR) bike rack project (mentioned in the article). First, let me take out my pet peeves with the press: this is the third article written about us now where they say that our goal is to "install 150 more." Which is incorrect. We always tell the press that our goal for 2011 is to install 150 more. Our GOAL is to install as many as possible, hopefully thousands. Minor pet peeve....

Secondly, if you want to personally sponsor a bike rack or you know of someone, your business, a business you frequent, the company you work for, etc want to sponsor some racks you can find the info on our website www.whereyarack.org. Not trying to solicit on the forum, but we are a non-profit and it is obviously for a good cause related to development. Depending on where the rack goes (public vs private land) could mean it is tax deductible...it is $300 for a rack that has a sponsor plate with whatever you want on it (rack holds 2 bikes).

We hope to solve an impasse with the City regarding liability in the next week or two at which point you will see us out trying to install 70 bike racks that we have in storage at a friend's house as quickly as possible.

Keep your eye out and pass the word along since this is 100% sponsor funded (no federal or city funds etc).

And if you noticed...a Wednesday at the Square vendor (who shall remain nameless) took out one of the racks at Lafayette Square with their truck, but have no fear it's being replaced.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by IceCream

I am heavily involved in the Where Ya Rack (WyR) bike rack project (mentioned in the article). First, let me take out my pet peeves with the press: this is the third article written about us now where they say that our goal is to "install 150 more." Which is incorrect. We always tell the press that our goal for 2011 is to install 150 more. Our GOAL is to install as many as possible, hopefully thousands. Minor pet peeve....

Secondly, if you want to personally sponsor a bike rack or you know of someone, your business, a business you frequent, the company you work for, etc want to sponsor some racks you can find the info on our website www.whereyarack.org. Not trying to solicit on the forum, but we are a non-profit and it is obviously for a good cause related to development. Depending on where the rack goes (public vs private land) could mean it is tax deductible...it is $300 for a rack that has a sponsor plate with whatever you want on it (rack holds 2 bikes).

We hope to solve an impasse with the City regarding liability in the next week or two at which point you will see us out trying to install 70 bike racks that we have in storage at a friend's house as quickly as possible.

Keep your eye out and pass the word along since this is 100% sponsor funded (no federal or city funds etc).

And if you noticed...a Wednesday at the Square vendor (who shall remain nameless) took out one of the racks at Lafayette Square with their truck, but have no fear it's being replaced.

This sounds like a great organization. How does one go about getting involved with it? Also, do you have a link to a picture of what the bike rack and associated advertisements look like? thanks

[IceCream]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

This sounds like a great organization. How does one go about getting involved with it? Also, do you have a link to a picture of what the bike rack and associated advertisements look like? thanks

WyR is a project of Young Leadership Council (YLC) which is best described as an umbrella organization for a variety of projects; everything from reading / tutoring projects to cleaning up parks, encouraging high schoolers to exercise, bike racks etc and the best part is that if you think of an idea for a project you can put together a proposal to present to the board for approval.

It is also a very social group where adult beverages are available at all meetings. YLC only has a staff of about 5 so everything else is voluneteer driven either after a normal workday (we all have to have real jobs) or weekends so what better way to encourage participation than have beer? If you interested go to the website www.youngleadershipcouncil.com and sign up for the newsletter. Come to a "Jumpstart" meeting (April 12th at the YLC building on Euterpe) to learn about all the current projects and have some beer.

Pictures: Here is one of the standard side of the rack with the YLC & City logos (goes on one side of every rack...except the ones that will be used in Gretna obviously)



And here i randomly chose one showing a sponsor plaque with Whole Foods (these are the ones outfront of the store):



We've had people do everything from a favorite quote of theirs, a bible verse, a happy birthday wish, logo, joke, etc...we'll put anything on there as long as it's not offensive.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by IceCream

WyR is a project of Young Leadership Council (YLC) which is best described as an umbrella organization for a variety of projects; everything from reading / tutoring projects to cleaning up parks, encouraging high schoolers to exercise, bike racks etc and the best part is that if you think of an idea for a project you can put together a proposal to present to the board for approval.

It is also a very social group where adult beverages are available at all meetings. YLC only has a staff of about 5 so everything else is voluneteer driven either after a normal workday (we all have to have real jobs) or weekends so what better way to encourage participation than have beer? If you interested go to the website www.youngleadershipcouncil.com and sign up for the newsletter. Come to a "Jumpstart" meeting (April 12th at the YLC building on Euterpe) to learn about all the current projects and have some beer.

Pictures: Here is one of the standard side of the rack with the YLC & City logos (goes on one side of every rack...except the ones that will be used in Gretna obviously)



And here i randomly chose one showing a sponsor plaque with Whole Foods (these are the ones outfront of the store):



We've had people do everything from a favorite quote of theirs, a bible verse, a happy birthday wish, logo, joke, etc...we'll put anything on there as long as it's not offensive.

Awesome.. Il be out at Wendesday at The Square this evening and will check out their information booth. So the bike racks can look like anything Im assuming and wont be uniform city wide?

Also, do you have a rack that holds more than two bikes?

[IceCream]

We chose these specific racks after exploring a variety of options:
1. Larger racks (holding 10 or so bikes) are large and hard to place in the narrow streets / sidewalks / courtyards of NOLA. You can sponsor multiple racks of ours and place them as the unique space provides. You can see that sometimes we put them in side by side and sometimes end to end.
2. Large racks are actually cost prohibitive. It is cheaper to sponsor 5 of these racks (made by Dero in the USA) and thus have 10 spots than to buy one large rack that holds 10 bikes. So, better both ways around.

The racks are all uniform. The only difference is the logo / statement / etc that's printed onto the plaque. One of the Submerged Roads contractors approached us about using our design (the lock and fleur de lis design that is welded into the middle is ours...you can buy the 'hitch' racks without that) but they determined they'd rather save the miniscule amount of money per rack extra to have the design (we weren't charging them, would have been purely the extra labor/material cost to cut and weld the design) so instead you will see a bunch of bland 'hitch racks' on S. Carrollton. But bland is better than none... They should be installing 20-30 or so along there. So that should help the Carrollton corridor dramatically.

Standard "hitch" rack by Dero:

http://www.dero.com/images/products/...e_hitch_sm.gif

Custom "hitch" that Dero offers:



Can't you tell i learned how to post pics?

[IceCream]

Wow, I was all proud of posting pictures and screwed it up.

Let's try that again:

Standard hitch rack by Dero:



Example custom racks (hitch on the far right):

[ardecila]

Cool. I wonder why the larger racks are so expensive? A basic wiggle rack only connects to the ground at two points and stores 6 bikes.

[IceCream]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Cool. I wonder why the larger racks are so expensive? A basic wiggle rack only connects to the ground at two points and stores 6 bikes.

I think we ruled those out because they didn't offer a way to "NOLA-ize" them and would have been difficult to somehow brand with the sponsor's message. Also the size issue.

[tennis1400]

Makes sense well Ill try and round up som sponsors myself? BTW the city has several streetscape projects going on right now or about to get underway... Im assuming the dero bike racks will be part of those plans as well? Just wondering if you guys are able to communicate with them about where they are putting in the racks so there isnt overlap.

Also, in the historic districts... are these racks allowed/approved? Thanks and sorry for the multitude of questions!

[IceCream]

The DDD has expressed an interest in using our specific design for the racks they announced in downtown (not official yet).

As for the streetscapes...I'm not sure, but I'll bring it up to the project. There's a possibility we've had some communication and i'm just blanking on it currently. The problem with using our design with the submerged roads program on Carrollton was the cost. Though minimal (would have meant they could have bought maybe 35 instead of 30 racks, big deal) the funding mechanism didn't really allow for it. So instead, they get the bland hitch racks, same color though. Unofficially called "orleans green" (same as all the streetlight poles, etc).

Well, we presented to the Vieux Carre Commission and instead of offering legitimate concerns they proceeded to use the whole time alloted to criticize our design: called it cheap, not historic, and cheesy....but big surprise from those a**holes. The racks, in my mind, are very similar in design to the black trashcans in the quarter which indeed have a fleur de lis cutout welded onto them.

Can't see the design but keep an eye out for these next time (the one behind her that she's empything into the plastic one on wheels):


I felt like saying "what about the stop signs...the concrete...electric lights...etc" but oh well.

There is still a very strong possibility, but I don't want to lay out my cards on a public forum. I'd rather see the shock on their faces when they wake up one day and find racks all over the quarter.

I'm not exactly an unbiased party here either. My parents have owned a property in the quarter since I was born and it's a constant battle with the VCC. One brief example: they approved a modification to the exterior right before Katrina, well the one year approval for work expired (due to storm, hard to find contractor, etc). We went back for reapproval and they denied it saying it was historically inaccurate....wtf? I was glad to see the solar panel thing go through just to shove it in their face.

[rcp11889]

I'm so tired of people treating the French Quarter like it's Disney World. While, yes, the "tout ensemble" should be preserved, people need to realize that it is a neighborhood first and foremost. A neighborhood at the heart of the community. Bike racks in the French Quarter would only enhance the neighborhood by giving people a legitimate place to park their bikes. I mean, just look around Paris with all the amazing old buildings, yet there are still metros, modern bus stops, bike lanes, taxi lanes, bike racks, etc...

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by IceCream

Well, we presented to the Vieux Carre Commission and instead of offering legitimate concerns they proceeded to use the whole time alloted to criticize our design: called it cheap, not historic, and cheesy....but big surprise from those a**holes. The racks, in my mind, are very similar in design to the black trashcans in the quarter which indeed have a fleur de lis cutout welded onto them.

Those people are so damn petty. Your rack design is fine. Maybe the French Quarter could get a unique one though? I wonder how expensive it would be to purchase a basic hitch rack in black, and then weld one of those horse-head finials onto the top.

The bike racks would then replace the existing hitching posts, which serve absolutely no function except to prevent people from walking side-by-side. They're useless as bike racks, since you can just lift a bike over the top.

Just don't let this woman get near them:


The other option would be to use your existing fleur-de-lis design but to get it in black, so it matches the other street furniture. Green iron on top of brick or slate sidewalks might be a little gaudy.

[tennis1400]

Honestly screw the VCC and the French Quarter, other neighborhoods want it so let them come up with their own crap while we take care of the rest of the much more appreciative hoods.

Wonder what building this is?
1550007 New Orleans, LA Retail 04/06/2011
Description Tenant improvements for a retail store in New Orleans. Completed working plans call for the build-out of a 12,164-square-foot retail store to include a sales floor, service counters, fitting rooms, and storage space. The owner has determined a li...Click here for complete Project Details

[ardecila]

Obviously a clothier of some kind. 12000 sf is pretty decent... probably about the size of Anthropologie in Canal Place. Definitely bigger than most Magazine St boutiques.

[Blitzen]

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

The Blue Plate building conversion has begun, and the first units scheduled for occupancy March, 2012.

It's sort of bittersweet in my opinion. I love the building, but wish New Orleans had more manufacturing jobs and less subsidized rental units. Nevertheless, I'm confident this conversion will be well-done, and certainly a big gain for the neighborhood.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by Blitzen

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

The Blue Plate building conversion has begun, and the first units scheduled for occupancy March, 2012.

It's sort of bittersweet in my opinion. I love the building, but wish New Orleans had more manufacturing jobs and less subsidized rental units. Nevertheless, I'm confident this conversion will be well-done, and certainly a big gain for the neighborhood.

These buildings really arent functional for modern manufacturing so its either this or tear down! Im happy to see this building being put to good use.

[SlidellWx]

Citybusiness had an updated article on the redevelopment of the Gentilly Woods Mall. As most know...the center has been owned by NORA for a few years. It appears they are in talks with 3 developers. The first 2 want to develop a mixed-use property on the site. The third developer is actually Wal-Mart, so expect a Wal-Mart and possibly Sam's if they win the selection. In any event, it is good to hear of some progress on this large commercial property in a greatly underserved section of the city.

I have a subscription to Citybusiness...so here's the highlights of the article.

Developers see budding opportunity in Gentilly

One thing Gentilly residents can agree on is that they’re tired of going to Jefferson Parish to shop, and they want more restaurants.

That was the consensus at a meeting Williams helped organize at Nacho Mama’s on Elysian Fields Avenue, where about three dozen Gentilly residents gathered last month to give ideas on what they would like to see in place of the 184,000-square-foot building that sits on 12.2 acres of land on Chef Menteur Highway near Press Drive.

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, which bought the property for $4.3 million in 2008, received three proposals for the site from developers last month. Kevin Hanna, who leads commercial development for NORA, said they came from Thor Equities, which previously owned the property, Michaels Development Co. and Wal-Mart Inc.

Michaels Development and Thor Equities refused to comment on their proposals, and Wal-Mart Inc. did not respond to requests for comment.

Thor Equities and Michaels Development want to build mixed-use developments with housing and retail, Hanna said, adding that the proposals have been sent to NORA’s review committee. The group plans to discuss them soon, but he declined to discuss specifics before the meeting takes place. Members of the community will also participate in the discussion, he said.

“The committee will use their best judgment to determine whether or not the developer will do what they purport to do,” Hanna said.

After the committee process, the three developers will be asked to present their plans to Gentilly residents.

Gentilly’s population has decreased 33 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing levee failures forcing the vast majority of the exodus. But there are still plenty of residents with buying power, according to those with an eye on the Chef Menteur corridor.

“Redevelopment of the area’s been pretty slow,” said Jennifer LaNasa, a Realtor who leases a small strip mall across the street from Gentilly Woods Shopping Center.

Things appeared to be coming back fairly quickly in 2007, she said, when a McDonald’s and Walgreens opened nearby. But tight lending and a sluggish economy have held up redevelopment, especially for small businesses.

Still, LaNasa has tenants in all but two of the 10 small retail spaces in her two-story building, including a notary, a tutoring agency, a real estate broker and a church. Nail and beauty salons occupy the lower level.

LaNasa’s family has owned the property since she was a child. She finished renovating the building and reopened it in 2008.

“I have a long history in that area and I knew if I rebuilt that area, I would have tenants no matter what, despite what was happening in the Gentilly Woods mall,” she said.

After Katrina, big box retailers typically have shied away from Gentilly because the population density has been too thin, LaNasa said, with the same being true for chain restaurants.

“But if they did open, they’d make a killing,” she said. “(Gentilly residents) drive all the way to Metairie to spend.”

Gentilly Woods was one of the first major shopping malls to open in the New Orleans area, as the racially mixed, middle-class neighborhood quickly became one of the city’s suburban centers in the mid-20th century.

David Welch, president of the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association, said stores in the neighborhood were built at a smaller, more “human scale,” so when full-fledged shopping malls were built in Metairie and on the West Bank, residents chose to shop outside Gentilly, he said.

But Welch said there’s no reason the trend couldn’t be reversed, noting the area has easy access to Interstate 10, which could channel people from other parts of the metro area into Gentilly.

http://neworleanscitybusiness.com/bl...y-in-gentilly/

[IceCream]

Originally Posted by ardecila

The other option would be to use your existing fleur-de-lis design but to get it in black, so it matches the other street furniture. Green iron on top of brick or slate sidewalks might be a little gaudy.

A. That picture is hilarious....not sure how you found it. She looks so proud for doing something that's pretty stupid.

B. Yeah I agree they'd look better in black, but that's only currently. Not sure if you all remember the trashcan fiasco during Nagin's early days when he blew a bunch of money on these green, "bombproof", monsters with advertisements that were supposed to pay for themselves, but which never did:

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/...d_a_waste.html

"New Orleanians, it appears, will never get to find out whether the "bombproof" trash cans the city bought for $750 a pop three years ago were worthy of the title.

That's because all 600, purchased for a steep $450,000, have been junked.

Now Mayor Ray Nagin's administration, which staunchly defended the original trash can purchase, has begun replacing them with a different model. Unlike the old ones, the new ones do not feature advertisements -- nor do they claim to frustrate terrorists. "



It just reeks of Nagin cronyism...guess who was involved: Veronica White.... it went through a no bid process....(probably to a friend)...apparently when companies would sell the green cans to other cities they'd give them a discount and then 25% of the ad revenue since the company's take would pay them back for the discount. Well Nagin paid full price and only took 15% of ad revenue...which never really happened anyway.

Point being, yeah it'd look nice if they were black and matched everything else, but who's to say in 5 years everything won't be green again? I will bring it up though...but we already have quite a few green ones in storage...

[Reverend_Cletus]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

Honestly screw the VCC and the French Quarter, other neighborhoods want it so let them come up with their own crap while we take care of the rest of the much more appreciative hoods.

Wonder what building this is?
1550007 New Orleans, LA Retail 04/06/2011
Description Tenant improvements for a retail store in New Orleans. Completed working plans call for the build-out of a 12,164-square-foot retail store to include a sales floor, service counters, fitting rooms, and storage space. The owner has determined a li...Click here for complete Project Details

It's Brooks Brothers. They are overhauling their space at the corner of Canal Place.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by Reverend_Cletus

It's Brooks Brothers. They are overhauling their space at the corner of Canal Place.

Where did you find that out ?