New Plans For the Market Street Power Plant

 The Market Street Power plant has been part of the New Orleans riverfront for 120 years. Locals are familiar with the big Victorian-style smokestacks but they won't be there for long. The new owners, local developers Louis Lauricella and Brian Gibbs, are currently devising plans to convert the property into a hotel, offices, shops, and some kind of entertainment venue.

The Market Street Power Plant, an old coal-fired plant, was built in 1902 by Entergy Corp. Entergy was responsible for supplying electricity to New Orleans.

This is not the first person to plan to convert the old plant. Developer Joe Jaeger purchased the plant in 2015 for $8.7 million and had plans to turn it into a Live Nation music venue. In 2020 he put the property up for sale along with an additional 7-acres surrounding the plant for $16.9 million.

Now the 160,000-square-foot power plant will be turned into a "new-to-market concept which will include restaurants, retail, entertainment, hotel, and office space.

"The Market Street Power Plant site is an important piece of our overall vision for the riverfront,” Lauricella said. "This site holds the potential to be a transformative project for our community."

The project is just a small part of the new area which is called The River District. Adjacent to the plant is the 39-acres that will be the remaining part of the new entertainment-focused district. The district will include housing, retail, entertainment, and office space and will cost around $1 billion. There will be a civil rights museum as well as around 300 apartments that will be affordable for lower-income residents.

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Bywater To Open in New Orleans in 2022

 Bywater is a 93-room poshtel that is opening this year in New Orleans. This project was originally to be built in 2018 but was delayed due to securing funding and the start of the pandemic.

"We had to put the capital together to make it all happen," Kelso said. "I said [to investors], 'We can build during the downturn and open at the finish, and New Orleans is resilient.'"

A poshtel is a new concept that has become popular in the hotel industry. Some call them a "posh" hostel. They are usually in unique buildings and offer many perks and freebies. They offer services and amenities that hostels do not especially privacy. These accommodations have both private rooms and shared rooms.

The $25 million poshtel will be located on the riverfront at the intersection of Chartres and Mazant. The project is being built by developer Ted Kelso and hotel brand ARRIVE by Palisociety. Originally the building would include 43 upscale hostel-style rooms targeting travelers in their 20s and 30s. New Orleans residents gave a lot of push back so the team came up with a solution.

"We transitioned from a hostel model to more of a traditional hotel. That made sense after talking to neighbors about what was right for the neighborhood," Kelso said. "ARRIVE is perfect. Their [properties] are all in neighborhoods similar to Bywater, demographically, so that's what sparked the transition to a hotel."

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New Project Set To Be Constructed on Al Copeland's Lakefront Property

Years ago Al Copeland Sr., founder of Popeyes Fried Chicken, purchased a big piece of lakefront property in Mandeville. His plans for the property, a 30,000 sq. ft. home, horse stables and a helipad never happened. Today, the Copeland family has given the 29-acre property that is worth $7 million to the LSU Health Foundation.

The LSU Health Foundation, a nonprofit, plans to use the land to house a $150 million LSU-affiliated retirement community. The proceeds earned from the land lease will go to benefit cancer research in honor of Al Copeland Sr. who died from rare cancer. The complex will include an age-restricted apartment complex, restaurants, retail stores and a boutique hotel.

Mandeville residents and leaders support the project and believe that it is something the community needs. The project will bring jobs to the community as well as a place for medical students to learn and have hands-on experience.

"To me, it makes great use of that 20- plus acres that's been neglected," City Council member Rick Danielson said.

The first phase of the project will be an apartment complex that sits on the waterfront section along with restaurants, stores and a hotel. The 5-acre parcel that is not waterfront has plans to become an assisted living and memory care center. The center would give LSU Health Sciences Center students an opportunity to work and train in geriatrics.

The age restriction will be set at 55 and older and the number of housing units will follow Mandeville's zoning requirements. The project is in the first stages of land surveys, test pilings and permitting which will take a little over a year.

"None of this would have happened without the
generosity of Al Copeland Jr., " Altier said. Al Copeland Sr. died of a rare cancer, and it was LSU Health Sciences Center doctors who developed a treatment for it. "He has a passion to cure cancer," Altier said of the late
millionaire's son.

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