Bayou Phoenix selected to begin major revitalization of New Orleans East
1st November 2021 · 0 Comments
By Leah Clark
Contributing Writer
After more than a decade of neglect, a major revitalization will begin after the City of New Orleans selected Bayou Phoenix to redevelop the former Six Flags and Jazzland site in Eastern New Orleans. The city designated an Evaluation Committee which made the announcement on Oct. 11, 2021, after developer Kiernan West and Drew Brees withdrew their proposal.
“This is a huge win for our city. This announcement truly does symbolize my administration’s larger approach as we move our city forward in thinking holistically and absolutely having it grounded in resiliency,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a press conference. “[This] project is in clear alignment with our overall goal of driving vibrant recovery and creating again a more diverse and equitable economy for our people.”
The proposal by Bayou Phoenix, LLC includes locally-owned Henry Consulting, LLC and TKTMJ, Inc., who together have partnered with Dallas, Texas-based Hillwood, A Perot Company. Local organizations like STEM NOLA have also joined Bayou Phoenix in this $100 million Phase 1 capital requirement project to revitalize New Orleans East.
New Orleans East Matters, a grassroots collective that advocates for New Orleans East’s economic return, had endorsed Bayou Phoenix at the start of the process back in May. The group supported the proposal because it would bring back businesses, entertainment and education to an area that once was bustling with life as well as its attention to community input.
“Our first priority is, first and foremost, the people of East New Orleans. And we are looking forward to moving forward with our partners, and the City of New Orleans, to ensure their needs are fully met,” said Troy Henry of Henry Consulting.
Henry, a resident of New Orleans East himself, has witnessed how far the area has lagged behind in recovery since the former amusement park was abandoned after being devastated by Hurricane Katrina more than 16 years ago. Along with TKTMJ, which is based in the East, they hope to restore the area to what many residents remember with modifications to adhere to the city’s requests.
Bayou Phoenix plans to execute their vision of a logistics center, warehousing, hotel, sports complex, and indoor/outdoor waterpark, to name a few. A STEM NOLA district is also set to be part of this redevelopment project to help bring a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education center to the community. As they move forward, Bayou Phoenix said it will continue to promote its commitment to working with members of the community.
“We will continue our community outreach and include the people living in New Orleans East every step of the way. We live and have an investment here, so we will do everything in our power to make sure this project gets done right the first time,” said Henry.
Following Bayou Phoenix’s selection, many members of the community have begun to reminisce on life in New Orleans East before its devastation and ways that it could change with this redevelopment project. New Orleans East resident Naya McGill expressed her hopes that Bayou Phoenix will make drastic changes in the right direction for the area. She also said she believes that it will curb youth participation in violence in the area.
“Hopefully, this can decrease some of the crime in New Orleans East. There isn’t much for the youth out here, and it gives room for the youth to explore and get into the wrong things. This will give them something enjoyable to do,” McGill said. “I also hope it can be something [the] community will have pride in and love – I want us to take care of it and the area around it.”
While many are optimistic about Bayou Phoenix, some residents are not completely convinced that they will fulfill their promises of increasing the quality of life and property values in the area. Alisha Foucha-Mercadel, another New Orleans East resident, believes that Bayou Phoenix will only bring minimal revenue and cannot completely revitalize the area on its own.
“We need way more than Bayou Phoenix to bring back the East. This community was once filled with a richness of businesses. We had a viable mall, plenty [of] eateries, grocery stores, movie theaters…we had it all. Skating rinks, bowling alleys, and the list goes on and on,” said Foucha-Mercadel about life in the area before it was devastated. “But now? We have empty promises and dreams. That’s it.”
Despite the hesitancy of some residents, Bayou Phoenix said it remains firm in their commitment to restoring New Orleans East to what it once was. It is expected that Bayou Phoenix will reach a final agreement with the city within the next 90 days.
“What was demonstrated through our RFP process is that Bayou Phoenix is also prepared and has the resources necessary to pull this off. No longer [are we] setting our people up. Making them proud on the front end only to kind of bring them down later on because we didn’t deliver,” Cantrell said. “We’re going to deliver, and we believe Bayou Phoenix has demonstrated their ability to do just that.”
This article originally published in the November 1, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
