NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority has approved the Bayou Phoenix master plan for the redevelopment of the former Six Flags site in New Orleans East.
As developer Troy Henry calls for help improving infrastructure in the area, the new phase of approval should help provide a clearer picture of what needs to be done. It is a far more ambitious plan than the original amusement park built more than 25 years ago.
“I think it should’ve been redeveloped a long time ago. It’s a perfect place to put some hotels,” New Orleans East resident Jeffrey Duroncelay said Tuesday (Aug. 15).
Duroncelay said he is pleased that NORA has approved Henry’s Bayou Phoenix plan, which envisions movie studios, indoor and outdoor athletic fields, water parks and two hotels.
“This has ability to transform eastern New Orleans, but the region as a whole,” Henry said.
But the project won’t be cheap. The master plan calls for the repair and repaving of Michoud Boulevard, along with pumping stations, lighting and water hook-ups -- a total of $873 million in capital needs for the next five years.
“We use a rule of thumb: If you have a half-billion in investment, you need $100 million for government to invest through federal, state and local grants,” Henry said.
This long-awaited project has a lot of moving parts, and the details are not finalized. But the agreement approved this week should provide some clarity on how it moves forward.
“No one would invest or try to get partners to put up money unless they have access to the property,” said City Council member Oliver Thomas, who asked for the city to provide $10 million to $15 million to help prepare the site for redevelopment three months ago.
“It was a natural request,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t my idea. It was the idea of somebody in the administration who said, ‘We’re gonna need a public-private partnership,’” Thomas said.
Now that NORA has approved the master plan, the developer says a long-term lease is needed to start securing tenants.
“We’re going to have a discussion with them in a few days to find out if they know the path to move forward,” Henry said. “So, I’m hoping by the end of the month, we have full-speed ahead and we can start entering an agreement from a development standpoint.”
Henry says we should get a better feel for exactly how much public money will be needed to help push through a project that some residents say is long overdue.
The Bayou Phoenix master plan calls for development of 30 acres of athletic fields, as well as movie studios. If all goes well, Henry predicts those studios will be the first project completed, in about four years.
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