NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[prokowave]

I accidentally double-posted, but while I'm on here...

Has anyone heard anything regarding the Plaza Tower? The last I heard, it was being gutted in anticipation of a major renovation.

That plus the WTC Building are two downtown landmarks that need to be put back into commerce. I can definitely see the WTC Building as a hotel - it's got perhaps the best location in the city. Any thoughts?

[WesternSon]

Plaza tower was mentioned as possibly being under contract when the news broke about the South Market District. Yes, the tower has been asbestos abated, but it was not done for a specific project or at least not publicly, more like flipped for a hopeful new developer.

The Texaco tower is good news. Not gonna help the neighborhood really, but not gonna harm it either, definite "place holder" of a project. If it is ran anything like the building on St. Charles at Lee Circle should be a good way to rehab that the blighted tower.

Great news just in time for Carnival season!

[Chris from N.O.]

I too spent many Mardi Gras nights in front of Bultman...I was thinking it would be great for an Urban Outfitters or something like that... might be a little too big, but they have plenty of parking, the building could turn into its own mini-mall.

[midcity]

I noticed work is going on at the Blue Plate Mayonnaisse building. I haven't heard anything about that in a while. Seems like it was suppose to be mixed income and maybe geared toward artists, or is something else planned there?

[LouisianaRush]

United Airlines resumes nonstop service between New Orleans, San Francisco
Friday, February 18, 2011
New Orleans Times Picayune

United Airlines resumed service between New Orleans and San Francisco Thursday evening.

The new daily nonstop departs Louis Armstrong International Airport at 6:55 a.m. and arrives in San Francisco at 9:40 a.m. The return flight leaves San Francisco at 4:15 p.m. and arrives in New Orleans at 10:21 p.m.

San Francisco was the top destination that New Orleans did not previously have non-stop service to.

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

[SlidellWx]

Great news that the old Texaco building will finally begin renovations. I was hoping for a more mixed income property, but this proposal is better than nothing.

[dgpatel]

I like "Rebirth Park", as the park is very much a part of the rebirth of NOLA (not merely a symbol of the rebirth) as well as the fact that it implies the name of the project, "Reinventing the Crescent", which would be a crappy name for the park as the article mentions.

Link







Renderings of other parts of the project:

[sgray]

for what it's worth, saw this on Bidclerk, must be the LSU medical complex

1494203 New Orleans, LA Medical, Multi-Residential, Retail 02/18/2011
Description Site work and new construction of a mixed-use development in New Orleans. Schematic design plans call for the construction of several new buildings on the site of a former high school campus, including high-rise condos, boutiques, a medical facility ...Click here for complete Project Details

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by sgray

for what it's worth, saw this on Bidclerk, must be the LSU medical complex

1494203 New Orleans, LA Medical, Multi-Residential, Retail 02/18/2011
Description Site work and new construction of a mixed-use development in New Orleans. Schematic design plans call for the construction of several new buildings on the site of a former high school campus, including high-rise condos, boutiques, a medical facility ...Click here for complete Project Details

Hmm been inn London for awhile so havent been as caught up on NOLA developments but this doesn't seem like the LSU hospital. Unless there are other elements that have been added to the plan we don't know about... does the site take the place of a former high school?

[IceCream]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

Hmm been inn London for awhile so havent been as caught up on NOLA developments but this doesn't seem like the LSU hospital. Unless there are other elements that have been added to the plan we don't know about... does the site take the place of a former high school?

Yeah...there are no plans to put high rise condos anywhere on the LSU/VA site....not sure what this is. There is a school that is part of the LSU/VA that they want to demolish, but there's somewhat of a fight about saving it (look back a few posts you 'll see it on here). It is just one building though, not a sprawling high school like some are.

[Blitzen]

Originally Posted by IceCream

Yeah...there are no plans to put high rise condos anywhere on the LSU/VA site....not sure what this is. There is a school that is part of the LSU/VA that they want to demolish, but there's somewhat of a fight about saving it (look back a few posts you 'll see it on here). It is just one building though, not a sprawling high school like some are.

This is wishful thinking, but could it be on the former site of JFK high school in City Park? It's been sitting abandoned since Katrina.

Other options could be:

-The undeveloped half of the block on Esplanade Avenue and Rampart where St. Aloysius used to be;
-McDonogh #16 at 1815 St. Claude Ave. (which makes sense because of the new streetcar line);
-The old NOCCA building on 6048 Perrier St. (unlikely that the uptowners would allow high-rise condos in such a dense neighborhood with narrow streets)
-Holy Cross's old campus in the 9th ward (very unlikely that anyone would invest a lot of money in that neighborhood at this time).

[Nolacat157]

They are supposed to demolish JFK in March but that plan doesnt really fit right there.

[skyscraperfan23]

Originally Posted by dgpatel

I like "Rebirth Park", as the park is very much a part of the rebirth of NOLA (not merely a symbol of the rebirth) as well as the fact that it implies the name of the project, "Reinventing the Crescent", which would be a crappy name for the park as the article mentions.

Link







Renderings of other parts of the project:

This is why new orleans needs to come back and donald trump needs to build his big building.

[tennis1400]

I think we are done coming back, now its about going forward.! lets hope we make the best of it... Still curious where that proposal is located, JFK is in the park so doubt that is it... The description makes it seem like its quite a large site so anything uptown seems unlikely as well

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Blitzen

-Holy Cross's old campus in the 9th ward (very unlikely that anyone would invest a lot of money in that neighborhood at this time).

I really have no idea. At first I thought of Holy Cross... the riverfront location and likely lack of neighborhood opposition would make a highrise proposal feasible. Highrises, if designed accordingly, can be pretty isolated from the surrounding neighborhood. The project would be marketed for its great views of downtown, I'm guessing. But I can't imagine boutique shopping even entering the discussion... so I think Holy Cross out of the question.

[annie himself]

I don't understand the park, looks like an empty warehouse with pictures hung up. Is that the expansion of the cruise dock, that was shot down last time I remember? And what are those 4 towers?

[Uptowner]

Originally Posted by annie himself

I don't understand the park, looks like an empty warehouse with pictures hung up. Is that the expansion of the cruise dock, that was shot down last time I remember? And what are those 4 towers?

http://www.reinventingthecrescent.org/

[WesternSon]

What are the four towers? a long shot.

I don't want to be a debbie downer, but it is an ambitious plan that isn't really needed up river. I'd rather see that money committed to the Lafitte Corridor to make sure that project gets realized.

I am all for the Bywater RITC project (which I also agree should be called Rebirth Park). But I don't really see it being more than a smaller modern version of The Fly. Cept smaller and with loud trains passing closely by...that's ok though! I also wish they would strip down the project. Minimalism would help the design in my eyes, and we all can see how many of these installations while eventually be turned into through abuse. While the Piety warf thing is neat on paper imagine it full of gutter punks and homeless...mmm welcoming!

But all new projects and green space are appreciated. This and the new streetcar line will continue to support the Bywater and its revitalization. But has the construction firm even broken ground on phase 1 yet?! The website says groundbreaking should have started Jan 2010...

[Nolacat157]

Originally Posted by midcity

I noticed work is going on at the Blue Plate Mayonnaisse building. I haven't heard anything about that in a while. Seems like it was suppose to be mixed income and maybe geared toward artists, or is something else planned there?

Woodward added Blue Plate Lofts to their In Progress section so it looks like this project is finally off the ground.

http://www.woodwarddesignbuild.com/p...s/in-progress/

[ardecila]

The towers are totally do-able. The area around the power plant is one of the few areas outside the CBD where towers might work. It's right off the highway, and there's good road access via Tchoupitoulas. There aren't any neighbors close by. Plus, it has good views of the skyline and the river.

I agree about Piety Wharf. It's a far too intricate/delicate design for a city where a well-maintained maintenance public space is the exception to the rule. David Adjaye's and Michael Maltzan's bridges are pretty cool, though, and the Mandeville Wharf is just a covered basketball court on a big scale. Other than that, the rest of the park is pretty standard flowerbeds, plantings, benches, and a playground.

What I'm pissed about is the fact that the new park won't be connected to the Moonwalk because the Port of New Orleans won't move out of the Governor Nicholls/Esplanade Wharves. People going down the Moonwalk will have to exit at St. Philip Street and walk down Peters or through the parking lot to get to the new park entrance at Elysian Fields.