NORA is committed to the development of residential neighborhoods to ensure that New Orleans remains a desirable and vibrant place to live for residents of all income levels. NORA auctions land to support market rate housing development where feasible. NORA also provides discounted land, construction financing, and subsidy for the development of affordable housing for Low to Moderate Income households in partnership with developers – both non-profit and for-profit – that build attractive, energy efficient, and hazard resistant homes in underinvested neighborhoods.

Click here to learn more about our Build Homes programs

NORA is committed to the revitalization of commercial corridors near residential neighborhoods to ensure that New Orleans remains a desirable and vibrant place to start and grow small businesses. NORA remains dedicated to commercial revitalization by championing the success of our local small businesses and breathing new life into some of the city’s most beloved corridors. NORA has achieved this by supporting small business transformation through façade enhancements and grants for direct operating support. NORA aims to expand its assistance within commercial corridors by introducing new programs that offer technical assistance to small businesses, marketing support, the creation of a Small Business Innovation Hub and direct support to Early Childhood Education Centers. 

Click here to learn more about our Enhance Corridors programs

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and other public agencies own properties at high opportunity locations and within neighborhoods that provide opportunities for new catalytic private sector investment. NORA is committed to strengthening key neighborhoods through continued high-level maintenance of NORA’s property inventory to prepare for new investment and strategic redevelopment initiatives. NORA will continue to use strategic acquisition, disposition, and development concepts in alignment with our agency values to strengthen neighborhoods. NORA will partner with public entities within New Orleans for the redevelopment of publicly owned properties for public benefit, including affordable housing and/ or economic development goals, similar to the existing City of New Orleans Redevelopment Framework. For the first phase of the new program, NORA will explore a partnership with NOLA Public Schools.

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority serves as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization, partnering in affordable and equitable strategic developments that celebrate neighborhoods including the 7th Ward and the Treme. NORA used its expertise in community engagement, market suitability, and strategic public-private investments to bring new energy and access to opportunities along the St. Bernard Ave. corridor. We wanted to protect and empower this historic intersection and ‘backdoor to the French Quarter’ with permanent affordable housing and new amenities in St. Bernard Circle – a multi-family, mixed use development.

Click here to read about the opening of St. Bernard Circle!

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority serves as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization, partnering in affordable and equitable strategic developments that celebrate neighborhoods including the Lower 9th Ward (aka Cross the Canal). NORA is using its expertise in community engagement, market suitability, and strategic public-private investments to bring back neighborhood amenities and help create that village feeling where it's been missing for 20 years. Our current focus are the commercial corridors along St. Claude Ave. and N. Claiborne in the Lower 9th Ward.

Click here to learn more about the St. Claude Revitalization Study!

The auction provides members of the general public, including developers, an annual opportunity to purchase property outright at the highest bid with an agreement to redevelop the property within 18 months of transfer. NORA utilizes a dedicated public Expression of Interest submission period, rolling submissions throughout the year, the Market Value Analysis, and staff analysis of market conditions to identify properties that are suitable for an annual online auction. The goal is to identify properties that have a reasonable chance of being redeveloped in the near term while avoiding speculative investment and depressing the market.

Click here to learn more about Lot Next Door!

The Lot Next Door (LND) program provides property owners with an opportunity to purchase adjacent New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) property at Fair Market Value. The owner of a residentially zoned property that shares a common boundary with a NORA owned property is eligible. Income-eligible participants (at or below 80% of Area Median Income), who have a homestead exemption for the home on the adjacent property, may receive up to $10,000 of Growing Home credit toward the purchase price in exchange for making certain improvements to the property, such as landscaping and fencing. Over the last ten years, the LND program has been the second most popular disposition type, although annual transfers have declined significantly on average.

NORA’s Affordable Housing Development programs start with a solicitation process which make clusters of properties available in select neighborhoods for development by experienced development teams. Properties are typically made available at Fair Market Value (FMV) or a discounted rate in exchange for the creation of affordable housing opportunities for households at or below 80% Area Median Income. Construction financing and/or development and homebuyer subsidy may also be offered by NORA’s non-profit affiliate New Orleans Redevelopment Unlimited (NORU) to provide additional support for the development of affordable housing.

Recirculating Farms is an example of NORA's Growing Green program under our Alternative Land Use portfolio. NORA seeks to expand development alternatives that enhance neighborhood character and adaptation to climate change. Alternative Land Use Program Portfolio: The Growing Green program enables the public to lease NORA property for purposes like community gardens, urban agriculture, and pocket parks. Interested individuals need to complete an application, including project details. The NORA Green program will transition to a primary focus on urban forest development. This initiative aligns seamlessly with the city’s Reforestation Plan, Hazard Mitigation Plan, and Climate Action Plan, underscoring NORA’s commitment to partnering with the City of New Orleans to address environmental concerns like the Urban Heat Island Effect and storm water management.

Click here to check out Recirculating Farms' website

Launched in 2018, Façade Renew 2.0 is a program income funded second generation of grants for property and small business owners to revitalize storefronts and building facades on commercial corridors in Low to Moderate Income neighborhoods across the city.

Click here to learn more about Facade Renew

The Community Adaptation Program ran from 2018-2024 and provided a $5 million investment into residential stormwater management improvements to owner-occupied single-family homes with household incomes at or below 80% of Area Median Income located within the Gentilly Resilience District. This program diverted and detained stormwater runoff on over 200 properties.

This program has been completed and closed - it is currently inactive. NORA is no longer accepting applications for the Community Adaptation Program.

Click here to learn more about the Community Adaptation Program

At NORA, everyday people drive progress and that's why we love what we do. It's how the work has always been—and will continue to be—for the people who live, work and dream in New Orleans. No matter which ward you call home or where you went to high school, we're proud to call New Orleans our own and excited to continue serving our neighborhoods.

Meet our staff members here!

Closed for the Storm no more. NORA acquired approximately 230 acres of former amusement park and vacant property near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Michoud Boulevard from the Industrial Development Board of the City of New Orleans in 2023. The property was awarded to Bayou Phoenix as part of a competitive Request for Qualifications and Proposals process administered by the City of New Orleans prior to NORA’s acquisition of the property. The NORA Board of Commissioners has approved a master plan for the redevelopment of the property that contemplates the development of a film and television studio, indoor and outdoor youth sports facilities, hotels, various entertainment venues, and a water park, across multiple phases.

Photo Credit:

0:30 - 0:40 Jason Lanier Photography

E-Ross Studios Drone Footage

Bayou Phoenix Renderings

The New Orleans Early Childhood Education Facilities Fund Grant Program (ECE Program) was created through a partnership between the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and Agenda for Children as direct result of a new property tax millage approved by New Orleans voters in 2022, that leverages state matching funding for the provision of child and family support services, coaching and professional development for teachers, and expansion of the supply of available seats in quality early learning centers. New Orleans Redevelopment Authority was selected to administer a program to repair and expand existing facilities as well as catalyze the development of new facilities in order to expand the number of seats available for children of Low to Moderate Income households.

The ECE Program has three primary goals:

• Increase the overall capacity of early childhood education facilities and the availability of subsidized seats through the construction of new Type III Early Learning Centers in Orleans Parish.

• Expand or preserve the capacity of early childhood education facilities by renovating existing Type III Early Learning Centers in Orleans Parish.

• Enhance the quality of early childhood education by establishing, maintaining, and improving Family Child Care provider sites in Orleans Parish.

Click here to learn more about our ECE facilities grant program