NEW ORLEANS | Project/Development Thread

[Nickapedia]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

1031 Canal St·HDLC COA · Ref Code:KQAXT1
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Type:
HDLC COA
Applicant:
Brandenburg Industrial Service Company
Status:
Draft Application
Date Filed:
10/24/2019
Closed:
No
Description:
Demolition work pertaining to subject property




1031 Canal St·Demolition · Ref Code:1VFLB8
Download (1) Print Summary Submit Add to Watch List
Type:
Demolition
Applicant:
Brandenburg Industrial Service Company
Status:
Draft Application
Date Filed:
10/24/2019
Closed:
No
Description:
Demolition work pertaining to subject property




this is the company hired to demo the building:


http://www.brandenburg.com/

So they are going to demo the whole thing? Parking structure could very much be in tact. The top floor of the parking structure is 3' of solid concrete which is pretty robust.

[WesternSon]

Originally Posted by Nickapedia

So they are going to demo the whole thing? Parking structure could very much be in tact. The top floor of the parking structure is 3' of solid concrete which is pretty robust.

Yeah, so the same people who designed the top designed the bottom... would you trust their work?

Cantrell and the city do not want a large white elephant sitting there waiting for someone to come along and try and make something work there. She has already said she wants it demolished.

[Jccali1214]

Here's a helpful NOLA.com article about it: https://www.nola.com/news/politics/a...571500077.html

My takeaway is this gem that basically says poor people are too inconvenient:
"The developers decided to move the low-income housing out of the main Charity building because the time ... to finance that portion of the project was too long "

Originally Posted by tennis1400

Charity Hospital Redevelopment:

went to meeting last night.. wasnt too much new to talk about really!

Main Points: Demo work is to start mid december

Actual Lease Agreement has been delivered to LSU and they hope to sign it at a meeting this Friday in Baton Rouge! I think any public announcements or any plans being filed will hinge on this being signed first! Once you have a deal things can move much quicker!

They have moved to phase 2 for Historic Tax Credits.. they expect full construction to take three years from december 2019... however thats everyhing .. many parts of the building expected to open much sooner...

theres a highschool component in it now and they still mention co working space.

they did mention a bit more about properties that are around charity too

[buckett5425]

Originally Posted by WesternSon

Yeah, so the same people who designed the top designed the bottom... would you trust their work?

Cantrell and the city do not want a large white elephant sitting there waiting for someone to come along and try and make something work there. She has already said she wants it demolished.

Post-tension construction is almost always a delegated design, it may have been sealed by the Engineer of Record, but would have been designed by an outside professional.

If there is an economic downturn within the next 18 months, it would take years before the economy is booming enough for a new project to be announced there. I worry that with a full demolition, the site will sit empty for years AGAIN.

I understand Cantrell's position, and wanting to avoid a white elephant, but the garage portion may be salvageable and could be reclad and function as a parking garage until a future developer adds floors above or demolishes the site for new construction.

[Urban Legend]

Originally Posted by buckett5425

Post-tension construction is almost always a delegated design, it may have been sealed by the Engineer of Record, but would have been designed by an outside professional.

If there is an economic downturn within the next 18 months, it would take years before the economy is booming enough for a new project to be announced there. I worry that with a full demolition, the site will sit empty for years AGAIN.

I understand Cantrell's position, and wanting to avoid a white elephant, but the garage portion may be salvageable and could be reclad and function as a parking garage until a future developer adds floors above or demolishes the site for new construction.

I know a few middle management types in safety and permits and the translation of all the above is the city is not going to issue permits for anything besides demolition

[tennis1400]

Building is going to be torn down completely.. something will be built there but it wont be the design we saw and honestly that probably for the best and Im sure the owners will be forced to sell it anyways...

[tennis1400]

went to new airport open house yesterday and took a ton of photos:
















https://photos.app.goo.gl/s9cpfDkW2j4AkWQn9

[nolaghost]

Thank you for the airport photos! Still a bit surprised that the security checkpoints are not completely setup yet, since they need time to test them.

[Alxx611]

Originally Posted by Jccali1214

Here's a helpful NOLA.com article about it: https://www.nola.com/news/politics/a...571500077.html

My takeaway is this gem that basically says poor people are too inconvenient:
"The developers decided to move the low-income housing out of the main Charity building because the time ... to finance that portion of the project was too long "

Its a shame that the low-income units will not be included in the main building, but I can also understand given the tax credit environment and process. As it is, the funding rounds are on an unpredictable schedule, as is the award process, and some of the basic project/unit/building threshold requirements may have not fit this building. At least they've got some 80-120% AMI workforce housing in - that actually might be an even more under served income class for housing in this city. The real slap in the face though is that they signed an agreement to make over a third of the units short-term rentals...WHAT?

Overall, this is quite the mix of programming and uses for this building. I hope this is being well thought out and not just throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks. Or that its all smoke and mirrors for some other outcome.

[sguil1]

Gayle Benson plans $50M venture capital fund to invest in New Orleans, Gulf Coast startups

https://www.nola.com/news/article_fd...369d6588f.html

Gayle Benson is an NFL and NBA owner, hotelier, brewer and major New Orleans philanthropist. Now, she has plans to potentially add a new title: venture capitalist.

The New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner is developing a plan to launch a $50 million venture capital fund to invest in early-stage companies across the Gulf Coast, partnering with a longtime startup investor as well as a notable promoter of the New Orleans startup scene.

The fund, Benson Capital Partners, would invest in tourism, logistics, health care, energy and other sectors, according to a draft investment document laying out the proposed fund.

The plans appear to be only in the earliest stages. A search of a federal investment database didn't return any filings, although since August, two entities — Benson Capital Partners LLC and Benson Capital Partners GP I LLC, were registered in Delaware, which is often the legal home of companies and investment funds.

At $50 million, a Benson-backed fund would instantly become the biggest New Orleans-based investment fund focused on the local startup scene.

It would provide a sizable boost to a small but growing segment of the city's economy that, despite high hopes since Hurricane Katrina, has struggled to attract a key ingredient that powers Silicon Valley; Austin, Texas; and other startup centers: money.

“The ability of companies to raise over $1 million locally from professional investors would open up things a lot,” said Jon Atkinson, head of the Idea Village, the New Orleans-based startup incubator. “The non-local investors then can follow a local lead.”

[jjslonaker]

Airport looks great! The one thing I noticed though is the ceiling above security, is that getting roof tiles too or no? It looks unfinished

[prokowave]

Originally Posted by jjslonaker

Airport looks great! The one thing I noticed though is the ceiling above security, is that getting roof tiles too or no? It looks unfinished

That's my main complaint. I've heard from airport sources that it's going to be left like that to save money. The problem is the space is so large full of hard surfaces that it sounds like the interior of the Sistine Chapel and you can't understand announcements much less conversations with people next to you. The design is so full of clean white surfaces that the unfinished ceiling really sticks out in my opinion.

Otherwise it's a very nice facility. I thought the driving process was very easy even with some construction ongoing and the smart garages are a great feature. I do think the first few weeks will be extra congested due to rubberneckers and people figuring out the traffic routing scheme. A real shame though that they put the public bus pick-up on a totally uncovered island in the drop off area.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by prokowave

That's my main complaint. I've heard from airport sources that it's going to be left like that to save money. The problem is the space is so large full of hard surfaces that it sounds like the interior of the Sistine Chapel and you can't understand announcements much less conversations with people next to you. The design is so full of clean white surfaces that the unfinished ceiling really sticks out in my opinion.

Otherwise it's a very nice facility. I thought the driving process was very easy even with some construction ongoing and the smart garages are a great feature. I do think the first few weeks will be extra congested due to rubberneckers and people figuring out the traffic routing scheme. A real shame though that they put the public bus pick-up on a totally uncovered island in the drop off area.

I heard everything fine ... i think if u see in person the transition makes more sense

[prokowave]

Originally Posted by tennis1400

I heard everything fine ... i think if u see in person the transition makes more sense

I was there on Thursday. When I was on the upper (check-in) level I couldn't understand a single announcement that was made over the P.A. and it wasn't my hearing. On the concourses it's much better. It's still a nice terminal, but a shame to spend all of that money and be left with something that in my opinion looks half-finished.

[SlidellWx]

Looking forward to flying out of the new terminal next month. Thanks for the pictures. An article in the paper stated that the TSA scanners will all be fully installed two days before opening. They will be using some of the equipment from the existing terminal.

LSU signed the agreement today for the Charity redevelopment.

Also, the Benson Venture Fund is very significant for this area. Will allow for more growth of local startups.

[tennis1400]

Originally Posted by prokowave

I was there on Thursday. When I was on the upper (check-in) level I couldn't understand a single announcement that was made over the P.A. and it wasn't my hearing. On the concourses it's much better. It's still a nice terminal, but a shame to spend all of that money and be left with something that in my opinion looks half-finished.

Fair .. its Your opinion just saying i thought looked fine to me.

[Uptowner]

Originally Posted by prokowave

I was there on Thursday. When I was on the upper (check-in) level I couldn't understand a single announcement that was made over the P.A. and it wasn't my hearing. On the concourses it's much better. It's still a nice terminal, but a shame to spend all of that money and be left with something that in my opinion looks half-finished.

I’ve heard quite a few people who were there make the same complaint. Extra loud making it hard to hear and ceiling tiles looking rushed and unfinished, even if it doesn’t necessarily look bad.

[tennis1400]

Virgin Hotel:











The Odeon:

[tennis1400]

The Garage:
















The Julia/The Matador:

[tennis1400]

731 St Charles: