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Originally Posted by mwm991
Are there any of these lifestyle/mixed use projects in the whole of Greater New Orleans? The city is crying out for a development like Cortex in St. Louis or Atlantic Station as you mentioned. There should be more urgency regardign the potential of the convention center project IMO.
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I always argued that they should prioritize the neighborhood aspects of the development - i.e. residential, parks, retail for the local market, maybe office space - and add the hotels, tourist attractions etc. later on. That could allow the CC to get a more immediate financial return without having to spend huge amount to subsidize hotels and entertainment. It still makes the upriver end more attractive for conventions, especially since we don't know what the convention market will look like in a few years.
Surprisingly we haven't see much in terms of planned mixed-use developments, but I think that is because there aren't many large parcels in desirable areas. There is still a lot better return doing infill closer to the core of the metro. We have seen announcements at Clearview and Elmwood for more residential/hotel stock being added, and the Esplanade has hinted at moving in that direction, but I haven't seen any recent movement on that front. Compared to most malls, they are pretty centrally located and have a diverse mix of offerings including grocery stores, cinemas, etc.
There also Federal City, but that seems to be dead for now.
Perhaps one of the greatest opportunities in the region is UNO's office park on the lake. Think about it - right between a lake/beach, three parks, two universities, Lakefront Airport down the road and easy access to the CBD/interstate. It already has a nice mix of office tenants and plenty of space to expand, even if you leave all of the green space intact. If UNO could partner with someone to build a few hotels, apartment, and office buildings that would be a huge boost to both the area and the university.