Working Paper 8 BioDistrict New Orleans Preferred Plan

June 2011

Working Paper 8

Table of Contents

June 2011

Acknowledgement
The AECOM team would like to acknowledge the GNOBEDD Board and staff for their input and engagement during this Task. This report has also been developed in coordination with the entire AECOM team. The team includes: EDAW / AECOM, AECOM Economics, AECOM Transportation, Bright Moments, Cannon Design, CBRE, Chester Engineers and The Ehrhardt Group.

Table of Contents

Section:

04

01
Task 8 Overview

02
Rened Alternative Plans 11 Summary 12 Preferred Plan 20 Plan Summary

07 Overview

Working Paper 8

Table of Contents

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Section 01: Task 8 Overview

Working Paper 8

Task 8 Overview

June 2011

BioDistrict New Orleans. Birds-eye view of a new research and residential area.

Task 8 Overview: Preferred Plan

The purpose of Task 8, Preferred Plan, was to use the stakeholder feedback gathered during the Task 7 alternatives workshops to create a single, rened plan for the BioDistricts. The four alternatives preceding this nal plan, and the public and technical review comments, are all contained in Working Paper 7 The . nal preferred plan is not a modied version of any single one of the preceding alternatives, but rather an aggregated concept representing a combination of elements from all four alternatives, deletion of other elements based on stakeholder feedback, and new recommendations formulated to support and enhance the elements of the nal concept. As could be expected in any post-Katrina planning effort in New Orleans, there was intense discussion of alternatives. One neighborhood organization stated a position of nosupport in early April, citing potential loss of housing stock and fears regarding loss of zoning control. In response to local concerns, the State Legislature authorized expansion of the BioDistrict Board to allow two residents of the District to serve as voting members. The next step in the strategic planning process will be to prepare more specic recommendations related to each of the broad concepts contained in the Preferred Plan, including modied roadway cross-sections, cost estimates, development yields and policy and implementation recommendations. .

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Task 8 Overview

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Section 02: Preferred Plan

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Preferred Plan

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Preferred Plan
Summary
Stakeholder feedback resulted in two signicant directives for the Preferred Plan. First, community stakeholders felt strongly that large-scale, planned development should be directed to non-neighborhood areas of the District and that existing, largely residential areas be left to redevelop organically. Secondly, residents indicated that there is no need for or interest in a large, regional open space or park as represented in several of the alternatives. Concerns regarding the lack of maintenance in existing parks, and the proximity of the LaFitte Greenway as a signicant regional recreational resource were the driving factors behind this sentiment. With these two key factors in mind, the Preferred Plan seeks to strengthen the key development areas concept on which previous alternatives were built. The Plan identies ve key areas largely outside of the Districts core residential areas in Gert Town, Mid-City and New City. The plan focuses instead on the following ve areas: Xavier / Gert Town (emphasizing the interface between institution and community, more than intervention within the neighborhood) Galvez Research Neighborhood Tulane / Canal Street Allied Health Campus Civic Center

Enhanced bicycle facilities, pedestrian malls and public art will dene the BioDistrict as a human-scaled, people-oriented, urban environment in which to live, study and work.

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Working Paper 8

Preferred Plan

June 2011

Preferred Plan
Key Elements: carried forward
A number of elements from prior alternatives have been carried forward into the Preferred Plan. These elements, along with the alternatives in which they were included, are listed below: City Hall revitalization and associated redevelopment of Duncan Plaza. (A, B, C, D) A new Allied Health Sciences campus around the former Charity Hospital complex. (A) Expansion of Tulane Medical School. (A) Reconguration of I-10/Claiborne Avenue interchange. (B, C) Claiborne Avenue at grade. (A, B, C, D)

Key Elements: new

Recombination of the plan pieces found in the alternatives highlighted new opportunities and issues to be addressed in the Preferred Plan. New elements not shown in prior alternatives are listed below: Linear park redevelopment of retired railroad ROW in Gert Town. Internal BioDistrict shuttle loop. Bicycle connections on 1/2-mile grid. Long-term temporary container nurseries to source BioDistrict street trees and plant materials. Close-able, pedestrian-oriented streets.

Carrollton

Jeff Davis

Claiborne

Galvez

Canal

C D A E

Loyola
Tulane

Banks

Broad

dra Poy

I-10

Earhart

Wa s

hin

gto

Preferred Plan: Key Development Areas

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Tulane Ave RET RET RES RES RES supportive housing R&D PKG RES Gravier St RES RES pkg res RES RES res res res RES Poydras St RES R&D RES R&D RES RES RES PKG RES R&D R&D RES RES R&D R&D

Broad

Galvez S

St

Perdido St

R&D

R&D

PKG

PKG

R&D

Key Development Area A: Galvez Research Neighborhood

Key Development Area A: Galvez Research Neighborhood

This development area represents a complete urban neighborhood--with places to shop, live and workand is expected to supply the level of amenities and housing choice demanded by the Creative Class demographic working in the adjacent VA and UMC complexes, as well as in the new R&D businesses the District hopes to attract. Located lakeside of Claiborne Avenue, this new development node will use Tulane Avenue and Galvez Street as its primary retail and public/private biotech research corridor, with an interior core of lowand medium-density residential development clustered around a new neighborhood park. Although a small number of parcels will require downzoning from light industrial to residential, the real challenge for this development node is anticipated to be parcel assembly due to the neighborhoods large number of small, narrow lots.

Container nursery

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Working Paper 8

Preferred Plan

June 2011

Howard Ave

PKG

ACAD

ACAD

PKG IND IND IND

IND IND

IND IND RET

PKG ACAD

acad

ACAD

ACAD ACAD ACAD ACAD ACAD

PKG

IND

Washington Ave

RET IND

RET

UNIV UNIV UNIV Carrollton Ave UNIV UNIV UNIV Edinburgh St

Pine St

RET

RET

SCH NURS

REC

Earhart

Blvd

Key Development Area B: Xavier/Gert Town

Key Development Area B: Xavier/Gert Town

The southwestern portion of the BioDistrict, occupied by Xavier University and the historic Gert Town neighborhood, suffers from a series of physical and psychological disconnects. This focus area seeks to promote a mutually benecial relationship between the community and the institution, and to mitigate the isolating effects of the areas roadway infrastructure. The Action Plan underlines the need for a constructive dialogue between the areas two main interests, in order to accommodate Xaviers physical expansion needs while also working toward revitalization of this historic neighborhood, including rebuilding and reopening the community pool and elementary school. In order to reconnect Xavier and Gert Town with the rest of the District, the Plan recommends the creation of a linear green space along the alignment of the old Illinois

Central Railroad; this park will serve as both amenity and non-vehicular connection. For vehicular connection, the Action Plan recommends both an internal District circulator and a new streetcar line on Washington Avenue.

Linear park.

image: marylandsportsus.blogspot.com

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RES RET RES RES

RES

RES

RES pkg

RES Canal St

historic ret / res

RES

M.U.

hotel/conf historic res Cleveland Ave RES ACAD ACAD

pkg

acad

Claiborne Ave

M.U. PKG

hospital pkg MATH/SCI HS

Tulane Ave

M.U.

Key Development Area C: Tulane/Canal Street

Key Development Area C: Tulane/Canal Street

This development area, like the Xavier/Gert Town Area, focuses on accommodating and integrating academic growth into the existing urban fabric. Key recommendations in this area include the transformation of three blocks of Gravier Street into a pedestrianoriented spine (but still carrying vehicular trafc) with adjacent public open space, and the renovation of two existing buildings into a math and science magnet school offering intern and enrichment opportunities with the adjacent university. The Action Plan also strengthens the areas retail base and increases local access to fresh food through the introduction of a City Market in a renovated car dealership building on the corner of Tulane and Claiborne. This enterprise would offer farmers market type kiosks as well as ready-to-eat foodstuffs in an indoor-outdoor format.

Zoning for the Tulane/Canal Street area is not anticipated to pose a problem, although the large number of smaller parcels may pose a complicated or extended land assembly process. Development should be coordinate with plans for the renovation of the adjacent Iberville public housing complex.

Elk Place (Loyola Ave)

acad

ACAD

ACAD

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Working Paper 8

Preferred Plan

June 2011

Tulane Ave

acad

acad

acad

Charity Hospital acad

Claibo rne Av e

e LaSall

Pkg Gravier St ACAD LIB / REC ACAD

St
Pkg PKG

Freret

acad

ACAD Perdido St

Pkg

Key Development Area D: Allied Health Campus

Key Development Area D: Allied Health Campus

The Allied Health Campus will bring together the resources and opportunities of the Citys premier educational institutions onto a shared, urban campus in the heart of the BioDistrict. This clustered academic and training campus is envisioned as an important workface development resource, and will serve a critical role in addressing the pressing need for a pool of skilled, medically-oriented technicians and professionals to support the BioDistricts expanding research and patient care activities.

The Allied Health Campus will include a pool of shared student and faculty resources such as dining, library, meeting and classroom spaces, as well as daycare, recreation and a campus bookstore. The campus can offer exible satellite facilities or act as primary campus expansion, based on the evolving needs of each institution. The campus will be created through a mix of new construction and renovation/reuse of existing structures, most notably the now-vacant Charity Hospital building. The Action Plan expects near-term activity in this development area through the construction of a new Delgado Community College academic building, with further academic and support buildings coming on line through a masterplanning and institutional-demand process. The most challenging portion of the Allied Health Campus is likely to be identifying an appropriate and economically viable plan to renovate and reuse the Charity Hospital building.

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Ofc LaSalle St
Poydra s St

OFC

Pkg acad PKG

St

Ofc

Ofc

Ofc CIVIC OFC Loyola Ave

Key Development Area E: Civic Centert

Key Development Area C: Civic Center

This development area focuses on increasing the capacity and efciency of the Citys governmental functions, in tandem with creating a civic front door and living room for public gatherings. In order to provide expansion room for itself and for City Hall, the Civil Courts will move to a new, larger building immediately adjacent to Duncan Plaza. City Hall will be expanded in the direction of the plaza, with space for new cultural or commercial buildings on either side of it. The public library is also renovated to include a new, formal entrance facing the plaza. At the heart of the new civic district, Duncan Plaza is renovated to provide a more exible, special-event and public gathering space; streets on either side of the plaza are also redesigned to function as overow space that can be closed to vehicular trafc during special events.
image: wikimedia.com Old-meets-new City Hall expansion, Denver.

Perdido

St

CIVIC

CIVIC

Gravier

ACAD

acad

Tulan e

Ave

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Working Paper 8

Preferred Plan

June 2011

Vehicular Circulation

Roadways & Non-Vehicular Circulation

The Preferred Plan focuses on creating a complete circulation network that more equitably balances the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and motorists. Roadways receiving the most visible enhancements are Tulane Avenue, Claiborne Avenue and the Broad Street bridge. The plan recommends eliminations of gaps within the existing sidewalk network, and that all sidewalks be brought to a minimum width of four feet, with ADA-compliant ramps. The plan also enhances bicycle connectivity, with a goal of creating a gridded bicycle network spaced at a maximum of mile between on- or off-street paths. Aligning with Regional Planning Commission goals, Tulane Avenue will be upgraded as a Smart Street, with below-grade utilities and above-grade trafc control enabled for remote monitoring and adjustment. Abovegrade, improvements will feature wider sidewalks, on-street bike lanes, street tree plantings and planted medians. These softening streetscape features, in particular, will contribute to social sustainability

through an enhanced pedestrian scale and environmental sustainability through their air quality and ambient temperature benets. Claiborne Avenue will be reconstructed to more closely resemble the cross-section used south of the BioDistrict, with a center median and enhanced back-of-curb pedestrian zone. I-10 will be eliminated through this section, with local and regional trafc using four travel lanes in each direction. Without elevated superstructure, the I-10 on- and off-ramps at Tulane and Cleveland Avenues can also be removed, making additional land available for redevelopment. On-street bike lanes and a potential median-running streetcar will enhance transit options. The Broad Street bridge, with a narrow sidewalk on only one side, will be made more pedestrian- and bike-friendly by reallocation of travel space within its current horizontal footprint. The center median will be eliminated and the travel lanes narrowed in order to provide extra space to construct a raised, multi-use pathway on both sides of the bridge.

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Transit Network

Bicycle & Pedestrian Circulation

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Working Paper 8

Preferred Plan

June 2011

Plan Summary
Summary:
The table below aggregated 5-, 10- and 20-year numbers for each key development area, and for the BioDistrict as a whole, represented as square feet.

BioDistrict Development
Use Galvez Development Areas Xavier/Gert Tulane/Canal Allied Health Civic Center Totals

Hospital Academic Residential Retail RD Office Lab Office RD Sport Civic SF new development dwelling units

1057 174,600 893,500 127,500 1,195,600 1057

2,001,500 115 164,500 688,500

323,000 477,000 550 175,400 464,000

641000

60,000 15,000

2,854,500 115

1,439,400 550

641,000 0

392500 467,500 0

323000 3179500 1721 529,500 893,500 1,152,500 127,500 392,500 6,598,000 1721

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