The development of Crescent Park, probably the most significant riverfront development in New Orleans since the Moonwalk and Woldenberg Park, reminded people that hey — we have access to the Mighty Mississippi. Why not take advantage of it more? With the second stage of Crescent Park opening recently, there is a lot more development planned to continue to connect the city to the river, and today NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune's Katherine Sayre rounded up all the projects in the works.
Some of the big projects include the Trade District development on the 47 acres of vacant land upriver from the Pontchartrain Expressway owned by the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Involved with the project are Howard Hughes Corp. and local developers Joe Jaeger — who recently bought the Market Street Power Plant in a foreclosure auction — and Darryl Berger. The plan is to build a hotel for the Convention Center that would be surrounded by "a new neighborhood of apartments, condos, restaurants, retail and entertainment space." Eskew+Dumez+Ripple and Manning Architects are working on a design for the neighborhood, which would also include "new access to the waterfront with a green space that could rival Woldenberg in terms of scale and in terms of activity," "a campus for education or a museum, a culinary emporium" and a "landmark tower."
There has also been talk of a linear park on Convention Center Boulevard, but the Landrieu administration is not a fan.
As for the Market Street Power Plant, Yeager is planning a "mixed-use entertainment and commercial area," but is focusing more on the Trade District for the time being.
Other big potential projects include developing the city's shuttered Navy facility in Bywater, called the Port of Embarkation, into "several mid-rise residential buildings along with a green park and outdoor amphitheater." The group behind that project is EMDRC Partners, which also includes Yeager.
The Governor Nicholls Street and Esplanade Avenue wharves have been seen as a way to connect Woldenberg and Crescent Parks, but there is still a lot of commercial activity there. The Port of New Orleans has also talked about adding another cruise ship terminal at Poland Avenue, and possibly developing a waterfront restaurant along the terminal near Crescent Park.
· The future of the New Orleans riverfront, from parks to condos [NOLA.com]