City officials hope to complete the $6 million project before the end of 2012
More than four years after former Mayor Ray Nagin targeted the iconic St. Roch Market and the surrounding Bywater neighborhood as one of his focal points for a post-Hurricane Katrina recovery strategy, the restoration is poised to get started. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration will host a community meeting tonight to lay out its vision for the shuttered commercial space, the nearby St. Roch Park and pool and the neutral ground between the market and the playground.
Clik here to view.
View full sizeThe St. Roch Market was photographed in November. With the needed money in hand, city officials said Wednesday they hope to complete the $6 million project before the end of 2012.
The proposal calls for the city-owned building at St. Claude and St. Roch avenues to be gutted, clearing the way for the administration to solicit proposals in the spring from prospective operators for a business at the site.
The market, which dates to 1875, housed a seafood market and take-out restaurant before the storm. In an October 2010 survey conducted by four community groups, residents indicated overwhelming support for a similar use of the space, and the administration intends to abide by the neighborhood's wishes.
Aimee Quirk, Landrieu's economic development chief, said although the city is not ruling out an eatery that offers table service, the final design of the 8,600-square-foot market will be determined by the best offer.
The $4.2 million rehab planned for the building includes all new utilities, but City Hall wants to restore as much of the market's original exterior as possible, including the cupola.
The year-old survey of 377 residents showed that nearly 90 percent of the respondents favor multiple vendors in the new market, with 70 percent supporting a restaurant. An overwhelming percentage also listed locally grown fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood and baked goods as items they are most likely to purchase.
The St. Roch Park, adjacent to Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, is in line for $1.5 million in enhancements, including improved lighting and drainage, a new concessions building, repairs to the outdoor basketball court, restoration of the pool and restrooms and refurbished baseball fields.
Some neighborhood leaders have pushed the Landrieu administration to build an indoor pool. Deputy Mayor Cedric Grant said that while the city is open to altering the project's design if that is what the St. Roch community wants, he cautioned that the change would increase the price tag by more than $3 million.
Grant said an indoor pool would cost more to maintain. If the outdoor pool is shelved, the idea for an indoor facility would be put on hold while the city and the neighborhood look for additional financing.
The rest of the project, scheduled for completion by late spring, would move forward, he said.
Another component of the St. Roch initiative is a $360,000 "artwalk,'' which will wind along the center of six blocks of neutral ground behind the market between Marais and North Roman streets. In addition to extensive landscaping, there will be sculptures that double as benches.
While St. Roch has struggled with crime as its most distinctive landmark sat blighted and unoccupied, the surrounding area is thriving with new investment, with more activity on the horizon.
The Healing Center, a community center designed by developer Pres Kabacoff and Sallie Ann Glassman to spur economic development in the area, opened across the street at 2372 St. Claude Ave. in late August, and it will soon have a food co-op.
Kabacoff's company, HRI Properties, opened the 37-unit Bywater Art Lofts in the former Rutter-Rex Garment factory at 3725 Dauphine St. in December 2008, and a second phase with 27 apartments is under way. In September, developers Sean Cummings and T.J. Iarocci opened the 69-unit National Rice Mill Lofts in an abandoned warehouse next to the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts.
Meanwhile, the Regional Transit Authority is in the early design stages of a new streetcar extension, which will pass in front of the market.
The streetcar line will run along the North Rampart/St. Claude Avenue corridor from Canal Street to Press Street. With more than $90 million in hand to build the project, RTA executives are optimistic they can begin construction early in 2013.
Frank Donze can be reached at fdonze@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3328.