the levee

Some good news

According to this article, Louis Armstrong International Airport is projecting the number of daily flights to exceed 80% of pre-Katrina levels next month, with Delta, American and Southwest all adding flights.

Massey's signs lease for new HQ on N. Carrollton

As reported by CityBusiness on October 9th and the Times-Picayune on October 18th, Louisiana-based, outdoor equipment retailer Massey's Professional Outfitters will open a 28,000 square foot store, warehouse, marketing, administration and distribution center in the former Riley Building, located at 509 North Carrollton, near the intersection of Carrollton and Orleans in Mid-City.

The project will create at least 20 to 30 jobs (the TP article states that 20-30 jobs will be moved from a current Metarie facility, and the CityBusiness article states that the project will house 20 to 30 jobs ) and should serve as a great model for small-to-medium sized businesses that want to remain in or move to New Orleans as they expand their business.  This is the second (that I'm aware of) 20,000 square foot+ lease signed this fall that also includes renovating an existing building (Borders renovating the Bultman Funeral Home being the first).  Are there any others that I have missed?

The landlord is Joseph Fertitta, who may have a somewhat corrupt history, pleading guilty to a Louisiana Board of Ethics charge in 2005 for colluding with his wife, then employed as a secretary in the City of Kenner's Mayor's office, in winning a contract for their family excavation company that was owned by Fertitta and his wife.  There weren't many details beyond the ethics ruling, and I'll also state that this may be a different Joseph Fertitta than that named in the case, as he and his family have been Mid-City residents for half-a-century according to this article.  Does anyone know if they are one and the same? UPDATE: They are not the same Fertitta.  As made clear in the comments below, neither the owner of the site nor his wife, is related to the Joseph Fertitta cited above.  Thanks to the two commenters for their help in sorting out the confusion. 

The new project is located near several sites on that stretch of North Carrollton that Victory Real Estate Investments  is assembling and planning on redeveloping.  Sadly, there is talk of a Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, or Dick's Sporting Goods being brought in as part of the redevelopment, all big boxes that would be entirely out-of-scale with the surrounding neighborhood.  The hope should be that Victory is able to identify ten more Massey's to take space on that stretch of road, and complete the retail corridor in a manner that is fitting with the history and architecture of the neighborhood.  North Carrollton Avenue isn't St. Charles, but its not Veterans Boulevard either.  All that said, Massey's highlighted Victory's future plans for the stretch as a key reason for deciding to locate their business there, so maybe I should shut my mouth?

Victory already developed Carrollton Plaza which was the redevelopment of the former Winn-Dixie into a smallish Home Depot and Sav-a-Center.

Borders on St. Charles

This is relatively old news, but I thought it was important enough to comment on.  Borders is converting the former Bultman Funeral Home, located at the corner of  St. Charles and Louisiana Avenue, into a 24,000 square foot  store.

Bultman Funeral Home (from asergeev.com)

Naturally, the Times-Picayune article noted the potential impact the store would have on New Orleans' independent booksellers, particularly Octavia Books and Garden District Book Shop, but in my opinion the possible negative affect on these stores is outweighed by the benefits of the proposed project.  Right now is not the time to filibuster the renovation and return to commerce of a historic building in a critical neighborhood.  Remember, it wasn't more than five years ago that this same controversy was escalating due to the impending construction of the Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas, and Magazine Street today is as vibrant as ever (and this is post-Katrina). 

Strong, local, independent businesses have an uncanny ability to withstand competition from national chains, based on service, familiarity, and meeting the needs of niche markets, and I would expect the same from both stores.  Besides, as noted in the TP article,  residents of Orleans Parish already travel to Jefferson Parish to shop at Barnes and Noble and Borders there.  It is incredibly important that those tax dollars stay in Orleans Parish (5.00% of the 9.00% total sales tax goes to the Parish, with the remaining going to the state).  Borders reported revenues of approximately $5.5 million per US store (which each averaged about 24,800 square feet) in 2006 , which, if achieved at this location, would create $275,000 in tax revenue annually for the Parish  (which should be almost enough to pay for the new trash cans that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is so smitten with).

Beyond tax dollars, the development will provide employment (according to their website, Borders provides healthcare benefits to all employees) for the local community, and will anchor a run-down intersection in the Lower Garden District, bringing much-needed traffic (foot-, or otherwise) and commerce to the immediate neighborhood.

It is critical that the Lower Garden District, which is in a precipitous position, remains a viable, safe, stable neighborhood linking Uptown with the CBD.  That section of the City cannot be allowed to degenerate into a dead zone, and the contagion of Central City cannot spread further riverside than it already has.  A 24,000 square foot Borders anchor is a good start, and it would be expected that new developments are announced in the surrounding area in the next year, as the development takes shape.

That the developers, Stirling Properties, have stated their intention to preserve the historic structure is vital.  One can only hope that Stirling does not bait-and-switch the community with this project, and follows through on their stated plan.  Unfortunately, a brief review of their portfolio does little to alleviate any apprehension regarding the final outcome of the project, as past projects of the firm appear to largely consist of national big boxes and shlocky suburban concrete-and-glass office parks.

With that said, it will be up to the community to follow and engage in this process, and ensure that Stirling and Borders do the right thing for New Orleans, not just their bottom-line.