Who Will Develop the New Addition on the Earnest N. Morial Center

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has plans to add a new 1,200-room hotel, residential and entertainment district on 47-acres upriver. The commercial district will focus on music and sport themed venues.

Plans to build an Omni-branded hotel and entertainment attractions are part of the Convention Center’s multi-billion-dollar refurbishment and expansion program. The program was developed to enhance the Convention Center and make it competitive with other giant convention centers across the country.

Five teams were narrowed down in October by the convention committee but only three development teams have been chosen to submit a master plan proposal for the new development. The detailed proposals will focus on the entertainment portion of the project which will include approximately 20-acres of the 47-acres. The three companies are Woodward, Leventhal, Carpenter; The Domain Companies; and River Park Neighborhood Investors.

“We are extremely gratified by the interest shown by five well-regarded and highly experienced development teams, and believe the three finalists demonstrate the kind of vision, experience and capabilities necessary to bring this transformative project to life,” said Michael Sawaya, president of the Convention Center, in a statement announcing the short list.

The Domain Companies which is run by Matthew Schwartz and Chris Papamichael is best known for South Market District. This $500 million development includes The Standard, restaurants and retail outlets. River Park Neighborhood Investors, led by Lou Lauricella, is known for the Elmwood Center, the Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Palace Theaters. The Woodward/Carpenter group is known for their current redevelopment of the World Trade Center on Canal Street into the Four Seasons Hotel.

The plans should compliment the hotel which will be developed by Dallas-based Matthews Southwest and local developer Darryl Berger. The convention center committee will devise a detailed request of what is expected in the three groups proposals December 13, 2019. The deadline for them to submit the master plan will be February 28, 2020. This deadline has been extended by more than a month of the original January 17, 2020 deadline.

The project has run into some hurdles including political and financial hardships. The City Planning Commission proposed “to reroute truck traffic in and out of the Port of New Orleans as part of its development of the upriver acres.” The port has also voiced concerns regarding the reroute of traffic in the area once the project is complete.

“We’ve always said we don’t have a plan yet and that whoever the master developer will be will have to engage with all of the businesses in the neighborhood to ensure everyone is on board,” Sawaya said.

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Algiers to See Ferry Service

Many Algiers residence let their frustration be known as they held up signs protesting the lack of a Mississippi River ferry in front of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) building in New Orleans. Algiers has suffered as its tourism has dwindled since the ferries have not been running and residence have suffered with commuting to the east bank.

The route from Chalmette to Lower Coast Algiers also has been down for around two weeks and the Algiers Point-to-Canal Street ferry was stopped two months ago due to mechanical problems. The aging vessels were breaking down and the pair of new ferries were having repeated problems. The two new ferries that were purchased for $10 million could not pass a U.S. Coast Guard inspection because of corrosion on the boats and safety equipment problems.

“We want to make sure we get to the only acceptable outcome. The only acceptable outcome for our riders is reliable ferry service, period,” RTA CEO Alex Wiggins said.

The RTA has a new company to run the ferry systems. Labmar Ferry agreed to a $6.1 million contract. The company will run the system long-term and bring replacement ferries for the Canal-Street-to Algiers Point route across the Mississippi River. These replacement ferries will be temporary boats that can be in service as soon as a week from December 9, 2019.

Labmar Ferry is a joint venture that is made up of Laborde Marine, Circular Consulting, Royal Engineers & Consultants and MSF Global. The company beat out competitor HMS Ferries based out of Washington state.

“I think that we needed to work with a firm that’s established in the maritime community and has expertise in maritime operations, and with that expertise being their primary line of business it made sense that the RTA develop a relationship with a company like that,” Wiggins said.

Fortunately the new contract with the new company will not bring a raise in fares. Many residents are thankful and relieved the ferries will once again run to Algiers.

“Thank you for taking action on this because we’ve been waiting on this for some time,” said Algiers resident Maria Clark.

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New Orleans Job Growth on the Rise

The preliminary U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics data announced that New Orleans has seen an increase in jobs added to the Crescent City over the last twelve months. The New Orleans area has added 9,100 jobs with an increase of 1.5%, through October 2019.

New Orleans area was part of five of Louisiana’s nine metro areas that added jobs that were not just pertaining to farming. Among the categories that saw the job growth were professional and business services at 5,500, education and health services at 3,200, 1,800 in the construction industry, leisure and hospitality added 1,700, 400 jobs were added in the other services category while the oil and gas extraction industry saw 300 jobs added this year.

Statewide Louisiana added 4,100 jobs since October 2018 increasing the total to two million. Other areas that saw an increase in jobs this year were Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Hammond, and Lake Charles.

In the state’s capital city there were 4,900 jobs added over the past twelve months which was a 1.19% increase. Among those with the increase were leisure and hospitality with a gain of 2,800, education and health services added 2,100 jobs, trade/transportation/utilities gained 1,000, government added 800, and 500 jobs were added to business and professional services.

The Acadiana region saw an increase of 1,500 jobs over the past year. These were in manufacturing at 600, trade/transportation/utilities also at 600, education and health services ditto at 600, leisure and hospitality gained 400, and government increase by 200.

Other areas with the increase were Hammond at 1,000 jobs and Lake Charles with 200.

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West Bank’s Open-Air Market Delights With International Food

Nawlins Market, the open-air flea market, located in West Bank is just nine miles from downtown New Orleans. There you can find many traditional cuisines from many Latin American places such as the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Colombia.

Located in Harvey, just behind a motel and industrial docks of the Harvey Canal, many enjoy this destination for its laid-back atmosphere for socializing, dining and shopping. A unique place, the shops are converted storage units and open-sided pavilions.

Nawlins Market opened in 2017 and became a hot spot after last year’s Pho Festival. Currently the market’s food vendors outnumber other tenants by two to one making it a thriving grubhub. This can be attributed to New Orleans rich multicultural heritage. Areas such as Jefferson Parish have seen the Hispanic population almost double over the last two decades.

To locals, Nawlins Market is also referred to as the Westbank Flea Market, La Pulga 2, “other flea market” or the “new flea market.” Its name stems from its location. Close to the old Algiers’ Market, Nawlins Market offers patrons everything from haircuts to items such as a used circular saw.

This small marketplace has become well known for its food such as Mexican soups,and Puerto Rican mofongo. People from all around the area come to this Latin food hub run by local families.

Originally the open-air market was a space for vendors to store their goods during the week.  “When we started out, this wasn’t the concept we had in mind. We thought we would be more of a flea market,” said Tri Cung, manager of Nawlins Market. “But we learned quickly that this is what people wanted. The food vendors kept coming to us. It grew from them.”

Most vendors offer table service at each stand which consist of a range from miniature diners with bar stools and counters, to folding tables, picnic tables and food court-style benches. Music can often be heard at different stands and there are even games for the kids.

At the market you will find Plátano Power, a Dominican food stand, run by Josefina and Jose Delacruz. Run out of a trailer, the Gretna couple offer home-cooked Dominican delicacies.

“There’s a lot of harmony here,” said Jose Delacruz, 66, who recently left his longtime job at a local refinery. “People come to find the food they grew up with and to try other people’s food, and it’s all right next to each other.”

Other vendors at the market offer quick service food and full dining dishes. Golden Gate Bistro serves Colombian food such as patacon Gloria which is a cutting board tray filled with fried plantain, topped with chicken, beef and pork and crisscrossed with creamy sauces. El Recoqueo DR serves Dominican food such as split langostinos and whole fried red snapper. The Puerto Rician Island stand serves great Mofongo and octopus salad.

This family-friendly marketplace does not sell alcohol and is opened weekends only from 10am – 6pm. Food is geared more toward a late breakfast, long lunch or early supper.

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The Mercedes-Benz Superdome $450M Facelift

New Orleans’ 44-year old Mercedes-Benz Superdome, which has hosted a total of seven Super Bowls, will be getting a much needed face-lift. The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, also known as the Superdome Commission, has officially approved the $450M renovation to begin.

The $450M project will be financed by several different groups. The stadium district board will cover $210M, $150M will come from the Saints and the state share will consist of $90M.

Local New Orleans Trahan Architects, named top design firm in the country by Architect Magazine, the American Institute of Architects’ journal, will be the design firm for the project. In fact, the architect firm has been working on the project for over a year now, having created the renderings for the renovation.

Broadmoor LLC, a local New Orleans business, will be the contractor for the first phase which should be completed by 2021. The $100M first phase will be a sort of clean-house back end work on the dome. Trey Trahan,CEO of Trahan Architects, titles the phase as “the enabling phase” which will include adding alternative exits before the ramps are removed and building a large kitchen and food-service area.

Fans will start to notice the changes during the second phase of the project. The most noticeable new feature will be the three new vertical atriums at the northeast, northwest and southeast corners of the stadium.

“These will be beautiful vertical spaces with escalators that move diagonally. … People will arrive at these corners as opposed to the enclosed ramps on the sidelines that are in place now,” Trahan said.

The removed ramps will allow more open space which will bring a smoother concourse, food service and restroom experience.

“The client group mandate was to enhance the game-day experience for every seat in the house if possible. So, the concourse becomes more spacious; food service more efficient, clean and fresh,” Trahan said.

Another huge exciting feature will be end zone field boxes. This experience will allow fans to have a unique view of the game feeling like they are on the field. The boxes will be fastened under the general seats.

“We’re trying to create a diversity of experiences in the Dome, so that it is not just three opportunities – general, club and suite,” Trahan said.

Fans need not worry that this huge project will play havoc with the Saints season or any other major events.

“Once we remove the ramps, we’re going to have to remove and replace as we go,” Trahan said.

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