New Orleans Development Thread

[UptownNewOrleans]

Just what we need, another cookie-cutter town square. I guess what it boils down to is $$$, and if that means demolishing the few malls New Orleans does have, so be it. I can't say I agree because in a way having a mall inside New Orleans city limits was beneficial. 4 of the 9 major malls are in the New Orleans area (Clearview & Lakeside mall being across I-10 in Metairie, Oakwood & Esplanade malls being in Gretna & Kenner, respectively). It will be interesting to see how much of an economic impact this will have.

[sgray]

Just what we need, another cookie-cutter town square. I guess what it boils down to is $$$, and if that means demolishing the few malls New Orleans does have, so be it. I can't say I agree because in a way having a mall inside New Orleans city limits was beneficial. 4 of the 9 major malls are in the New Orleans area (Clearview & Lakeside mall being across I-10 in Metairie, Oakwood & Esplanade malls being in Gretna & Kenner, respectively). It will be interesting to see how much of an economic impact this will have.

It'll certainly be an improvement to what Lake Forest deteriorated into.

Subject change. A staff real estate writer for the Times-Pic told me today that Hard Rock is interested in developing the World Trade Center. I'm not familiar with their properties but I see on their web site that there's one in Biloxi.

[tennis1400]

Back in November 2005, I was drinking(which is rare for me,hhaha) with my sister at Whiskey Blue. We got to talking to this guy Rande Gerber, who is Cindy Crawfords husband. He actually developed the Whiskey Blue bars as well. Anyway, back to you discussion about a Hard rock Hotel in the WTC. When we got to talking to him, he said he was in town for Hard Rcok to scout for a condotel. This type of usage would work perfectly for the WTC, since they could be mixed use. Additionally, live music associated with the Hard Rock Cafe brand would surely succeed in the OLd 360-Rays On THe River nightclubs. I also was talking to this lady who handles leasing for Harrahs Entertainment and while she was here she said that Ghost Bar is almost certain to be on Fulton Street.

Heres to hoping!!!

Oooh, Mandinas in Mid City is back open today!

[eastover neworleans]

It would be beneficial to have a Town Square, I am so tired of driving to metairie in all of that traffic just think of the people that the Town Square would serve from New Orleans East , Gentilly, Chalmette , and also some from Slidell. It's something that we really need and I hope that it moves forward as planned.

[tennis1400]

I wish they would get a Costco and a Super Target instead of a Wal Mart.

[nola17]

Can somone get the renderings up plz. i saw the map and it looks great.

I think that Lowes might be one of the biggest ones ive seen in the new orleans area

[eastover neworleans]

I wish they would get a Costco and a Super Target instead of a Wal Mart.

I would like anything instead of Wal Mart . I hate Wal Mart, but a Target would fit in well. I hope Dillards or Macys could be the department store for the Square

[nola17]

Personally I wish Maison Blanche would somehow come back.

I know it sounds kind of crazy, but to me it was so unique and was a New Orleans original.

[tennis1400]

Unfortunately, regional department stores are a thing of the past. Generic and redundant stores are pretty much all you have. SO you have to go to Saks or smaller stores to try and find something remotely unique.

[SlidellWX]

The redevelopment of the Read/I-10 corridor is long overdue and I'm very glad to see a "Lifestyle Center" taking over for a long defunct and outdated mall. Slidell has a mall and some stores...but we are also lacking in many areas. If this center was able to land a Barnes & Noble or Borders, I would be there all the time.

[sgray]

The redevelopment of the Read/I-10 corridor is long overdue and I'm very glad to see a "Lifestyle Center" taking over for a long defunct and outdated mall. Slidell has a mall and some stores...but we are also lacking in many areas. If this center was able to land a Barnes & Noble or Borders, I would be there all the time.

this looks like it might be the Lake Forest project on bidclerk today

Site work and renovation for a mixed-use development in New Orleans. Design plans call for 225,000 square feet for an anchor retailer and 100,000 square feet for a department store. Plans also include 600,000 square feet of retail / office space will be distributed among nearly two dozen buildings on the site. One parking garage will even have townhouses atop it. A second phase eventually would add even more retail outlets in front of the department store and wrap retail space around two other parking garages.

Construction is expected to commence in June 2007. Interested parties may direct inquiries to the developer.

Divisions of Work:

General Requirements, Site Work -- Excavation, Paving, Grading, Termite Control, Landscaping, Concrete -- Cast-In-Place Concrete, Concrete Formwork, Concrete Reinforcement, Masonry / Stone -- CMU, Metals -- Structural Steel, Metal Decking, Metal Fabrications, Metal Framing, Wood / Plastics -- Carpentry, Architectural Woodwork, Millwork, Plastic Materials, Thermal / Moisture -- Roofing, EIFS, Insulation, Caulking & Sealants, Flashing & Sheet Metal, Doors / Windows -- Metal Doors & Frames, Storefronts, Automatic Doors, Access Doors, Hardware, Finishes -- Drywall, Paint, Tile, ACT, Resilient Floor, Carpet, Wall Coverings, Specialties -- Signage, Toilet Accessories, Fire Extinguishers, Wall & Corner Guards, Shelving, Equipment -- Lock Boxes, Loading Dock Equipment, Coolers/Freezers, Closed Circuit TV, Furnishings -- Steel Gondolas, Mechanical -- HVAC, Plumbing, Fire Protection, Electrical -- Wiring, Lighting, Telephone/Data Systems, Alarm Systems, Grounding

[eastover neworleans]

The redevelopment of the Read/I-10 corridor is long overdue and I'm very glad to see a "Lifestyle Center" taking over for a long defunct and outdated mall. Slidell has a mall and some stores...but we are also lacking in many areas. If this center was able to land a Barnes & Noble or Borders, I would be there all the time.

I think that they would either have Barnes & Noble or Borders. Wal Mart should be banned from entering this development.

[tennis1400]

Its a shame that we all pick on Wal Mart, but it has such a bad reputation and seems to attract people that shop at less than desirable stores. I think a Costco and Supertarget would be great. Maybe in the future they can get a Sports Authority, Pier 1, Linens n Things, Bed Bath and Beyond, Barnes and Noble/Borders, Kohls, and whatever else. Indoor malls are a thing of the past anyway.

[eastover neworleans]

Its a shame that we all pick on Wal Mart, but it has such a bad reputation and seems to attract people that shop at less than desirable stores. I think a Costco and Supertarget would be great. Maybe in the future they can get a Sports Authority, Pier 1, Linens n Things, Bed Bath and Beyond, Barnes and Noble/Borders, Kohls, and whatever else. Indoor malls are a thing of the past anyway.

It would be intresting to see what hotel company will commit to the Town Square , I think that it's probably going to be Marriott since their in most of the Out Door Malls.

Edited February 9, 2007 by eastover neworleans

[nola17]

I was thinking that the hotel was probally going to be a days inn or holiday inn.

Ive never seen a marriott property in eastern new orleans.

[eastover neworleans]

I was thinking that the hotel was probally going to be a days inn or holiday inn.

Ive never seen a marriott property in eastern new orleans.

I think not , why would someone want to put a days inn or holiday inn in a 150 million Town Square? Marriott or Hilton

Edited February 9, 2007 by eastover neworleans

[nola17]

LOL. Time will tell who comes to the project.

Hopefully not WALMART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fla_tiger]

Can somone get the renderings up plz. i saw the map and it looks great.

I feel that this type of development is long overdue in NO East. I also have fond memories of The Plaza, but it no longer attracted shoppers. Too bad the Hornets couldn't come to an agreement with the city and state over their practice facilty, they may have played an integral part of the new development.

Edited February 10, 2007 by fla_tiger

[fla_tiger]

interesting article in the TP:

NASA Michoud to turn Louisiana into hotbed of space-related assembly.

Employment now at 2000, will increase as the Michoud Assembly Facility is retrofitted for its multitasking role in producing the next generation of NASA's spacecraft

link to the story in the TP- http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/index.ssf....xml&coll=1

This summer the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will choose a company to build the rocket for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle, a manned space capsule that will take astronauts to the moon and perhaps on to Mars.

Work on the Ares I rocket -- which will be assembled locally at the Michoud Assembly Facility -- promises to aid the economic recovery of eastern New Orleans by preserving hundreds of high-paying jobs as the facility's work on the space shuttle program begins to wind down. The Ares I, just one of many projects that will be under way at Michoud in the coming decade, also signals a step toward NASA's new plan for the facility.

By 2016, NASA expects to have transformed Michoud from a site that concentrates on assembling one spacecraft component under the direction of a primary government contractor to one that is working on multiple projects for the space agency simultaneously and possibly under the direction of several different contractors, said Patrick Scheuermann, Michoud's chief operating officer.

NASA has already determined that in addition to Ares I, all of the spacecraft in the so-called Constellation program, which encompasses a fleet of next-generation launch vehicles, will be assembled at Michoud.

Designating Michoud as a primary spacecraft assembly site saves NASA money by relieving each of its contractors of the costs of maintaining individual assembly plants.

The move also promises to turn Louisiana into a hotbed of spacecraft-related assembly as NASA contractors and subcontractors migrate to the area.

The Michoud plant has been part of the space program since 1961, when NASA began producing the Saturn booster rocket there. For the past 30 years the Michoud plant, under the direction of Lockheed Martin, has concentrated on building external fuels tanks for the space shuttle.

This year the Michoud plant will ship out five tanks, the most it has delivered in a decade, Scheuermann said. For the past several years Michoud has shipped about three tanks a year. But NASA plans to phase out the shuttle, and Michoud's work on the external fuel tank is expected to wind down by 2010.

Still, NASA officials say the agency's presence in the metro area is here to stay, despite the city's post-Hurricane Katrina obstacles. Last week 120 NASA managers came to New Orleans for a quarterly meeting on the Constellation program, and about half of them visited Michoud, where workers already are making improvements to the site so that it will be ready for the new projects it is expected to house, Scheuermann said.

The plant was damaged by Katrina's wind and rain but stayed dry during the hurricane thanks to a dedicated group of staffers who stayed behind, plus a diesel-powered pump station that kept the buildings and surrounding land dry. Michoud workers are now installing stronger roofs on buildings to better withstand storms, planning a second pump to keep the plant dry in case of another major hurricane, and preparing the factory for its first refitting in decades.

The Orion crew vehicle and the Ares I rocket will be the first of the new projects worked on at Michoud, but the Constellation program also involves other spacecraft and a successor rocket known as the Ares V.

Michoud now employs 2,000 people.

the sprawling 832 acre complex located in New Orleans East

NASA is located off I-10 and I-510 in New Orleans East

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/michoud/

[richyb83]

Thanks for the encouraging updates flatiger. It's great to see Michoud's plans and the redeveloped Lake Plaza as the staples for a thriving NO East.

[sgray]

Look at the revised rendering of the St. Raymond project in Metairie. Looks like the buildings have grown to 35-40 stories.

[tennis1400]

There is no doubt that this complex's design is the most progressive and unique design to come out of this highrise boom so far.

[brodieseyes]

dude thats fricken awsome

[richyb83]

Yeah that's some really nice looking high-rises!!! I like the greenery along the right building.

Is this near Elmwood near the Huey P. Long Bridge??

[sgray]

The site is on Jefferson Hwy one block east of South Causeway. There was an A&W root beer there that they just closed to make way for construction.