NORA Debuts 1st Double Up! Duplex Home

NORA Debuts 1st Double Up! Duplex Home. Getty image.

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority will mark the completion of the first home built through its Double Up! Duplex Program with a ribbon cutting ceremony March 10, highlighting a new approach aimed at expanding affordable homeownership while allowing residents to generate rental income. NORA: Expanding Homeownership Through Double Up! Duplex Housing Launched in June 2025, the Double Up! Duplex Program is designed to help families build wealth by pairing owner-occupied housing with a secondary rental unit. The program partners with local developers including People’s Housing+, Habitat for Humanity and CNTRD to construct duplex homes on NORA-owned lots across the city. Each duplex includes a primary residence for the homeowner along with a smaller rental unit that can be leased to generate passive income or used to house extended family members. Officials say the model allows homeowners to offset mortgage costs while building equity. The first completed home is located at 3333 Fourth Street in Central City. The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at noon on March 10 and is expected to include New Orleans City Councilmember Lesli Harris, who represents District B, along with leadership from the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and People’s Housing+. The pilot program is expected to produce four duplex homes, representing eight total housing units, in neighborhoods including Tremé, Central City and the Seventh Ward. City leaders say the initiative reflects growing interest in small-scale multifamily housing models that can increase neighborhood housing supply while supporting long-term homeownership for local residents. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority works with public and private partners to stimulate redevelopment, attract investment and support economic development projects throughout the city. The program reflects NORA’s broader focus on expanding housing opportunities through innovative development strategies. In its 2025 annual report, the agency highlighted several initiatives aimed at increasing affordable housing and neighborhood investment across the city. “Our focus remains on creating opportunities that last and outcomes that matter,” said NORA Executive Director Brenda Breaux. “Every project represents our commitment to creating quality housing and investing in long-term opportunities that strengthen communities across New Orleans.” Read the full article on the Biz New Orleans.

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Redevelopment of historic school, originally opened for Black students and shuttered after Katrina, must include educational component

The Orleans Parish School Board wants a developer to take over the Valena C. Jones Elementary building. A legal analysis by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority found that a 1928 act of donation for the property will require part of it to be used for education.

by Safura Syed

Officials in the New Orleans public school district and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) are moving forward with the redevelopment of an historic 7th Ward school property, which was donated nearly a century ago under the condition that it only be used for education. 

NORA and the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) on Wednesday (March 4) heard community input for planned redevelopment of the Valena C. Jones Elementary school building, one of the first public elementary schools for Black children in New Orleans, which was closed after Hurricane Katrina. The building takes up almost an entire city block on Galvez and Annette streets. 

The school board has partnered with NORA to redevelop two of its long-vacant school properties — Valena C. Jones and the Israel Augustine School building — to generate extra revenue for the NOLA Public School district, which faces financial trouble due to decreasing enrollment. While the properties likely won’t be reopened as schools, given the shrinking number of students in the school district needed to fill them, they can be repurposed into other types of developments for which the school board would serve as a landlord.

Bayou Phoenix to unveil new partners for former New Orleans Six Flags site

Lance Traweek, Editor // February 26, 2026

Bayou Phoenix LLC will announce major development partners and updated plans for the long-vacant former Six Flags and  site during a public forum March 6, marking a significant step forward in the project’s next phase.

The company, selected in 2021 as master developer of the  property, said it will formally introduce partners for a planned youth sports complex and an  that includes an indoor-outdoor waterpark and hotel. The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, with doors opening at 5:15 p.m.

The forum will also be livestreamed on YouTube and broadcast on WBOK 1230 AM.

The announcement comes more than a year after demolition of the former amusement park structures was completed in early 2025, clearing the site for redevelopment. Bayou Phoenix officials said the project is transitioning from planning to active construction preparation, with updated timelines, financing structures and key milestones expected to be shared during the meeting.

The development builds on a previously signed agreement with music producer  and his company, e. ross studios, to operate an on-site film production studio.

Bayou Phoenix is working in partnership with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and other stakeholders on the multi-phase project. The site, located in New Orleans East, has remained dormant since Hurricane Katrina and has long been viewed as a potential catalyst for economic revival in the area.

Developers say the project is designed to generate jobs, attract tourism and expand youth recreation opportunities while positioning New Orleans East as a regional hub for sports, entertainment and film production.

“Community engagement remains at the heart of this project,” said Troy Henry of . “We are excited to introduce our partners and share meaningful progress with the residents of New Orleans East and the region. This development is designed to serve our community for generations to come.”

Michael Tubre of  called the upcoming presentation a “transformative moment” for the area and said the team plans to continue engaging residents as the project advances.

Henry Consulting, founded in 2001, is one of the largest Black-owned companies in Louisiana, employing more than 200 direct and indirect workers and generating an average of $40 million in annual revenue, according to the company.

TKTMJ, a family-owned construction and development firm founded in 1996, has overseen more than $400 million in projects across multiple states, including public works and multifamily housing developments in New Orleans.

Bayou Phoenix LLC said additional information about the March 6 event and livestream details will be available on its website.

Click here for the latest on the project.

Revamp of Six Flags site in New Orleans East sees new operators, financing deal: See details

Staff Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune

Developers behind the massive overhaul of the former Six Flags in New Orleans East say they will soon finalize $300 million in financing and have found operators for a youth sports complex and water park resort – critical milestones in the site’s long-awaited revival.  Eastern Sports Management of Virginia and American Resort Management of Texas and Pennsylvania will run the complex and resort under preliminary agreements with the Bayou Phoenix group. Officials with those two firms joined Bayou Phoenix principal Troy Henry to announce the plans at a Friday meeting at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church.  Henry said the $300 million private equity deal – with a firm he declined to name, citing a nondisclosure agreement – will take 15 weeks to close, and that the process should begin within the next two months.   Eastern Sports Management manages nine indoor and outdoor sports facilities in its home state as well as in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Oklahoma. American Resort Management operates water parks and hotels across the country, and its hotel brands include Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt, according to its website.  The announcement represents key progress for a project that remains on track despite years of complications over land ownership, strained negotiations and challenging conditions on the 227-acre site that has been dormant since Hurricane Katrina.  “I know it's been a test of everyone's patience,” Henry said in an interview. “We now will be shifting from being at government speed to the speed of business.” 

Andrew Ballard, chief operating officers of Eastern Sports Management, said he expects the youth sports facility to generate two million visitors annually, based on foot traffic at the company's other facilities.  "Those two million visitors are going to plug in the lodging, the food and beverage, the entertainment, and it's all happening in New Orleans East," Ballard said.  Henry said he hopes the sports complex will break ground in about a year. First, however, a site assessment must show that the land each operator gets may indeed be built upon. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority commissioned the assessment and a firm completed it this week, though engineers still need to analyze the results.   Bayou Phoenix will then negotiate “pre-development” agreements with the operators related to construction. Those will be followed by operating contracts setting forth terms of the relationship once the park opens.  The news was welcomed by the crowd that showed up at Franklin Avenue, a megachurch along Interstate 10 where hundreds of New Orleans East residents worship weekly. Henry garnered audible support when closing the presentation with a forceful call for public officials to support the project with $60 million in funding from local, state and federal sources. He said that would represent about 12% of the overall cost.  "We waited patiently and watched every single other part of the city get redeveloped, except for us," Henry said, referring to New Orleans East. "It's our time now." Past hurdles Hurricane Katrina in 2005 forced the permanent closure of the Six Flags site, and proposals to revive it have stalled repeatedly in the years since. The site’s revival was a priority for former Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who awarded development rights of the site to Bayou Phoenix in 2021. But developers didn’t get control of the site for another two years. Public officials first had to work out the terms of transferring ownership from the city to the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, a state agency, and a lease then had to be worked out with Bayou Phoenix.   Tensions flared among all parties along the way, and the project appeared close to unraveling more than once. Bayou Phoenix and NORA have sparred over developers' master plan and proceeds of scrap metal from demolished roller coasters. Bayou Phoenix eventually was allowed to keep the proceeds, which it used to help pay for the demolition. Bayou Phoenix has not met development deadlines within the 2023 lease, which called for construction to begin last October and completion of the project by April 2027. But Henry has said those deadlines are unrealistic without a site assessment, commissioned by NORA, showing which portions of the land — a combination of woods, wetlands and slab on pilings — can be developed.  The assessment, which has been underway for more than a year, was completed this week. Henry said he is confident the review won't  contain anything that could jeopardize the project.   “We want to make sure that there's not something onerous that changes our economic model, changes our financing, changes the ask that we have to make,” Henry said. “Our level of confidence is very high that there's no deal breakers.”  The operators Bayou Phoenix has previously announced a sublease deal with film composer Elvin Ross, who plans to finance and build a movie studio there. While that announcement showcased outside interest in the site, Friday’s news showed the project’s core -- a youth sports complex, two hotels, a water amusement park and arcade, along with restaurants and retail shops -- is feasible enough to attract serious operators.  Eastern Sports Management will subcontract with Hank Aaron Sports Academy, based in Jackson, Mississippi, to attract collegiate baseball tournaments and training. It will also line up programming for other sports facilities.  The operators will design their facilities and hire their own architects and contractors. Their final agreements with Bayou Phoenix will grant them a management fee as well as a share of the profits, Henry said. He said the operators will also be held to certain performance standards.  “They have every incentive in the world to make sure this is profitable and that the customer experience is outstanding,” Henry said.  The final development cost remains to be seen. Henry has always pegged it at roughly half a billion dollars, though Bayou Phoenix documents have suggested it could be nearly twice that much. Beyond that, he said retail tenants and a film studio developer would finance their own buildouts.Read the full article on NOLA.com.

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NORA Report Highlights Neighborhood Revitalization

Read the full article at Biz New Orleans

Read the full 2025 Annual Report 

February 20, 2026 | By 

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) has released its 2025 Annual Report, detailing a year of strategic investment, community-centered development, and measurable progress toward building stronger neighborhoods across the city.

The report highlights NORA’s work across three core focus areas—building homes, enhancing commercial corridors, and strengthening neighborhoods—and reflects the organization’s continued shift toward intentional, high-impact redevelopment that prioritizes affordability, resilience, and equity.

“This year’s annual report tells the story of how thoughtful planning, strong partnerships, and community input translate into real outcomes for residents,” said NORA leadership. “From affordable housing and early childhood education to neighborhood revitalization and small business support, our work is rooted in long-term opportunity.”

NORA Annual Report Key Highlights

The 2025 NORA Annual Report key highlights include:

St. Bernard Circle in the 7th Ward, a $22 million mixed-use development completed in 2025, delivering 51 new residential units—40 of them affordable—and ground-floor retail space for local, minority-owned businesses. The project was developed through a public-private partnership and built to high sustainability and resilience standards.

Early childhood education investments, including more than $1 million in grants supporting new and expanded facilities in Central City, Holy Cross, and other neighborhoods, increasing access to high-quality early learning facilities for New Orleans families.

Revitalization efforts in the Lower Ninth Ward, centered on plans for a new neighborhood grocery store that will address food access while anchoring broader commercial corridor investment.

Innovative housing delivery, including the 100 Days Challenge, which resulted in four storm-resilient, FORTIFIED™ Gold-certified affordable homes built in New Orleans East in under 100 days, and the launch of new programs to expand homeownership opportunities.

Major redevelopment milestones, such as progress at the former Six Flags/Jazzland site, where early infrastructure improvements and new subleases are laying the groundwork for a long-term, mixed-use destination in New Orleans East.

 

The report also reflects on NORA’s evolution over the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina – from large-scale blight reduction and land acquisition to today’s targeted, community-informed approach focused on quality, sustainability, and equitable growth. This perspective is further explored through “Katrina: 20 at 20,” a video series featured in the report that documents the lasting impact of post-storm redevelopment efforts.

“NORA’s focus remains on creating opportunities that last and outcomes that matter. This annual report reflects how NORA’s work has evolved…moving beyond recovery to intentional, community-driven redevelopment,” said Brenda Breaux, Executive Director of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority. “Every project highlighted in this report represents our commitment to creating quality housing, supporting neighborhood businesses, and investing in long-term opportunities that strengthen communities across New Orleans. These outcomes are only possible through strong partnerships and meaningful engagement with the residents we serve.”

NORA’s 2025 Annual Report is now available online at noraworks.org, offering a comprehensive look at the agency’s work, partnerships, and vision for continued neighborhood investment.

About New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA)

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority is a catalyst for community redevelopment, working to stimulate investment, support economic development, and promote an equitable and sustainable future for the city. NORA collaborates with public and private partners to implement innovative strategies that enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses.

 

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