NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by greenparrot

I wasn't aware they added new golf holes. The golf course is fundamentally the same size it always has been.

http://www.saveaudubonpark.org/web/saparchive/p2558.htm

[sguil1]

Originally Posted by sguil1

Saw a crane constructed just off I-10 at causeway on the south side behind the Galleria. Site is blocked off with The Lemoine Company signage. Can't find any info on the project, anyone have any idea?

Not in N.O. but should be visible coming into the city from I-10 just behind the Galleria highrise.

Crescent City Surgical Centre - Metairie, LAContract Amount: $ 17,390,062

The five-story Crescent City Surgical Centre is a design-build project with WHLC Architecture. CCSC is a cast-in-place concrete structure with a parking garage on the first three floors and specialty surgical hospital on floors four and five. The parking garage will accommodate 147 parking spaces along with mechanical yard and storage rooms. The 4th floor contains admission and waiting areas, a CT room, an X-Ray room, break rooms, offices, and 20 patient rooms. The 5th floor contains eight Operating Rooms, pre-op holding areas, recovery areas, a doctor’s lounge, and procedure rooms. With a footprint of roughly 25,000 square feet, CCSC is being built on what once was a 36,000 square foot asphalt parking lot. The exterior façade of the structure will be a combination of masonry, stucco, metal panels, and curtain wall. The interior of the building will be composed of millwork, acoustical and hard ceilings, sheet vinyl and VCT flooring, ceramic tile, terrazzo, wall protection, and window treatments. With completion scheduled for the end of 2010, the doctors and staff are anxiously awaiting their new facility.





http://lemoinecompany.com/CurrentProjects.html

[Uptowngirl]

I'm friends with the Preserve Audubon Park people...and no way in HELL would they allow that. The Fly is overdeveloped as it is...and they are trying to take Avenger Field and the Tennis Courts on Tchoup for parking and office towers (while moving more up to the Fly which removes additional greenspace).

Audubon Park is a public park...its not Ron Forman's personal fiefdom

[SlidellWx]

I was wondering what that crane behind the Galleria was for.

[sammyg]

Originally Posted by ardecila

I'm not sure if there will be enough room at the practice field for 30,000 seats... this sounds wildly optimistic to me. If they do build 30,000 seats, most of those seats will be behind the endzones. Seats along the sidelines will be very limited.

If they remove those tennis courts, that could create enough room.

[greenparrot]

Originally Posted by ardecila

http://www.saveaudubonpark.org/web/saparchive/p2558.htm

This is an old & outdated article. I know I have walked down the path and lagoon bridge since the new course opened. And I still don't believe they added any new holes as you stated. The enhancements made regarding the golf course IMO enhanced the area..not detracted from it.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by sammyg

If they remove those tennis courts, that could create enough room.

The Goldring Tennis Complex (I swear, everything on campus is named after the same ten rich guys) is pretty much brand-new. And if they did tear it down, where would the tennis teams practice and compete?

[LouisianaRush]

Minnesota developer expresses interest in redeveloping former Six Flags Theme Park

By Jaquetta White
The Times-Picayune
April 15, 2010, 5:00PM

A Minnesota developer seeking to restore the former Six Flags Theme Park in eastern New Orleans has filed an application with the Industrial Development Board requesting preliminary approval of up to $200 million in bonds for the project.

In its application, 3 Wise Men Entertainment, Inc. said it wants the bonds to restore existing infrastructure and equipment in the former Six Flags park, which has not reopened since being damaged by flooding in August 2005.

The application will be reviewed by the IDB at its April 20 meeting. If the request is approved, the application will be considered by the State Bond Commission. Bond commission approval would allow the company to begin shopping for investors.

3 Wise Men Entertainment says it will restore "infrastructure, sewer, water, other utilities, building structures and existing park rides," among other things on the 150-acre site. The company's proposal also calls for the development of a "resort with a water park and additional theme rides."

According to the application, construction on the site would begin May 25 and conclude in late September 2011. The park would open Oct. 1, 2011 and produce 1,000 permanent full time jobs. The total projected budget for the project is $202 million.

more....http://www.nola.com/business/index.s...expresses.html

[sguil1]

Originally Posted by LouisianaRush

Minnesota developer expresses interest in redeveloping former Six Flags Theme Park

By Jaquetta White
The Times-Picayune
April 15, 2010, 5:00PM

A Minnesota developer seeking to restore the former Six Flags Theme Park in eastern New Orleans has filed an application with the Industrial Development Board requesting preliminary approval of up to $200 million in bonds for the project.

In its application, 3 Wise Men Entertainment, Inc. said it wants the bonds to restore existing infrastructure and equipment in the former Six Flags park, which has not reopened since being damaged by flooding in August 2005.

The application will be reviewed by the IDB at its April 20 meeting. If the request is approved, the application will be considered by the State Bond Commission. Bond commission approval would allow the company to begin shopping for investors.

3 Wise Men Entertainment says it will restore "infrastructure, sewer, water, other utilities, building structures and existing park rides," among other things on the 150-acre site. The company's proposal also calls for the development of a "resort with a water park and additional theme rides."

According to the application, construction on the site would begin May 25 and conclude in late September 2011. The park would open Oct. 1, 2011 and produce 1,000 permanent full time jobs. The total projected budget for the project is $202 million.

more....http://www.nola.com/business/index.s...expresses.html

I really hope this is legit. Sounds like another Southern Star operation...

[ardecila]

^^ I was just gonna say... it sounds very fly-by-night.

"3 Wise Men Entertainment" is owned by Pink Castle Trust (10%) and AB Moten Corporation (90%). Pink Castle Trust is a dead-end on Google, and AB Moten is listed as a Minneapolis real estate developer, but with no projects to their name, and not even a mention in the Twin Cities Business Journal.

Here we go again...

[Nolacat157]

I think the below quote from the nola.com story says it all:

"Although an overview of the application also says that the park "will be re-branded into a Nickelodeon Universe Theme park," a spokeswoman for the cable television giant and children's brand said the company has no plans to lend its name to the venture.

"We have no relationship with them and have no plans to develop with them," said Joanna Roses, a spokeswoman for Nickelodeon. "We have never met with them."

Roses said Nickelodeon has no plans to develop a theme park in New Orleans."



Unfortunately, this sounds like a dead end.

[LouisianaRush]

Magazine Street among state roads to be repaired with $81.5 million in new federal aid for Katrina-damaged streets

By Ed Anderson,
The Times-Picayune
April 16, 2010, 6:00AM

The state has received $81.5 million in federal aid to help finance repairs to highways and bridges damaged by hurricanes in recent years, transportation officials said Thursday.

Interim Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Sherri LeBas said that $74.5 million of that money is targeted for repairs caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 while $7 million is set aside as reimbursements for money spent on recovery efforts in Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.

Department spokeswoman Amber Hebert said that 62 projects covering 210.4 miles have been qualified for use of the federal money, but that doesn't necessarily mean all will be financed.

Department communications director Jodi Conachen said the only project in that group that definitely will be financed is repair work along Magazine Street in New Orleans, one of the many streets in the New Orleans area damaged by Katrina.

more....http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s...ed_by_hur.html

[sguil1]

Children's Hospital looking to acquire New Orleans Adolescent Hospital property

http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf...ooking_to.html

[blueingreen]

What is the logic of Magazine Street being "Katrina damaged"? Are they assuming it got more traffic or something because of the storm?

I live on Constance and although I love to see money invested in my neighborhood I really don't see the justification with re-doing Magazine. I think the one exception would be the stretch through Audobon park.

It's too bad they can't spend the money to fix the sidewalks instead (you'd think if your business relied on foot traffic you'd fix your damn sidewalk, but it appears not)

[SlidellWx]

More traffic is the exact reason for the redo of Magazine. It was the main road for all of those large debris trucks in the immediate few weeks after the storm which made an already poor road even worse.

Here is a list of every street being repaired with the federal monies. There are quite a few in the flood zone. Driving around town can be a pain with all of the road work going on. I know they just finished up part of Harrison recently. I try to avoid S. Carrollton at all costs right now.

Almonaster
Alvar
Poland
Camp
Canal
Carondelet
Carrollton
Common
Crowder
Downman
Elysian Fields
Filmore
Franklin
Girod
Gravier
Harrison
Lasalle
Leon C. Simon
Louisiana
Loyola
Magazine
Marconi
MLK Jr.
Mirabeau
Miro
Nashville
Navarre
Orleans
Paris
Pontchartrain
Poydras
Press
Robert E. Lee
St. Bernard
St. Charles
Veterans
Washington
Whitney
Wisner
Galvez

[Uptowner]

Originally Posted by SlidellWx

More traffic is the exact reason for the redo of Magazine. It was the main road for all of those large debris trucks in the immediate few weeks after the storm which made an already poor road even worse.

Here is a list of every street being repaired with the federal monies. There are quite a few in the flood zone. Driving around town can be a pain with all of the road work going on. I know they just finished up part of Harrison recently. I try to avoid S. Carrollton at all costs right now.

Almonaster
Alvar
Poland
Camp
Canal
Carondelet
Carrollton
Common
Crowder
Downman
Elysian Fields
Filmore
Franklin
Girod
Gravier
Harrison
Lasalle
Leon C. Simon
Louisiana
Loyola
Magazine
Marconi
MLK Jr.
Mirabeau
Miro
Nashville
Navarre
Orleans
Paris
Pontchartrain
Poydras
Press
Robert E. Lee
St. Bernard
St. Charles
Veterans
Washington
Whitney
Wisner
Galvez

How did Vets get on that list?

[ardecila]

Veterans exists within city limits.

[Uptowner]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Veterans exists within city limits.

I didn't realize that a number of the streets on that list have been done for some time. I was going to say that the Orleans portion of Vets is in excellent condition.

Navarre, Wisner, Harrison, Robert E. Lee, and Poydras all came out great. MLK looks half-assed and rides rough while nothing appears to be getting done on Orleans and Elysian Fields. I also don't like the fact they restriped Gentilly down to 2 lanes in each direction which then drop down to one only to magically become 3. That's supposed to be the final product, but that's another project.

[Blitzen]

In the Bywater there is a beautiful hidden monument on the 3800 block of Burgundy St. It is a marble arch dedicated to black and white soldiers from the Ninth Ward who lost their lives in the First World War.

The city should clean this monument up and place it in a prominent intersection, rather than hidden behind a chain link fence behind an abandoned school. I suggest a new traffic circle or just in the neutral ground at St. Claude and Franklin or Elysian Fields, or maybe somewhere in the new riverfront park. I see it becoming as popular as the Cathedral or Jackson Square. It would be our version of the Arch du Triumph in Paris. The best part is that we already have it, we just need to better display it.

And before the preservationists protest, the monument isn't in it's original location anyway, it was moved in the 1950's I believe, so I don't see how moving it again would be a big deal.

Can someone pass this along to Mitch Landrieu?

[ardecila]

Wow, that's beautiful. I need to venture below Elysian Fields more often.

There was a proposal to build a traffic circle at Loyola and Howard, in front of the train station, to mirror Lee Circle. This seems like a fitting centerpiece for that. Too bad the plan will probably never get built.

Another option for the arch would be Spanish Plaza, if/when they ever rebuild it.