A big project of maybe mayoral candidate Sidney Torres is heading to the City Planning Commission next week, and the planning staff has recommended approval for the development.
Torres and his company are planning a 380,000 square-foot high-end development for Bayou St. John near the Lafitte Greenway, which would include apartments buildings in the style of "Spanish architecture seen in the French Quarter" with amenities and eventually retail.
City planners praised the project in its preliminary staff report, saying it will "provide a missing residential element" to a largely commercial and industrial area, "invigorate the newly constructed public amenity" of the Greenway "and encourage more economic development along the corridor."
The report also said that Torres plans to take advantage of "development bonuses" that would give the project a 29 percent increase in density in exchange for the provision of affordable housing units and the incorporation of green building techniques that meet Energy Star standards.
The project heads to the City Planning Commission on June 28.
• City planners recommend approval for five-acre Sidney Torres development along Lafitte Greenway [Mid-City Messenger]
• Sidney Torres Watch [Curbed NOLA]