NEW ORLEANS, LA — The New Orleans City Council has given final approval for a PILOT clearing the way for construction of the Rivana Apartments in the River District, while demolition work is set to begin at the former Lindy Boggs Medical Center, or Mercy site later this month now that CEA paperwork is finalized.
"This is a meaningful week for District B," said Councilmember Lesli Harris. "We’re moving forward on 220 new affordable homes in the River District, and we’re finally seeing progress on a building that has sat vacant since Katrina. I’m grateful to everyone who helped get us here."
Rivana: 220 Units, All Affordable
The council’s action secures the financing tools needed to move Rivana, the first residential phase of the 39-acre River District development, from planning into construction. All 220 units will be set aside as affordable and workforce housing for households earning between 20% and 80% of the Area Median Income, with an affordability period of 40 years.
Rivana marks the first step toward a larger goal of 900 residential units across the River District over time, with 450 of those units being affordable and workforce housing.
"To solve our housing crisis we need an all of the above approach," Harris said. "This tax incentive benefits the project by assisting with lower operating costs which allows the units to remain affordable for 40 years. This also demonstrates the city’s continued commitment to affordable housing."
Mercy: Demolition Underway
Demolition crews have begun asbestos remediation at the former Lindy Boggs Medical Center on Norman C. Francis Parkway, the first physical step toward removing the 13-acre complex that has sat vacant since flooding during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The work follows a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City and developer Mercy Partners, LLC, dedicating roughly $11.5 million in voter-approved bond funds to demolition and a new underground stormwater retention system beneath the site.
Full demolition is expected to take six to eight months. Once complete, developers plan a mixed-use redevelopment featuring apartments, offices, retail, and public green space, along with a four-million-gallon stormwater tank designed to help reduce flooding in the surrounding Mid-City corridor.
"Mercy has been a source of blight in Mid City since Katrina," Harris said. "Seeing real progress here means a lot to the families who’ve lived alongside it for years, and it will also bring real flood protection to the area."