NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[NolaWave]

Patois owners open burger place on Oak

http://uptownmessenger.com/2011/06/t...end-neighbors/

[IceCream]

Originally Posted by NolaWave

Patois owners open burger place on Oak

http://uptownmessenger.com/2011/06/t...end-neighbors/

That article is coated in NIMBY-ism....

The whole neighborhood is concerned about a burger joint selling some beers and being open late, but yet you have Maple Leaf and Jacque Imo's open super late and literally pouring drunks out on the street (I'm one of them, not complaining)... And of course you have Oak, a full service bar, across the street from Tru so after they finish (or during their meal at Tru) they can go across the street, buy a drink and come back across the street. Ta-da BYOB.

But, seriously, coooome on. This is NOLA. I've gotten wasted in plenty of places that don't serve alcohol (Lebanon's) because the BYOB policy basically encourages me to bring a large amount of wine rather than my pocket book being pressured by the upcharge restaurants have on booze.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by IceCream

That article is coated in NIMBY-ism....

The whole neighborhood is concerned about a burger joint selling some beers and being open late, but yet you have Maple Leaf and Jacque Imo's open super late and literally pouring drunks out on the street (I'm one of them, not complaining)... And of course you have Oak, a full service bar, across the street from Tru so after they finish (or during their meal at Tru) they can go across the street, buy a drink and come back across the street. Ta-da BYOB.

But, seriously, coooome on. This is NOLA. I've gotten wasted in plenty of places that don't serve alcohol (Lebanon's) because the BYOB policy basically encourages me to bring a large amount of wine rather than my pocket book being pressured by the upcharge restaurants have on booze.

Agree with everything you say. However, remember the good neighbor agreement isnt exactly law and its usually vague. Anything on Uptown Messenger is basically NIMBY though.

[Blitzen]

The video mentions the Iberville being redeveloped: http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Pote...123860709.html

I was 110% for this, but after reviewing the plans on HANO's website, I'm definitely less excited. http://www.hano.org/documents/ibervi..._Design_sm.pdf

I approve of the new mid-rise building on Canal Street, and the redevelopment of the abandoned Winn-Dixie property.

The density is good, in fact it could be more, but this looks like a cheap replica of River Garden. No breakthrough architecture. No tremendous private investment. Just block after block of faux-historic, cookie cutter subsidized public housing. And is mid-rise public housing facing Canal Street going to help revitalize the street or make it less desirable?

Lastly, we were promised a return of the street-grid, but that isn't exactly happening either based on the drawings. This plan calls for more seedy sidestreets that won't have constant traffic to prevent seedy activity.

Anything is better than what we have now, but this new design could be sooo much better. This city is its own worst enemy sometimes.

[Blitzen]

One other complaint about the Iberville Redevelopment scheme. I was hoping the footprint of the new project would be reduced in the redevelopment and given to private developers, but unfortunately the amount of publicly owned land is increasing by about 50%.

New land being incorporated into the new project include: the currently abandoned Winn-Dixie and parking lot, the 2 blocks along Canal St. between Marais St. and N. Villere St., a couple blocks of retail across Canal St., and several buildings on "scattered sites" in the Treme neighborhood.

[SlidellWx]

I'll disagree and say that I really like the project. It looks like some of the well built old brick buildings are preserved, and the mixed use development ties in with the character of the surrounding area. I also love the fact that they plan on doing some scattered site development in the surrounding neighborhoods. Great to see.

[Blitzen]

My main concerns about any development are whether or not it will increase property value for the surrounding area, will it revitalize major streets nearby, and will it bring density to places that should have more density?

Unfortunately the answer to these questions are: slightly, slightly, and yes - but not necessarily the kind of desirable people for that prominent area of town.

Take for example the mid-rise building on Canal Street that's for elderly housing. While it's nice in concept, those 2 blocks will essentially not contribute anything to the urban fabric. Other than the handful of employees, people in assisted living centers do not walk around the neighborhood and spend money. Even worse, the 10 blocks of subsidized housing for low income/poverty level people, in denser numbers, living near the French Quarter/downtown, many of whom are unemployed or unemployable, is not exactly screaming revitalization. It screams more of the same to me, or perhaps even worse, as this project will be bigger than before.

Sorry to be so pessimistic.

[IceCream]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

Agree with everything you say. However, remember the good neighbor agreement isnt exactly law and its usually vague. Anything on Uptown Messenger is basically NIMBY though.

Kind of a side note but since "articles" from the Uptown Messenger are being posted here now, what's the deal with it and it's new partnership with the TP?

I thought the UM was basically a blog / sounding board and now it's partnering with a "real" journalism house...kind of discredits the TP....

[IceCream]

http://uptownmessenger.com/2011/06/p...ing/#more-9019

Yeah yeah...I had to go look...(at the UM)...

"Plans for the addition of a new three-story building at the center of the historic Poydras Home retirement community were met with cautious acceptance Tuesday night by a group of neighbors who praised the building’s classic design but worried about parking for its new employees........."

[IceCream]

http://uptownmessenger.com/2011/06/c...ne-14-meeting/

Not going to post the whole text, rather long, but I'd read it. Here's a summary:

1. The owner of Rue de la Course wants to shut it down (on magazine) and move Ignatius there. He also plans to retire in the next few years and said that the Rue won't be around "forever." Sucks for all the hipsters!!!! The CPC recommended allowing him to sell booze in the Rue building (yay). BYOB still at Ignatius for awhile (yay!).


2. The city rejected a change of zoning to allow for a Japanese coffee shop / market on S. Carrollton....stupid city...

3. The city recommended to allow Walgreens at Napoleon and Claiborne to sell alcohol (yeah!! take that NIMBYs!!!!)

4. A fresh food market got approval for its site on Earhart, cool.

[IceCream]

Super impressive facility...I'd check out the full article.

http://www.nola.com/military/index.s...arches_in.html

"Giving the “Oorah” he applies to everything that strikes him as positive, Col. Bill Davis marveled at the newly installed red-brick pavers inlaid in a winding walkway leading up to Marine Forces Reserve’s new national headquarters in Algiers.

“When I was here last Friday, none of this was done,” Davis said Monday of the walkway, still flanked by mounds of dirt outside Marine Corps Support Facility, one of the branch’s newest installations.

With everyone from gardeners to heavy-construction workers working hard, and often into the evenings, the Marines are in their second week of moving into their 411,000-square-foot building overlooking Opelousas Avenue at Hendee Street. By June 24, Marine Forces Reserve expects its full-time work force of 1,300 people to be moved into their offices inside the 29-acre compound, most coming from the soon-to-be-closed Naval Support Activity at the foot of Poland Avenue.

“Thirteen-hundred people. Three weeks. No worries,” Davis said....."

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by IceCream

http://uptownmessenger.com/2011/06/p...ing/#more-9019

Yeah yeah...I had to go look...(at the UM)...

"Plans for the addition of a new three-story building at the center of the historic Poydras Home retirement community were met with cautious acceptance Tuesday night by a group of neighbors who praised the building’s classic design but worried about parking for its new employees........."

"acceptance Tuesday night by a group of neighbors who praised the building’s classic design but worried about parking for its new employees"

OMG do these people ever write an article that doesn't have the usual NIMBY crap. Good lord the building is beautiful and all they worry about is parking?

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by IceCream

http://uptownmessenger.com/2011/06/c...ne-14-meeting/

Not going to post the whole text, rather long, but I'd read it. Here's a summary:

1. The owner of Rue de la Course wants to shut it down (on magazine) and move Ignatius there. He also plans to retire in the next few years and said that the Rue won't be around "forever." Sucks for all the hipsters!!!! The CPC recommended allowing him to sell booze in the Rue building (yay). BYOB still at Ignatius for awhile (yay!).


2. The city rejected a change of zoning to allow for a Japanese coffee shop / market on S. Carrollton....stupid city...

3. The city recommended to allow Walgreens at Napoleon and Claiborne to sell alcohol (yeah!! take that NIMBYs!!!!)

4. A fresh food market got approval for its site on Earhart, cool.

4. A fresh food market got approval for its site on Earhart, cool.

Stangely enough the Department of City Planning actually recommended denial(do these people not coordinate with the mayors office--" Recent Fresh Food Initiative anyone") for this so glad to see the City Planning Commission saw how silly there position was and voted to approve it anyway!

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by Blitzen

The video mentions the Iberville being redeveloped: http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Pote...123860709.html

I was 110% for this, but after reviewing the plans on HANO's website, I'm definitely less excited. http://www.hano.org/documents/ibervi..._Design_sm.pdf

I approve of the new mid-rise building on Canal Street, and the redevelopment of the abandoned Winn-Dixie property.

The density is good, in fact it could be more, but this looks like a cheap replica of River Garden. No breakthrough architecture. No tremendous private investment. Just block after block of faux-historic, cookie cutter subsidized public housing. And is mid-rise public housing facing Canal Street going to help revitalize the street or make it less desirable?

Lastly, we were promised a return of the street-grid, but that isn't exactly happening either based on the drawings. This plan calls for more seedy sidestreets that won't have constant traffic to prevent seedy activity.

Anything is better than what we have now, but this new design could be sooo much better. This city is its own worst enemy sometimes.

I think many developers become scare when they get close to the quarter as they seem to hate everything that isnt faux historic. If your on a deadline may as well propose something you know will be approved. These are going to be some dense buildings though. Also, the plan seems to explain why the Texaco rehab hasnt started yet as it looks like the building may be used in conjunction with this redevelopment.

[Uptowngirl]

If you mean breakthrough architecture as in modernist dreck. Provided the building materials are good...I'm quite ok with HANO's preliminary designs.

[Blitzen]

Ok, though it's far from perfect, I will say one more nice thing about the Iberville Redevelopment. Having the buildings line the perimeter of the blocks, with the center empty for resident parking, plus the restored street grid, leaves A LOT of new parking on the street for people to use, and visit the French Quarter. And if it is like anything like the new Columbia Parc redevelopment, security will be tighter, so you can worry less about leaving your car there. And all of the new people coming and going to park along those streets, it may help with any potential crime problem.

Or will all parking be in the interior lots, and the streets be too narrow to use for parking? If so, I take back all the nice things I just said. Does anyone have a definitive answer? It's unclear to me from HANO's website's drawings.

[Blitzen]

Just noticed Google Earth tripled the number of 3-D building renderings in New Orleans. Some pretty ones to note are Tulane/Loyola's campus, Saenger Theater, Supreme Courthouse, US Mint, and St. Louis Cathedral.

[SlidellWx]

Actually, the vast majority of the people living in the Iberville projects are gainfully employed. They just work crappy low wage jobs in the hospitality industry. It's a very convenient location for these service workers to live in. Since the project is mixed-use, there will be market rate units also built into the project. Overall, it's a major upgrade from what is currently in the area.

Here is the crime that has occurred in the Iberville so far this year.

http://www.crimemapping.com/map.aspx...12-3218&br=0.2

[tennis1400]

This just showed up on Dodge Report: Notice the bid date is ASAP lol


Saenger Theater (Hurricane Rebuild)
200500853511 v. 10
Dodge Project Report
Theater/Auditorium Sub Bidding, Construction $40,000,000 LA (Orleans) ASAP

[ardecila]

I'm not crazy about the new Iberville plans either. Yuck.

The towers along Canal are about right (those are obviously not even close to real designs). If you look at the section, however, you can see the retail spaces are double-height, so these are clearly meant for big-box retailers.

The other perimeter conditions are okay too. The one block along Basin between Bienville and Conti looks pretty urban, and so does the "adjacent mixed-use development".

Blitzen: the two Canal Street towers are not senior housing. Only the Texaco Building is. Also, no additional land is going into the government's hands. The adjacent parcels that aren't currently part of Iberville won't be transferred to public ownership: they will be owned and managed by the joint venture of HRI and McCormick Baron Salazar.