More than eight months after going public with an ambitious plan for an outdoor-focused entertainment district with restaurants, coffee shops and a bar on the banks of the Mississippi River, the local developers behind The Batture, as the project is known, have cleared the first of several regulatory hurdles.
Earlier this spring, the Orleans Parish levee district issued a “statement of no objection” to the developers’ request to run utility lines and sewer pipes over the levee adjacent to The Batture site near Audubon Park. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now evaluating the project and will ultimately decide whether to grant a permit request.
Developers have purchased land along the Mississippi River in Uptown New Orleans with plans to create a recreational area with restaurants called “The Batture.” (Rendering courtesy of ben + burka)
Several other regulatory agencies, including the Port of New Orleans, New Orleans Public Belt Railroad and state departments of transportation and environmental quality also must sign off before construction can begin, according to developers Ben Jacobson and Casey Burka, but the levee district’s approval is an important early step.
Jacobson and Burka have said The Batture, planned for a site that was previously an industrial scrap yard, would be transformational for a section of Uptown riverfront near The Fly. Since unveiling the project last fall, they have held two neighborhood meetings and met with individuals in the area to gather feedback and talk up their plans.
“Our goal remains to bring new access to the Uptown riverfront in a park-like, family-friendly setting that respects the beautiful neighborhood we are located in,” Jacobson said in a prepared statement.
Neighbor concerns
Still, some of The Batture’s nearest neighbors, residents of several high-rise condominium complexes directly across Leake Avenue, say they haven’t gotten answers to specific questions about the size, scope and details of the plan and are increasingly alarmed that the permitting process is moving ahead without a public hearing before regulators with decision-making authority.
Tire swings hang from a tree at the batture near Audubon Park in New Orleans, Monday, June 10, 2024. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
“We want to know what this going to look like, how it is going to be executed, how it is going to effect the levee, the bike path and the railroad,” said Jack Davis, who lives in 123 Walnut, one of those complexes.
“This is a major change in the landscape,” said Davis. “Is there any opportunity for public input?”
What’s planned for The Batture site?
The Batture site is located along a 10-acre strip of waterfront property that previously belonged to Bisso Marine, which used the property to clean and store marine scrap and metals.
Because the site is already zoned for “marine industrial use” — a designation which allows for hotels, restaurants, bars, offices and retail — Jacobson and Burka do not need to seek a zoning change or waiver, which means there’s no opportunity for a public hearing, at least not yet.
The Batture site near Audubon Park photographed along the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Monday, June 10, 2024. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)
Davis and others with the River Triangle Association, a neighborhood association formed last year in response to concerns over The Batture, said they have sent an email to Jacobson and Burka with specific questions about the project but haven’t received a reply.
Early this year, they filed a public records request with the Corps for all documents related to the project. The files came back in May — hundreds of documents they’re still reviewing that included the levee district’s “statement of no objection” from March.
“Some of these documents look like they are talking about quite a project here that would disturb the bike path and perhaps other things,” said Rob Marrier, a member of the River Triangle Association and president of the 123 Walnut Condominium Association.
Attorney Mike Sherman, who represents the project, said the developers remain open to meeting with the association but that the group has sought a traffic impact study, which is not yet completed, as well as information about prospective tenants for the restaurants and coffee shops. Jacobson said those details haven’t been finalized, though his team “continues to receive significant interest from locally owned restaurants and coffee shops.”
Developers have purchased land along the Mississippi River in Uptown New Orleans with plans to create a recreational area with restaurants called “The Batture.” (Rendering courtesy of ben + burka)
Last fall, the developers unveiled renderings of their project, which envisioned the site as a park and entertainment corridor along the river carved into five city “blocks” with pedestrian walkways, eight small, locally owned food and beverage outlets and a large lawn sloping down to the water.
A street lined with 400 parking spaces would span the length of the district and run parallel to Leake Avenue. None of those plans have changed, Sherman said.
Traffic, noise and future projects
In an area where traffic often bottlenecks at the intersection of Broadway and Leake, neighbors are worried about increased traffic, as well as noise. Some also fear future plans for the site could include an apartment building or hotel, something Jacobson has denied.
Jacobson said he is not hiding any details and that it is still early in what will be a lengthy process.
“Our hope is that with this technical review, many of the questions asked by our near neighbors can be informed by expert review,” he said. “We know traffic and noise remain a top concern and we are committed to working through those issues and others as we move through our pre-development process.”