NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[DillardAlum]

Originally Posted by FenderOz

Hey Tennis,

Saw this proposal on your blog--turning 700 Frenchmen into a boutique hotel.

http://djsnola.tumblr.com/post/10724...hotel-proposal

Is this building acting as apartments right now? Honestly I never really see people coming in and out of there and I live less than 2 blocks away. I thought it was apartments and it doesn't look uninhabitable by any stretch.

Either way, kinda hoping this proposal gets turned down. I'd like the area to keep more of a residential character rather than start a chain reaction of turning serviceable, non-dilapidated residential buildings into boutique hotels.

I understand if they go through with it and there's another boutique hotel closer to Esplanade already... but honestly we have so many tourists in this part of the Marigny already! I think more hotels and less residents would hasten the death of the area's character so it could be replaced by "Bourbon Street 2.0 with better music."

If the building in question was empty and dilapidated I'd feel differently but it looks like it would be fine apartments right now.

I think that building used to be a type of Boys and Girls Club of New Orleans.

[FenderOz]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

It looks like vacant shared offices. I understand your concern but its only 19 hotel rooms. Hardly going to affect much either way.

Yeah 19 rooms with parking isn't bad. I'm just expressing some concern that they will start letting this happen en masse around the neighborhood. There are plenty of buildings I can easily envision becoming boutique hotels in the Marigny triangle. Large, run down, but good locations... I'd prefer they remain residential or non-hotel commercial.

People seem to enjoy Frenchmen and the Marigny for its music and authentic neighborhood character -- a welcome break from Bourbon Street. I just hope they don't start overrunning it with boutique hotels because they probably could in the next few years if they wanted to. There's a new hotel already approved for that old church if I'm not mistaken.

[Eightball]

I'm also excited about the steady pace of streetcar expansion(s). St. Claude is the busiest bus line in the city so this is a natural choice. I also agree about the importance of the Elysian Fields spur, DT to Gentilly/UNO/Lakeview are crucial for the city to link in to the rail transit system.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by FenderOz

Yeah 19 rooms with parking isn't bad. I'm just expressing some concern that they will start letting this happen en masse around the neighborhood. There are plenty of buildings I can easily envision becoming boutique hotels in the Marigny triangle. Large, run down, but good locations... I'd prefer they remain residential or non-hotel commercial.

People seem to enjoy Frenchmen and the Marigny for its music and authentic neighborhood character -- a welcome break from Bourbon Street. I just hope they don't start overrunning it with boutique hotels because they probably could in the next few years if they wanted to. There's a new hotel already approved for that old church if I'm not mistaken.

Agree but that church is quite aways from here. Nonetheless, it is something to think about for sure. However, these small boutique hotels tend to attract a type of traveler that wants to fit in, not the hand grenade types.




Also I posted this new development on Canal Street Beat and my Tumblr:

http://canalstreetbeat.com/multi-use...00-poydras-st/

[prokowave]

Thanks for the update!

I'm glad to see something happen on this lot, but at the same time I wonder why they don't try to build something a little more substantial here? It's at the corner of two of the most prominent streets in the CBD. Certainly some residential would do very well with all of the office buildings and the streetcar right there. I guess I just worry that eventually all of the possible sites will be taken up with these low-rise garages and then the growth will be limited. Is there really a demand for so much parking in the area?

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by prokowave

Thanks for the update!

I'm glad to see something happen on this lot, but at the same time I wonder why they don't try to build something a little more substantial here? It's at the corner of two of the most prominent streets in the CBD. Certainly some residential would do very well with all of the office buildings and the streetcar right there. I guess I just worry that eventually all of the possible sites will be taken up with these low-rise garages and then the growth will be limited. Is there really a demand for so much parking in the area?

I get what your saying, but developing spots will just put more pressure on the other sites to go higher and then eventually to tear downs for larger projects.

[Uptowner]

If Dave & Buster's is coming I must say that it was long overdue. Ikea has decided to open up shop in the Memphis, TN market. As bad as people in NOLA want one, I wonder what the future holds.

[ardecila]

Now THAT is a nice looking garage! That elevator tower on the corner is weird though, they could definitely improve there.

[Blitzen]

Originally Posted by prokowave

Thanks for the update!

I'm glad to see something happen on this lot, but at the same time I wonder why they don't try to build something a little more substantial here? It's at the corner of two of the most prominent streets in the CBD. Certainly some residential would do very well with all of the office buildings and the streetcar right there. I guess I just worry that eventually all of the possible sites will be taken up with these low-rise garages and then the growth will be limited. Is there really a demand for so much parking in the area?

I thought the same thing until I looked at the 3-d google map and honestly that lot is surrounded on 3 sides by high-rise development, literally a few feet away, which would block the views from 3/4 angles:

East: Energy Centre, 39 floors, 4th tallest building in New Orleans;
South: Entergy Tower, 28 floors, 15th tallest building in New Orleans;
Southwest: Hyatt Regency, 27 floors, 14th tallest building in New Orleans;
West: 1250 Poydras, 24 floors, 17th tallest building in New Orleans;

So maybe it's best to have a shorter, interesting looking centerpiece building in the middle of this bundle of other buildings? I also like that the drawings have a proposed bridge connecting it to 1250 Poydras, which has bridges on the same floor that connect to the Hyatt Regency and 1340 Poydras buildings.

I counted at least 12 other large parking lots just on Poydras between I-10 and the river that can fit a high-rise, so I wouldn't worry about maxing out of space anytime this century.

[NOLAmike]

Originally Posted by Blitzen

I thought the same thing until I looked at the 3-d google map and honestly that lot is surrounded on 3 sides by high-rise development, literally a few feet away, which would block the views from 3/4 angles:

So maybe it's best to have a shorter, interesting looking centerpiece building in the middle of this bundle of other buildings? I also like that the drawings have a proposed bridge connecting it to 1250 Poydras, which has bridges on the same floor that connect to the Hyatt Regency and 1340 Poydras buildings.

I counted at least 12 other large parking lots just on Poydras between I-10 and the river that can fit a high-rise, so I wouldn't worry about maxing out of space anytime this century.

Bingo! I do think a distinct building in the 6-10 floor range would be a good fit. I agree with the others in that more high rises will probably come in the area after this.

[typo86]

Dave & Busters...Nice...

Reading the comments on the nola.com article about this may have given me a brain tumor...SHEEESH...

[Eightball]

Southern Food Restaurant Opens in old WOW space, MidCity
http://midcitymessenger.com/2015/01/...ff-carrollton/

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by typo86

Dave & Busters...Nice...

Reading the comments on the nola.com article about this may have given me a brain tumor...SHEEESH...

Never ever read comments on Nola.com...

You actually lose brain cells.


Heres a neat new sculpture about to be installed on Poydras Street( its huge):


Called "Funnel Tunnel" and I think is coming from San Francisco:

[Eightball]

I don't understand why they would build another parking garage there. Wouldn't housing or office be more lucrative?

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by Eightball

I don't understand why they would build another parking garage there. Wouldn't housing or office be more lucrative?

Its really simple... the developer owns the nearby hyatt and well as the future hyatt house properties. Hes looking to create additional parking for these facilities as well as attractions that will bring more life to the area. I think hes accomplishing that with this garage, dave and busters, street level retail and intereactive signage. This is currently a surface parking lot and not everything in the CBD needs to be housing.


Heres some renderings of the Okeefe Ave Garage :

[Eightball]

That makes sense. Way better than a surface parking lot.

[FenderOz]

Originally Posted by Eightball

I don't understand why they would build another parking garage there. Wouldn't housing or office be more lucrative?

I think of it this way: during business hours CBD parking is not fun and with more hotels and 1,000-2,000 new residents coming in the next 3 years, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Also, if we address future demand for parking now, we can eventually replace the rest of the surface lots with high rises and no one will complain about no parking (I see those surface lots around Poydras pretty full everyday from 9-5).

I think developers are anticipating more residential buildings and hotels on Poydras in the coming years. As far as any new office buildings, which I'd love to see... well I think we're still a ways from that sadly.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by FenderOz

I think of it this way: during business hours CBD parking is not fun and with more hotels and 1,000-2,000 new residents coming in the next 3 years, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Also, if we address future demand for parking now, we can eventually replace the rest of the surface lots with high rises and no one will complain about no parking (I see those surface lots around Poydras pretty full everyday from 9-5).

I think developers are anticipating more residential buildings and hotels on Poydras in the coming years. As far as any new office buildings, which I'd love to see... well I think we're still a ways from that sadly.

Really save for NYC and Chicago (im sure any in Houston will be canceled with the recent oil price crash) you rarely see office -only towers built anymore. However, Im noticing alot of these renovations are putting offices on floors 2-3(e.g. The Maritime, Hibernia Tower, The Pythian etc) or something like that which is really nice.

[lamsalfl]

We are also running out of existing buildings to convert from office into hotel or residential. The new garages are priming up the area for some (mixed-use) towers.

[tennis1400]

Also in 5-10 years I think self driving cars will change the way cities are even built. So its more important than ever that we design these buildings with the possibility of needing to be adapted to something else besides parking in the future.