If the property you're interested in is in a historic district (or is itself on the National Register of Historic Places), you should know that the state and federal government set aside hundreds of millions of dollars each year to offset your development costs.
Read MoreWhile yes, the footprint is small and small does not always mean less expensive, it does require thinking creatively to achieve the greatest return and yes, the return can be great.
Read MoreWe all enjoy trying on clothes before buying them, right? Think of test fits as the real estate equivalent of trying on clothes. Lately, we've seen a surge in feasibility studies for potential properties, which are often referred to as "test fits". This increase may be a response to last year's freeze on short-term rentals in Orleans Parish, which left many developers wondering, "What else can I do with this property?" Let's explore some key questions that test fits are designed to address.
Read MoreThe term “third place” has infiltrated our market as a space to be in that isn’t - one, our home, or two, our office…it’s our third place: a place to socialize, be creative, relax, meet and entertain.
Read MoreThose of us involved in building things - planners, city governments, developers and architects and designers - need to advocate to fundamentally change they physical framework of daily commerce, and we need the support of the citizens to do so.
Read MoreRead MoreWhen our clients came to us with an adaptive reuse project to build a hotel in an old warehouse structure, we knew there would be some challenges. Soon the solution became clear: what if we built a hotel UNDER an old warehouse structure?!
What makes New Orleans neighborhoods so great is the same things that make neighborhoods great around the world: variety.
While most of the country was busy zoning their neighborhoods into single-use enclaves of uniformity, New Orleans, as it does, was busy ignoring national urban planning trends and standards. In this case, it was a good call.
As a result, we have retained our multi-use, finer-grained urban fabric of building use and type, and have reaped the benefits, being a top choice to live, work and vacation for humans in general.
Read MoreIf you are interested in small to mid-size developments in New Orleans or other historic core neighborhoods, this blog series includes valuable lessons of the past, present and future development challenges and opportunities!
Read MoreWhy should this excite New Orleanians? All we have is a big ol' historic super-grid with an immense array and variety of lot sizes plugged into a series of big ol' amenity centers pumping value into areas blanketed with some of the most amenable urban zoning in the country. Your Sharpie will run out of ink checking all the boxes.
Read MoreWe based parking requirements on absolute peak demand - so that even on Black Friday, everyone, by law, gets a parking space. Developers were forced to buy more land, and provide worst-case scenario parking, for free, in order to build. With more than ample parking everywhere, more people choose to drive for trips. Traffic engineers note the roads are getting congested, and design larger, wider roads to provide capacity.
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