NORA backs Tulane Avenue housing project

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority has issued a conditional funding award for a housing development along Tulane Avenue, marking a step forward in the city’s efforts to expand housing access and redevelop underused properties. The award, approved during NORA’s April board meeting in partnership with the City of New Orleans Office of Community Development, advances plans for the Tulane Avenue Redevelopment Project. The initiative calls for transforming several city-owned parcels on the 2900 block into a non-congregate housing facility aimed at serving individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. HRI Communities was selected as the development partner and is expected to lead construction and operate the site upon completion. Adrienne Celestine, NORA’s chief of real estate development and strategy, said the project reflects a broader push to bring underutilized properties back into productive use while addressing critical housing shortages. She noted the effort leverages federal funding and private-sector collaboration to support both immediate housing needs and long-term stability for residents. Plans call for private units equipped with kitchens and bathrooms, along with on-site supportive services designed to help residents transition into permanent housing. Funding for the project comes from HOME-ARP resources allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Under a cooperative agreement, the city has tasked NORA with administering the funds and overseeing redevelopment in compliance with federal guidelines. The site spans roughly 35,000 square feet across multiple parcels along Tulane Avenue, South Gayoso Street and South Dupre Street. Officials say the project is part of a broader strategy to reinvest in key corridors while addressing housing instability across New Orleans. Mayor Helena Moreno said the initiative represents a targeted effort to convert underused public assets into opportunities for residents while strengthening commercial corridors. The project emerged from a competitive request-for-proposals process and is part of the city’s Strategic Redevelopment Framework, which enables NORA to lease and redevelop city-owned properties in partnership with private developers. Officials said the conditional award represents an early phase of the development process. The project must still meet requirements set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development before funding is released. Additional details, including design plans and construction timelines, are expected to be released as the project progresses. Community engagement efforts, including opportunities for public input, will be incorporated in later stages.Read the full article on Neworleanscitybusiness.com.

Top Construction Projects 2026: 5. Bayou Phoenix studio to anchor Jazzland redevelopment

Ready, Set, Action. By the end of 2026, e. ross studios Jazzland is expected to become the first operational tenant anchoring the new Bayou Phoenix development, leading the long-awaited return of commerce to the former 227-acre Six Flags and Jazzland site in New Orleans East.In March 2025, Emmy Award–winning composer Elvin Ross and his company, E. Ross Studios, signed an agreement with Bayou Phoenix LLC – a private development partnership between Henry Consulting LLC and TKTMJ Inc. – to operate a movie and production studio on 25 acres within the Bayou Phoenix development. Designed as a premier destination for content creators, studio executives, production companies, and regional residents, the studio will integrate music, media, technology, creativity, and artistry to produce film and television content.

Following on-site demolition in 2025 of the former rides and amusement park equipment, the project transitioned into the facility condition assessment phase in early 2026. Once those assessments are finalized, construction of the movie and production studios is expected to begin later this year. “We are excited about our progress,” said Henry. “This is a critical year for us to see the first steps of our vision finally coming into place.”

Henry said they are targeting the development to be completed in phases, with the movie and production studios by the end of 2026; the sports complex by mid-2028; and the hotel, water park, retail and dining options completed by the end of 2028. Henry said he aims to have agreements in place by the end of the first or second quarter with operators for the youth sports complex and fields, the hotel, the indoor water park, and Clear Water Beach.

“That’s our goal – to finalize our operators and tenant partners this year. The timing of those signed agreements will depend on the results of the facility condition assessment,” Henry said. “Once that process is complete, we can work closely with each operator to determine the exact acreage and placements within the development.” Plans call for a 185,000-square-foot indoor sports complex with eight NBA travel hardwood courts, 16 volleyball courts, one championship arena court with seating, 12,000 square feet of retail, 15,000 square feet of performance training, and restaurant-quality food and beverage.

The outdoor sports fields will consist of 30 acres of next generation, synthetic turf fields, including FIFA size soccer fields, youth tournament regulation little league baseball fields, NCAA softball fields, and fields that accommodate lacrosse, football, and rugby. All fields will be illuminated with professional level lights. There will be four acres of shaded structures, permanent structures for food service and restrooms, and a parking lot for more than 3,000 vehicles.

Plans for the indoor water park include a family wave pool, action river, interactive play areas, and a slide complex. The development also features an eight-acre family beach with waterfront dining and retail, a clubhouse, amphitheater, and event spaces such as a wedding peninsula and cocktail lawn. Additional elements of the early plans include an entertainment center, green-space courtyards, a central courtyard with an overpass walkway, and 100,000 square feet of dining and retail spanning food and beverage, apparel, sporting goods, and general merchandise. The 227 acres has been unoccupied since 2005 when Six Flags closed for Katrina and never reopened after floodwater damaged the property. Before Six Flags, Jazzland opened in 2000, before filing for bankruptcy in 2002, and being bought by Six Flags.

In 2009, the City of New Orleans terminated its lease with Six Flags, Inc. The City’s Industrial Development Board (IDB) took title to the property while the City pursued development opportunities. In 2021, the City chose Bayou Phoenix LLC as the developer; NORA took the title of the property from IDB and executed the development agreement/lease with Bayou Phoenix.In 2023, the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) executed a development agreement and draft lease with Bayou Phoenix LLC to redevelop the 227 acres located near the intersection of Interstate 10 and Interstate 510. In January 2025, Bayou Phoenix held a “Pathway to Progress” demolition event to invite team members and elected city officials to witness a milestone in the redevelopment. The demolition included the dismantling of more than 60 structures, such as the towering Mega Zeph roller coaster that was seen from the interstate.

“New Orleans East deserves a development that will support local commerce, generate permanent, high-paying jobs, and strengthen the community,” said Henry. “We feel very good about how the project is converging, and we are excited to move forward and make some big announcements this year.”Read the full article on Neworleanscitybusiness.com.

School board to extend redevelopment timeline for shuttered Augustine Middle School

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority only received one proposal for the Augustine building, which it deemed non-responsive to the school board’s priorities.

The Israel Augustine School, which has been out of use since Hurricane Katrina, on South Broad Street in New Orleans, September 23, 2025. Credit: Christiana Botic / Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America

The Orleans Parish School Board is restarting an effort to develop the shuttered Israel Augustine Middle School — an historic building on South Broad Street near Tulane Avenue that has been identified as one of New Orleans’ most endangered architectural sites — after an initial attempt failed to attract a sufficient proposal from a development group.  The board last week responded by passing an action to make it less expensive for developers to lease and renovate the NOLA Public School district’s surplus properties in an effort to draw more interest in the building, which has been closed since Hurricane Katrina.  The board, in collaboration with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, has been working to redevelop the building into something that can generate revenue for the public school system.  On Thursday (March 26), the board unanimously passed an action to increase funding flexibility for parties seeking to redevelop its school properties, by seeking to consider, “below market, nominal, community or public benefit or performance based lease terms,” when their projects align with goals laid out by the community and OPSB. Now, NORA is going back to developers and widening their solicitation timeline so they can submit more comprehensive development plans.  “I think this really emphasizes what values are for our properties, and I would love to see community groups reach out to us to lease these properties,” board member Gabriela Biro said during the meeting.  The resolution came after NORA, the public agency that revitalizes underused areas of the city, received just one redevelopment proposal after months of seeking community input and reaching out to potential developers. The agencies opened the property up for proposals in mid-November. Responses were due early last month.  NORA’s executive director, Brenda Breaux, said that the proposal for a housing development was non-responsive to the group’s redevelopment priorities, which includes plans for community engagement and robust financing strategies.  Breaux said there were some roadblocks for developers, including the building’s deteriorating physical condition and physical proximity to the Orleans Parish Criminal Court.  The 75-day timeline that developers were given was also too short to present long-term financials, especially when developers would probably require operating subsidies and multiple funding sources, Breaux said. Redevelopment costs for the building could reach up to $50 million, according to NORA’s presentation during the school board’s property committee meeting last week.

Redevelopment costs for Israel Augustine Middle School, pictured above in September, could run up to $50 million, NORA told the school board last week. Credit: Christiana Botic / Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America

Breaux said the short timeline made it so that one potential developer, the Orleans Public Defenders office, couldn’t submit a proposal in time.  “They were feverishly trying to pull it together,” Breaux said to the board on Tuesday. “But to be able to do that in a 75-day period, considering all the other approvals that are required to get someone to buy on to a long term lease, and the fact that it requires a long-term commitment, not just to the property, but to the community.” Initial priorities laid out by OPSB were also unclear, in how to balance neighborhood impact with financial feasibility.  “I think when they outlined that they would really be engaged in considering the public benefit, and the long-term public benefit, relative to bringing that site or project to fruition, clearly exceeds any potential revenue they might receive today, I think that was the clarity that our staff was unable to provide without some guidance and input from the school board leadership,” Breaux said.  The Israel Augustine building is one of eleven surplus properties owned by the school board, which still has costs associated with maintaining the buildings, despite not using them. While the board has sold other vacant properties that have gone on to be redeveloped, it will act as a long-term landlord for whichever business sets up shop in the Israel Augustine building. The board is also seeking redevelopment solicitations for the Valena C. Jones school building, but the proposals must include an education component thanks to a century-old condition in the land’s original donation.  Breaux said NORA hopes to open another solicitation for prospective developers in the next month or two, and that the group expects to present its recommendations to the board this summer.  “The longer we wait on bringing that site back into commerce, the larger the increase in construction [costs] and the concerns about the viability of the building,” Breaux said. “All of those things are competing interests that whomever responds and is ultimately selected will have to deal with. But our commitment is to work with them and the school board, however possible, to bring that project back to life.”Read the full article on Veritenews.org.

Long-vacant city-owned lot on edge of French Quarter to become mixed-income apartment building Quarter to become mixed-income apartment building

BY JONAH MEADOWS | Staff writer  Mar 21, 2026

Construction is underway on a mixed income apartment complex that will bring 50 apartments, including 37 "affordable" or rent-restricted units, to a long-vacant, city-owned property on the edge of the French Quarter, Treme and Faubourg Marigny. Developers and city officials held a groundbreaking Friday on the Esplanade Delille Apartments, set to be completed in April 2027, on a site that was part of the St. Aloysius School campus until the 1960s.  In 2023, HRI Communities and New Orleans Restoration Properties were selected to do the project by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, which is leasing the property from the city. The developer's plans call for constructing three buildings — a main structure fronting Esplanade Avenue with 40 apartments above two ground-floor retail storefronts, and a pair of smaller, camelback-style houses along Henriette Delille Street will five apartments each. Most of the units will be one-bedrooms.  The $22.2 million project comes as the city continues to struggle with a shortage of workforce and affordable housing. Housing advocates have said the city needs 55,000 more units of affordable housing than is currently available. "The general approach to this one was they wanted a lot of housing, because we have such a housing need in the city," said Josh Collen, president of HRI Communities. "But it's a tight site. It really is a very, very small site, and so we had to stretch to get 50 units onto the property." Long-term affordability Thirty-seven apartments will be set aside for affordable housing for renters earning 60% or less of the area median income, which currently restricts it to people earning about $38,800 if they live alone or $43,200 for two-person households. The terms of the project's financing require those 37 units to stay affordable at that level for at least 45 years, although the fact that the land has been leased from the city means that the public can effectively keep them affordable far longer. Of those, 15 will be covered by project-based vouchers from the Housing Authority of New Orleans, including a dozen designated as official replacement housing for units that were lost when the city demolished the Iberville public housing development.Under the terms of a $30.5 million federal program, the Iberville-Treme Choice Neighborhood Initiative, the city was required to build 859 replacement apartments and 1,549 total units in the neighborhoods previously served by the Iberville development — the area between St. Bernard and Tulane avenues and between Broad and Rampart streets. Fifteen years later, that money has long been spent. But the completion of the Esplanade Delille project — along with two other projects near the Lafitte Greenway that are currently under construction — will bring the total number of units built as part of the initiative to 1,580, and the total number of replacement units to 859, according to Maggie Merrill, senior director of asset management, development and modernization for the Housing Authority of New Orleans. Finding the financing Funding for the Esplanade Delille comes from a variety of sources. They include a 9% low-income housing tax credits from the Louisiana Housing Corporation — accounting for about $13.5 million of the construction cost through First Horizon’s Community Investment Group — a $6.5 million loan from the city, a $500,000 loan from the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and a deal with Finance New Orleans to pay a fixed $10,000 a year instead of property taxes.  "This is a totally replicable model," Collen said, describing it as "best practice" to use quasi-public groups like HANO or NORA to leverage private capital in order to get vacant or blighted city-owned properties back into commerce. "The real secret here is having the city have enough funding to go along with these properties to win the scarce resources that the state of Louisiana puts out," Collen said. "A lot of their programs, they don't give you enough money to get the whole thing done." Friday's groundbreaking comes less than a year after the same contractors and development team completed another affordable apartment building about a third of a mile away in the 7th Ward.“They are very comparable,” Collen said. “Where they really differ is in their building shapes and historical context.” Read the full article on NOLA.com.