NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[lamsalfl]

What’s going on with DriveShack? All of the construction equipment is gone, and the site looks abandoned.

[sguil1]

Originally Posted by Gee32

Any updates on when the convention center will be meeting to select the finalist for the riverfront development?

I really hope RDNI proposal is selected.

Convention Center puts hotel development on hold and donates $1 million for coronavirus relief, but fails to satisfy local coalition

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/conve...cal-coalition/

On hold last I heard

[sguil1]

Originally Posted by lamsalfl

What’s going on with DriveShack? All of the construction equipment is gone, and the site looks abandoned.

Agree, its been like that for weeks now. Haven't heard anything official...

[sguil1]

Four Seasons New Orleans developers push 'green card' program amid immigration clampdown

https://www.nola.com/news/coronaviru...b56878d4b.html

The developers of the half-billion-dollar Four Seasons luxury hotel and condominium project on New Orleans' riverfront are pushing hard to raise money under a controversial program that gives foreign investors a fast-track to permanent U.S. residence, even as Congress and the Trump administration move to clamp down on immigration amid the coronavirus crisis.

The conversion of the former World Trade Center, a 1960s-era office tower that fell into disrepair and was taken over by the city a decade ago, is still scheduled for completion in December and is one of the largest projects in the city's history. It has long been touted by local politicians as a job-creating and tax revenue-generating venture that would revive an iconic downtown landmark turned urban eyesore after decades of neglect.

Woodward Interests, an affiliate of local developer Paul Flower's Woodward Design+Build, and Carpenter & Co., a New York development company run by Richard Friedman, who also is a Four Seasons board member, are the joint developers and have emphasized from the beginning that their project would include foreign interests, such as the Saudi Arabian state oil company Aramco, among its investors.

[Blitzen]

Originally Posted by lamsalfl

That imagery is absolutely terrible. They really need to just scrap that until they can get a better shot.

You’ll be happy to know today Google Earth added very high def satellite images of the region taken on 11/15/19 (their last default pictures was from 1/25/19). You have to adjust the timeline bar at the top to see. The airport looks beautiful, and you can see all the sediment deposited in the spillway from last summer’s openings.

[SlidellWx]

Drive Shack has halted construction on the New Orleans project along with others in Dallas and Charlotte. They may not survive the shutdown.

[sguil1]

^Thanks for the info

American Cruise Lines, American Queen Steamboat Co. to reopen in June; see passenger restrictions

https://www.nola.com/news/coronaviru...b263af002.html

American Cruise Lines plans to be the first cruise operator in the country to get its vessels back on the water since the coronavirus outbreak, with its first Port of New Orleans-bound riverboat, the American Harmony, set to launch from Memphis on June 28.

ACL rival American Queen Steamboat Co. also plans to resume a day later, with the American Duchess launching on June 29, reviving a small but important part of the Port of New Orleans' cruise line business that has been devastated by a complete halt in cruise traffic since mid-March.

The two cruise lines count Baton Rouge and St. Francisville among the stops they make.

[sguil1]

https://www.nola.com/news/business/a...b02e4d010.html

Jump Blue Bikes, the company that operates the bike-share program in New Orleans, temporarily suspended its services beginning in late March to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Now, it's not clear it will be coming back at all.

Jump, which was previously owned by Uber, changed ownership in early May, announcing that it was "joining forces" with Lime, the electric scooter company. Lime acquired Jump as part of the deal and Uber gained a larger investment in Lime, as well as the option to purchase the e-scooter company in two years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

No decision has been made yet on whether Lime will continue the bike-share program in New Orleans, said company spokesman Russell Murphy. "We're continuing discussions with the city about how we can keep serving NOLA residents with Blue Bikes," he said.

[onlyinnola]

Originally Posted by sguil1

https://www.nola.com/news/business/a...b02e4d010.html

Jump Blue Bikes, the company that operates the bike-share program in New Orleans, temporarily suspended its services beginning in late March to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Now, it's not clear it will be coming back at all.

Jump, which was previously owned by Uber, changed ownership in early May, announcing that it was "joining forces" with Lime, the electric scooter company. Lime acquired Jump as part of the deal and Uber gained a larger investment in Lime, as well as the option to purchase the e-scooter company in two years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

No decision has been made yet on whether Lime will continue the bike-share program in New Orleans, said company spokesman Russell Murphy. "We're continuing discussions with the city about how we can keep serving NOLA residents with Blue Bikes," he said.

Really hope a solution can be found, and quickly. The momentum the city has right now on increasing bike lanes and accessibility due to the crisis would take a big hit if public bikes were eliminated.

[sguil1]

Don't see this actually happening, but interesting

https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/b...an-mayor-says/

New Orleans officials are studying plans to ban cars in the city’s French Quarter and transform the area into a pedestrian-only zone, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

Cantrell made the announcement Wednesday during a town hall with The Times Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate. Cantrell, who calls her idea “no cars in the quarter,” said the coronavirus outbreak has allowed officials to rethink ways public spaces can be used to promote social distancing.

“More parks and rec space grew out of pandemics,” she said. “I’ve told my team, let’s turn the map around and be so creative and innovative.”

Aside from the French Quarter, it was not immediately clear what other areas the task force is looking to ban cars. But in areas where vehicles are banned, restaurants and bars could use empty parking lots and streets to seat customers as their indoor capacity remains limited.

It could also give more space for performers and bikers on the street, Cantrell said. A “tiger team” that studied the proposal has also recommended pedestrian malls throughout the city, she added.

The city banned cars for two weeks in the Bayou St. John neighborhood this month, a move Cantrell’s administration said was received positively by residents. Banning cars in the French Quarter is a topic that has been discussed for years, but a similar proposal made four years ago by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu never materialized.

[Catch Basin]

He recommitted to taking a “fresh look” at the planned developments and indicated that the center could be willing to consider options outside of the hotel deal and entertainment district proposals currently on the table.

I get these circumstances are unprecedented, but wow I would be furious if I put together one of the responses.

[York1]

Originally Posted by sguil1

Don't see this actually happening, but interesting

https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/b...an-mayor-says/

New Orleans officials are studying plans to ban cars in the city’s French Quarter and transform the area into a pedestrian-only zone, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

Things may have changed since I lived in NO years ago, but how would provisions be made for things like deliveries to to bars, restaurants, and hotels? What about private citizens with garages?

[Gee32]

Originally Posted by Catch Basin

I get these circumstances are unprecedented, but wow I would be furious if I put together one of the responses.

The convention center project needs to happen in my opinion, New Orleans can’t afford to go backwards at all. If we as a city/metro want to attract big business especially in the tech industry, we will need massive mixed use developments like the convention center development which will be a mix of housing, retail, entertainment and office components.

I truly believe that’s why we haven’t heard any major relocation announcements yet and that’s because we haven’t had Any major developments like the convention center is planning, which gives off Atlantic station vibes, which most recently announced they will be adding Microsoft to its development because the development group is building a new Mid rise office tower.

#BuildItAndTheyWillCome

[mwm991]

Originally Posted by Gee32

The convention center project needs to happen in my opinion, New Orleans can’t afford to go backwards at all. If we as a city/metro want to attract big business especially in the tech industry, we will need massive mixed use developments like the convention center development which will be a mix of housing, retail, entertainment and office components.

I truly believe that’s why we haven’t heard any major relocation announcements yet and that’s because we haven’t had Any major developments like the convention center is planning, which gives off Atlantic station vibes, which most recently announced they will be adding Microsoft to its development because the development group is building a new Mid rise office tower.

#BuildItAndTheyWillCome

The city often likes to sell itself short, poor little New Orleans. Crime, humidity and hurricanes. Whenever a company upsticks to Texas or Florida or wherever else, its an attitude of "oh well". When do you ever hear instead that New Orleans is almost on an island in the gulf south with the next nearest major city over 350 mi away in promoting the cities regional strength? Or is that it is one of most walkable culturally aware cities in the south? Theres two major sports teams here, a brand new world class airport. The city isn't perfect but it has a lot going for it too.

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.

[prokowave]

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.

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.

[Blitzen]

The long abandoned warehouse building on Iberville Street in the French Quarter is close to being reopened as a hotel: https://www.one11hotel.com. It’s always been a dream to have those giant parking lots fully developed into hotels, apartments, retail, condos, parking, etc, and having this open will be a modest step in the right direction.

[Gee32]

Originally Posted by mwm991

The city often likes to sell itself short, poor little New Orleans. Crime, humidity and hurricanes. Whenever a company upsticks to Texas or Florida or wherever else, its an attitude of "oh well". When do you ever hear instead that New Orleans is almost on an island in the gulf south with the next nearest major city over 350 mi away in promoting the cities regional strength? Or is that it is one of most walkable culturally aware cities in the south? Theres two major sports teams here, a brand new world class airport. The city isn't perfect but it has a lot going for it too.

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.

Maybe we can get a Petition started in support of the Mixed use CC Development, because this is the type of development that can change the city and the metro area in a major way.

[mwm991]

I only just realised all the documentation for each proposal is available here.

https://exhallnola.com/master-developer-responses/

I still say I like the Domain proposal best. Its not as glitzy as the RDNI one, but I feel its more detailed on financing and tenants, as well as a timeline on construction. Its the one I trust most. Alamo Drafthouse would be a great fit for a development like that I think.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Blitzen

The long abandoned warehouse building on Iberville Street in the French Quarter is close to being reopened as a hotel: https://www.one11hotel.com. It’s always been a dream to have those giant parking lots fully developed into hotels, apartments, retail, condos, parking, etc, and having this open will be a modest step in the right direction.

It's amazing that the building sat vacant as long as it did. Seems like some well-connected developer bought it for nothing, got a sweet tax deal and just sat on the building for decades.

I mean, I could say that for a lot of the properties in FQ with vacant upper floors. It's amazing how many of them just sit vacant, even despite the wave of renovations in the last 10 years.

I don't think any kind of significant new construction will ever be allowed there so long as VCC is in charge of it. VCPORA maybe you could buy off assuming the new development provided an equivalent or larger amount of parking (which is what the businesses are concerned about) but VCC will reject literally any development scheme that makes financial sense, because big buildings simply don't meet their aesthetic. Especially if Cantrell succeeds in pedestrianizing the Quarter, it will be even more important to have parking around the perimeter.

It would be nice to get an efficient, multi-level parking deck like what you see in European cities, with some nice escalators and a tourist center on the ground floor, and turn the rest of the land over for development though.

[sguil1]

Originally Posted by jjslonaker

The main structure is finally completed.