Mixed-Use Development to Form the Trade District in New Orleans

With the improvement in the national economy, developers want to seize the opportunity when it comes to mixed-use development. 10 years after Hurricane Katrina, the residential and commercial development growth has started to increase, especially in the last few years. The end of the Recession and the resurgence in the housing market has much to do with this growth with even places such as the Central Business District becoming more residential.

In addition to the Central Business District, New Orleans metro area also includes the Warehouse District and the Lower Garden District. Now, savvy developers have come up with the Trade District which will be located just 10 miles from The Parks of Plaquemines neighborhood on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. The vision for the new site is to create a master planned community consisting of an MGM Grand hotel, more than 1,400 residences, retail and restaurants and a towering needle-like sculpture all along the riverfront. The vacant land, which sitsMixed-Use Development Rendering for Trade District-1 upriver from the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center between Pontchartrain Expressway and the Market Street power plant, is owned by the Convention Center and has been envisioned as a mixed-use development for many years.

The Convention Center plans to spend upward of $175 million dollars on the existing buildings and adding to the Center’s infrastructure to hopefully attract a whopping billion dollars in private investments for the project. The “big picture” plan is that the hotel, retail and restaurants will attract visitors to book meetings and conventions at the Convention Center which will help boost not only tourism but business from residents in towns such as Terrytown, Gretna and Westwego across the river on the West Bank of New Orleans. Developers on the project are in talks with the Howard Hughes Corporation, which developed and owns the Outlet Collection at the Riverwalk, and Darryl Berger and Joe Jaeger local real estate moguls to appoint the lead developers of the new site.

Mark Bulmash, Howard Hughes senior vice president, plans for the mixed-use, real estate development project to take years to complete. He goes on to say that, “We think it’s the opportunity to really knit different neighborhoods together … It’s one of these projects that could be a seminal project in the city’s history if it all comes together.” He believes the new construction needs “to be executed well” and that the architectural design and ideas will constantly be changing in order to develop into the community as it is destined to be.

The first step in the multi-layered project is to spend $ 65 million to change the way traffic would flow around the Warehouse District by building a linear park with a moving walkway for pedestrians heading to the Convention Center. This will improve the pedestrian traffic that occurs around Convention Center Boulevard.

Mixed-Use Development Rendering for Trade District-2For the commercial aspect of the development, the plan is to incorporate an economic development district to levy special sales taxes which will eventually result in paying for parts of the commercial development. The “headquarters hotel campus” which will be comprised of conference spaces, restaurants, a spa, nightclubs and performance venues will include designers such as the MGM Hakkasan Hospitality group which will aid with the design and execution of the added amenities for the hotel.

The Trade House has been described as the “culinary emporium” where food venders and chefs come under the same roof selling their creations at the intersection of Tchoupitoulas and Race Streets. The concept of the Trade House is patterned after the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco and Pike Place in Seattle. The Riverfront Building will include restaurants as well as an additional 250,000 square feet of retail space adding to the already 50,000 square feet of retail sales areas in the hotel.

Another area will be a “cultural campus” concept where there will be possibilities for research, higher education and museums. The residential potential totals to 1, 427 new homes and rentals consisting of 29 townhouses, 979 apartments, 359 condos and 60 “MGM Skyloft” units at the top of the hotel. The whole neighborhood will also have a public green space throughout the development.

Many are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this project and what it will bring to this underdeveloped section of the city.

 

 

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Construction and Renovations in the Greater New Orleans Area

Vacant land still exists in pockets around the Greater New Orleans area, but it will soon be diminishing as the local real estate market heats up.  A mixed–use development has been approved for the vacant land located on Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District.

The three-story building will be built along a span of seven vacant lots which will be combined for this commercial development in the 1500 block of Magazine Street that runs between Richard and Orange streets.  The land was originally purchased for $1 million in 2013 by Winingder Enterprises, LLC.  The City Planning Commission agreed to combine the land into one single lot in order to build the 52,000 square foot building.

Magazine Street Mixed-Use Development

The preliminary design consists of 36 residential units, 4,100 square feet of retail space and 54 parking spaces.  Winingder Entrprises and the architectural firm Studio WTA will join forces to develop and construct this project from the ground up.  Developer Tom Winingder, owner of Winingder Enterprises is also working with Studio WTA on another construction project in the Garden District at Prytania and Felicity streets, a renovation of the original assisted living facility called Saint Anna Residences.  The original building will be rebuilt with upgrades to the infrastructure, plumbing, and electric.  The finished building product will be 23, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom apartments for rent.

Construction and renovations in the Greater New Orleans area “runs in the family” with the Winingder’s.  Tom’s daughter Kendall Winingder, interior designer has teamed up with her husband Patrick Schindler, president of Vieux Nouveau Properties, a real estate development and sales company to renovate another building on Magazine St. in5940-Magazine-Street-Renovation condominiums.  The redevelopment at 5940 Magazine Street has already sold 4 of its seven units, one a third-floor penthouse.

The contemporary building sits on a 9,000 square foot lot in the historic setting of Uptown on Magazine Street. “Upper Magazine Street has a great blend of old and new with traditional shotgun cottages juxtaposed by the glass facade of the Whole Foods and contemporary design of the Romney Pilates Center,” said Vieux Nouveau Properties’ President Patrick Schindler.

The 9,000 square foot building renovation will benefit from amenities such as off-street parking, a landscaped courtyard with water features, privacy gate, and street side call entry system.  The completed construction project will feature 7, 1 and 2 bedroom condominiums in the Uptown area.

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Marrero Once Again Is Going to Feature Café Hope’s Local Food Festival

It’s spring in the Greater New Orleans area which means that it must be time for the many spring and summer festivals in all of the surrounding cities – including the West Bank – to make their appearance every weekend. In the spirit of good home making with fresh food and vegetables, Marrero once again is going to feature Café Hope’s Local Food Festival at the restaurant’s location at 1101 Barataria Blvd. in Marrero on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

Café Hope not only promotes the growing of fresh food, but this restaurant (with a full-fledged garden next door) cafe-hope-local-food-festalso is dedicated to the growth and maturity of the youth of the Greater New Orleans area. Café Hope trains interested participants on how to work in a professional restaurant environment, opening the door to the many restaurant working opportunities both on the West Bank as well as the city of New Orleans.

This year’s Local Food Festival is featuring a roasted pork sandwich with taleggio cheese and pickled kale from St. James Cheese Company; roasted eggplant salad, from Angeline; hogshead cheese, garnished with cucumber and cilantro from Coquette; Jamaican jerk pork loin stuffed with plaintains and pineapple, from Steamboat Natchez; cochon de lait, from the Rugby Pub; and chocolate or creole cream cheese ice cream, from Creole Creamery.

This event sponsored by Zatarain’s will also include additional food booths, children’s activities featuring a petting zoo, and a car show. Live, local music will be performed by Michael Liuzza, Los Poboycitos and Soul Creole. The proceeds from the event will be donated to Café Hope to benefit the restaurant training program for at-risk youth. This and other local festivals will be happening in Marrero, Louisiana, in the coming months, so check back often for the local news and events from The Parks of Plaquemines.

 

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Gretna, LA Participated in the Great American Cleanup

Gretna, Louisiana is a community on the West Bank that is one of the partners in the Keeping America Beautiful Program.  According to its website, Keeping America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With our powerful network of community-based affiliates, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities to transform public spaces into beautiful places.

One of the programs associated with Keeping America Beautiful is the Great American Cleanup which is done annually by volunteers from the participating local communities.  As part of this program, city projects which focus on beautification, landscaping, litter pick-up, and environment enhancement or protection are completed.  Gretna, LA participated in the Great American Cleanup this year sponsored by Entergy which partnered with the Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, calling it the “Spring Sweep.”

Not only did the city of Gretna benefit from the beautification project, but the cleanup and landscaping of the City ofcity-of-gretna-welcome-sign Gretna welcome sign also enhanced the entrance to the Westbank Expressway directly on the city’s line with Harvey, Louisiana.  A backhoe was brought in to clear the land for planting.  New landscaping was installed and mulched, and the welcome sign itself was given a fresh new coat of paint.

“We looked for projects that the public will notice and enjoy.  This year we chose to partner with the City of Gretna to cleanup and landscape the city sign location on the West Bank Expressway at the Harvey line,” Entergy’s Mary Fay Legnon said.

The city of Gretna hopes to continue the city’s beautification projects each year with Entergy as one of its main sponsors.  “Thank you to Entergy, an incredible community partner,” Mayor Belinda said. “We are so grateful that Entergy chose Gretna as the location for this year’s service project. Their community team is an asset to our city. The sign on the Expressway and the garden that surrounds it looks great.”

 

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Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Will Be Constructed in New Orleans

The much maligned and re-negotiated lease for the New Orleans World Trade Center finally has a viable tenant in the form of a world-renowned, international hotel chain – Four Seasons.  The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences will be constructed in New Orleans in the old World Trade Center Building with 2 additions to be added to either side of the building.  The Four Season group are partnered with Carpenter and Co. of Cambridge, MA, and Woodward Interests in New Orleans to completely renovate the structure, creating the addition of two wings to the side of the building as well.

Part of the attraction for the Four Season’s bid was the addition of the 76 hotel-serviced condos that would also be available for sale in addition to weekend, weekly, or monthly rentals.  The revenue of sales was a separate income item for the City of New Orleans.  The second attractive and unique part of their bid was their proposal for a “digital, immersive” experience for visitors who would want to visit an exhibit named New Orleans: History at the Confluence four-seasons-hotel-and-residencesof Cultures.  This exhibit would present a digital story-telling experience of the City of New Orleans and would be put together by Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor of African-American studies, and Lawrence Powell, Tulane University history professor.

The financial ramifications of this project are far-reaching.  The construction of the hotel and condos would also contribute to the city’s tax revenues in construction payroll for the $364 million project which is $95 – $130 million higher than its competitors.  Of that amount approximately $127 million of the money is designated to go to minority-owned, women-owned, local, and disadvantaged businesses putting the money right back into the economy.  Along with the construction revenue in terms of payroll as well as building materials and supplies, the hotel would also pay the City of New Orleans a lease, locked in for 10 years of $3.25 million / year, increasing to $3.75 for the next year barring any significant increases in the tax threshold.  Also, percentages of the sales of the condos as well as the gross revenues of the digital exhibit would also be collected by the city, as well as any additional bonus revenue generating components of the hotel.

“In our estimation, in this case, we have both – picking the best cities and partnering with the best developers. I’m confident we will bring new visitors to the city and add to its already vibrant tourism,” said J. Allen Smith, Four Seasons president and CEO.

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