Two sides have yet to sign a written agreement codifying any changes to UMC plans
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu publicly declared victory late last month in his tug-of-war with state officials over design details of the proposed Charity Hospital successor slated for Mid-City, but the final details have yet to be ironed out, with one key question apparently still in dispute.
In this photo of the University Medical Center site, Claiborne Avenue is at the lower right, and Tulane Avenue cuts across the bottom left corner. Canal and Galvez streets also bound the site. The mayor's office said in November that the state had agreed that Landrieu would have approval over any future expansion on the downtown side of the 34-acre campus bound by South Claiborne Avenue, Tulane Avenue, South Galvez Street and Canal Street. Jerry Jones, the state facilities chief who oversees the University Medical Center project, confirmed that general framing, though he asserted that mayoral approval "shall not be unreasonably withheld."
Almost three weeks later, the two sides have yet to sign a written agreement codifying any changes to the UMC plans, and Landrieu spokesman Ryan Berni said his boss won't sign any document that opens future expansion debates up for subjective wrangling. The distinctions are obvious, as the state would be free to deem any expansion plan it proposes as "reasonable," thus making any rejection of it by a New Orleans mayor "unreasonable."
The issue of expansion is important, as Landrieu has emphasized the need to protect as much of the existing street grid as possible, particularly as the city mulls the possibility of taking down the raised portion of Interstate 10. Such a move, along with taking up the side streets in such a large tract of land immediately adjacent to the I-10/Claiborne corridor, could create traffic flow nightmares.
Jones' office didn't respond to questions last week about the expansion clause and any other unresolved provisions of a written agreement.
The state has confirmed that it would build a second parking deck in lieu of covering almost half of the campus -- the site of any future expansion -- with surface parking lots, while maintaining the street grid on the downtown side of the campus that had been slated for the acres of blacktop.
Jones also has spoken positively about the idea of including a line of ground-level retail space fronting Canal Street, rather than initial plans for the patient towers to front the busy thoroughfare. But Jones has added a potential caveat, saying that he still has legal questions about potential limits on the state's ability to claim land by eminent domain and then turn it over to private enterprises.
Andy Kopplin, chief administrative officer for the city, has said the city believes there are no legal barriers to dedicating a relatively small portion of such a large public project to private businesses, particularly if they include pharmacies, medical supply stores, flower shops or other endeavors related to the hospital's function.
Both sides are holding onto whatever leverage they have as talks proceed.
At the most recent meeting of the University Medical Center governing board, a state-paid architect from the international NBBJ firm presented schematic designs that looked no different than what Jones' office pushed before Landrieu inserted himself into the matter after taking office in May. NBBJ principal Mackenzie Skeen mentioned the second parking deck, but otherwise framed the designs -- complete with images -- as final.
Skeen said afterward that he has been involved in the negotiations with the city over design. His office has drawn sketches of the additional retail and the restructured parking plan, he said. But he added that he hasn't gotten any "final instructions" from the state to change the designs.
Landrieu, meanwhile, has yet to remove his hold on the state's request to close the city streets in the footprint. That procedural step usually is an afterthought in such a large project: a $1.2 billion budget for more than five years of design, land acquisition and construction. Landrieu successfully used it to get Jones' shop to the negotiating table to consider the changes recommended this summer by a consulting team that included the same Goody Clancy firm that directed drafting of the New Orleans master plan.
Landrieu, as a candidate and as mayor, has been a supporter of building a new hospital, eschewing a push by historic preservationists to reopen Charity Hospital downtown. But the mayor found common ground with those preservationists and some UMC advocates, such as the Downtown Development District, by criticizing the hospital design as suburban in concept, out of character with the surrounding neighborhoods and the master plan.
Asked last week whether he is concerned the state will not honor the commitments the city said it has gotten, Landrieu said: "I'm not worried because they don't get their streets without an agreement."
Bill Barrow can be reached at bbarrow@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3452.