NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[LAandMagazine]

On its own, Tracage or the Sean Cummings building on Elysian Fields would be very cool. The problem is the precedent it sets. New Orleans is a classic low rise city. It's not Houston, where you see random 20 story buildings in otherwise low-rise neighborhoods. New Orleans at its best feels like an intact 19th century city. New Orleans at it's best is also a city of contrast, where you see really old stuff in the foreground and a rather stout and strong modern skyline in the background. But New Orleans is not a city of random mishmash of old and new, tall and short, all over the place. If city neighborhood associations want to be orthodox about their rules on this, I think it's completely fine. We DO have neighborhoods in the CBD that are crying out for high rise development, along the new streetcar line, so build these buildings there instead!

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by latour58zg

Read some books on the new American urbanism and why all of those cities with the slap 'em down anywhere highrises can lead to "psychological detachment from the real world" and the "perception of living in a prison" because of their detachment from the main stream of street life, you might change your mind about it or you may just continue to disagree. There are lots of studies out there about this and having known people that have lived in highrise apartments and condominiums (in other cities in the US) and heard their complaints, (and the fact that they all moved out to low rise bldgs) reinforces the study. Most progressive corporations don't even build high rise buildings anymore, they build a "campus" where everything feels like a university with lots of social interaction going on throughout the day. All this from that study that was conducted in the late seventies and through the 1980's.

What does this even mean? The runaway growth of highrises in New York, Chicago, Vancouver, Miami, and other cities globally says otherwise.

Even in New Orleans, the high-rise developments that have come online in recent years (all historic renovations) have been extremely popular, getting fully leased or sold out mere months after completion.

I personally don't like high-rise living (I don't like relying on elevators) but it's absurd to make the zoning code reflect my personal preference. If nobody wanted to live in highrises, nobody would buy/rent in them and eventually none would get built. But that's not the case. Also, the "progressive corporations" thing is getting outdated as well. Although a few Silicon Valley companies continue to build massive suburban campuses (for locally-specific reasons), most other companies are returning to urban centers where employees can be inspired by the city and bike/take transit to work.

Right now the Warehouse District is a snoozefest. It's got a few trendy restaurants and several successful loft conversions, but a massive stock of parking lots and unused industrial buildings is preventing the kind of density you need to encourage corner stores, dry cleaners, supermarkets, coffee shops, etc. The few businesses that do exist in the neighborhood have ridiculously short hours, closing after 6 when the workers go home. Lots of people complain about traffic, but traffic is only a problem because we don't have the things we need within walking distance, so Warehouse District residents have to drive uptown to get the stuff they need.

As I said before, preservation vs. highrise is not an either/or. We have lots of vacant lots in the city. Allowing these to be developed densely reduces the pressure to demolish historic buildings.

[Blitzen]

http://livableclaiborne.com/
This is an interesting website about the Claiborne Overpass project. Here are the next meetings/workshops for the study:

Saturday, March 16, 2013
Joseph A. Craig Elementary School
1423 St. Philip Street
Open House: 9:30 am -1:30 pm
Workshops: 10:00-1:00 pm

Monday, March 18, 2013
Ashé Cultural Arts Center
1712 O. C. Haley Blvd.
Open House: 4:00-7:00 pm
Workshop: 5:30-8:30 pm

Also, if you're in favor of taking down the Claiborne Overpass, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/51920875986/?fref=ts

[latour58zg]

Originally Posted by ardecila

What does this even mean? The runaway growth of highrises in New York, Chicago, Vancouver, Miami, and other cities globally says otherwise.

Even in New Orleans, the high-rise developments that have come online in recent years (all historic renovations) have been extremely popular, getting fully leased or sold out mere months after completion.

I personally don't like high-rise living (I don't like relying on elevators) but it's absurd to make the zoning code reflect my personal preference. If nobody wanted to live in highrises, nobody would buy/rent in them and eventually none would get built. But that's not the case. Also, the "progressive corporations" thing is getting outdated as well. Although a few Silicon Valley companies continue to build massive suburban campuses (for locally-specific reasons), most other companies are returning to urban centers where employees can be inspired by the city and bike/take transit to work.

Right now the Warehouse District is a snoozefest. It's got a few trendy restaurants and several successful loft conversions, but a massive stock of parking lots and unused industrial buildings is preventing the kind of density you need to encourage corner stores, dry cleaners, supermarkets, coffee shops, etc. The few businesses that do exist in the neighborhood have ridiculously short hours, closing after 6 when the workers go home. Lots of people complain about traffic, but traffic is only a problem because we don't have the things we need within walking distance, so Warehouse District residents have to drive uptown to get the stuff they need.

As I said before, preservation vs. highrise is not an either/or. We have lots of vacant lots in the city. Allowing these to be developed densely reduces the pressure to demolish historic buildings.

I think you explained it well, I agree it's a preference. Living low rise or highrise. personally I'd rather be close to what's going on down at street level and 3 floors up would be my personal limit. I still think Loyola was widened in the 50's as the next high rise corridor alongside Poydras, Tracage is not so much in a bad area but it's so close to the CCC. And might be "lost" visually with the bridge supports at street level, also kinda under the bridge seems like a place for trolls.....I like trolls, but......I think Loyola would have been a better choice at 24 floors and could have added to a new corridor or canyon of high rises alongside Poydras and may have spurned other developers to be attracted to the Ave as the city progresses. The Beauty of Chicago and NYC is the fact that there are "canyons" at street level created by a density of highrises. But in New Orleans keeping the high rises concentrated at one area would be more beneficial ascetically and practical; without disrupting the harmony of building heights in any neighborhood. The Warehouse district is what the name implies....warehouses, not sleek contemporary blds that tower over the rest of the neighborhood[/QUOTE]

[latour58zg]

Originally Posted by LAandMagazine

On its own, Tracage or the Sean Cummings building on Elysian Fields would be very cool. The problem is the precedent it sets. New Orleans is a classic low rise city. It's not Houston, where you see random 20 story buildings in otherwise low-rise neighborhoods. New Orleans at its best feels like an intact 19th century city. New Orleans at it's best is also a city of contrast, where you see really old stuff in the foreground and a rather stout and strong modern skyline in the background. But New Orleans is not a city of random mishmash of old and new, tall and short, all over the place. If city neighborhood associations want to be orthodox about their rules on this, I think it's completely fine. We DO have neighborhoods in the CBD that are crying out for high rise development, along the new streetcar line, so build these buildings there instead!

Very well written La&Mag......you certainly did your homework in Urban design Class

[thalia]

We have investments in the cottonmill, and the traffic is not all that bad, the worst thing is limited parking, the area needs more garages, I hope new buildings overbuild their parking garages for the current residents. I'm not sure on those requirments.


This is the old site, I would assume its just less floors:

http://www.tracageliving.com/

[ardecila]

Tracage passed but the vote was only for a minor open space exception. It's certainly not cleared for construction.

The architect made some comments about making it shorter and squatter/wider, so it may not be as elegant as before. Oh well... More residents is good.

Neighboring business owners spoke up in support. Opposition came from the neighborhood group, whose concerns were pretty limited and well-defined, and one deep-pocketed neighbor who's pissed about losing his views.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Tracage passed but the vote was only for a minor open space exception. It's certainly not cleared for construction.

The architect made some comments about making it shorter and squatter/wider, so it may not be as elegant as before. Oh well... More residents is good.

Neighboring business owners spoke up in support. Opposition came from the neighborhood group, whose concerns were pretty limited and well-defined, and one deep-pocketed neighbor who's pissed about losing his views.

Thats all this is really about... that purchaser should have done his homework. And the vote is really the last hurdle for Tracage. HDLC votes are only aesthetic issues not height or size.

[thalia]

A view of a well designed building is as a great of view of anything else. Just my opinion.

[rcp11889]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

Thats all this is really about... that purchaser should have done his homework. And the vote is really the last hurdle for Tracage. HDLC votes are only aesthetic issues not height or size.

God forbid he lose his views of a parking lot and an expressway. So how many more hearings do they have before they can build?

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by rcp11889

God forbid he lose his views of a parking lot and an expressway. So how many more hearings do they have before they can build?

None except the HDLC meetings which are on design only. Guess financing is the only issue now! The height limit for the property allows for a 16 story building.

[Blitzen]

Sorry this is 2 weeks old, I guess it slipped through the cracks.

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

A bit of good news:
Things are moving along with demolition/construction on 3 of the 4 blocks along Bienville Street beginning sometime around May. Because of the discovery of human remains around St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 (which used to have a much larger footprint), there will be 2 blocks of greenspace around the cemetery. To accommodate this new space but keep the same number of units, denser townhouse/multi-family units will be used with fewer spaces in between buildings. Before, 22 units of the old Iberville were going to be saved; now it's only 14.

(Though I still wish the whole thing would be sold off to private developers) I think the most recent changes are positive ones. Greenspace reduces the heat-island effect, and instead of being spaced around, it will be clumped into something that's useful. I also like dense downtown development, and fewer old Iberville buildings and more row/townhouses is a step more towards that. Plus, with the greenspace around the cemetery surrounded by the tallest/densest of the development, it will allow for some pretty views from those units.

Note: this is ALL subject to change.

Newest rendering:


Older rendering before greenspace:


Photos courtesy of T-P.

[LAandMagazine]

This is the most beautiful housing project conversion I've seen BUT it appears that not even 20% of the units are occupied. No construction is ongoing. The entire development appears to be just sitting there, practically empty. What is going on here? It's very suspicious. Are the beautiful buildings hollow or something?! Equally suspicious is the "construction work" at the nearby McDonough high school. There are big tractors out there until late at night, every day, and all they do is move big piles of dirt around. This has been going on for months.

[ardecila]

Are you sure? The new projects don't have the same street life as the old ones, so it's deceiving. I've been spending a lot of time near Harmony Oaks, and although it's sleepy, all of those units are occupied.

[N.O.L.A.]

Great news! 9.01 million visitors in 2012. 41% were first-time visitors which shows that we are doing a pretty decent job at getting people down here. I wonder how they conducted this study though seeing that some visitors stay with friends/family. For example, when I came down from school for mardi gras this year I had 10 buddies with me (all first-time) crammed into our place in the quarter.

Even better is that these visitors spent over $6 billion in the city, which is an all-time record for money spent, beating even 2004. I hope that we are able to maintaing these numbers... however, I have a feeling '13 is going to be better!


http://www.nola.com/business/index.s..._river_default

[Blitzen]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Are you sure? The new projects don't have the same street life as the old ones, so it's deceiving. I've been spending a lot of time near Harmony Oaks, and although it's sleepy, all of those units are occupied.

I can see it appearing emptier than it really is, because all of the parking is gated behind the buildings - so the street seems deserted. As far as the school construction, they're probably using the technique of moving dirt around, wetting it, moving it some more, to compress the soil before construction.

[Chris from N.O.]

Noticed on google maps a new building/development in my neighborhood- figured out it was the Gold Seal lofts... hadn't seen any updates on here. Took some pictures:


Untitled by ChrisinNewOrleans, on Flickr


Untitled by ChrisinNewOrleans, on Flickr


Also, on the Iberville rebuilding, the new renderings look MUCH better. More urban chic than expensive tenement. I'm guessing "J" will become the de facto soccer/baseball/football field, but I'm wondering what "H" is?

[Urban Legend]

The Some Times Picayune is reporting the Six Flags outlet mall is now dead. Apparently the developer is blaming Hughes Riverwalk project for it not being a viable option.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s..._river_default

[SlidellWx]

Lockheed Martin will be starting up production of liquefied natural gas tanks at Michoud. Some good paying jobs coming back. I was actually at Michoud today for training, and the place is bustling. Didn't realize the facility was 80% leased out already.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Urban Legend

The Some Times Picayune is reporting the Six Flags outlet mall is now dead. Apparently the developer is blaming Hughes Riverwalk project for it not being a viable option.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s..._river_default

Tough titties. The IDB claims people would rather go to the CBD to shop than New Orleans East... can't say that's a bad thing. It means more traffic at nearby restaurants, the casino, bars, and hotels. A new mall in NO East would mean a new Applebee's. Maybe a Red Lobster if they're lucky.

Plus, Howard Hughes has decades of expertise managing scores of signature malls around the country, whereas Provident/DAG have, what, a few power centers outside Baton Rouge? I'd much rather have the experienced team's project succeed, and I'd rather have the benefits accrue in the CBD. Parking is a valid issue for the Howard Hughes team to deal with, but they may not need so much parking if many of the patrons are already staying at nearby hotels. Hopefully improvements to transit service can give New Orleanians easy access to the new mall as well.