New Orleans officials want to redevelop Claiborne Avenue. Here’s what they're planning next
Claiborne Avenue, which lost its economic strength when I-10 was rolled out through it, will be receiving a bit of a makeover with a performance site, marketplace and food venue coming soon. On Mardi Gras day, near the Charbonnet Funeral Home one or more of the Mardi Gras Indian tribes will emerge about noon
What is the 'missing middle' of New Orleans housing? This apartment complex aims to fill it
Looking forward to visiting these apartments in the near future. This is a nice location for affordable housing for middle income people. You're a pretty short run to a number of nice places, plus you are not far from the Mardi Gras routes:
State Farm to write new California home policies again, but only for fire-hardened homes
Does this remind you of Fortified Roof standards, California now has the "Wildfire Prepared Home Plus" certification, "That higher standard requires substantial hardening work, including noncombustible doors and decks and detached structures placed at least 30 feet from the main home." Homeowners are also being required to keep, "flammable vegetation and other materials within 5 feet of the house." Yep, it's not just us:
https://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/articles/state-farm-write-california-home-102700353.html
Gov. Jeff Landry announces new $20M grant program for fortified roofs in coastal Louisiana
Here comes another $20 million that will go toward Fortified Roofs. We don't know yet how the moneys will be dispersed. If we go with the grant amount being $10,000 per recipient, then that's another 2,000 homes with top-of-the-line housetops. Stay tuned here for the details:
When the Saints go marching out: New Orleans and the resilience of cities
Sober piece on the survivability of New Orleans against global warming. This article was written by a fan of the city, a musician who came to love our tunes. Ironically, this author about a city facing its mortality, passed away suddenly, recently:
New Orleans' 9 most endangered sites for 2026
In places like New Orleans it often seems like there are too many special buildings/places of interest on the brink of some type of collapse to keep up with and maintain. The list in this article has some pretty important spots. How many times have you been to the Frostops on Claiborne? Have you been to the Frostops on Claiborne to get a Lottaburger? It was one of my mom's favorite burger joints:
Demolition of the former Lindy Boggs hospital begins as owners prepare site for new development
My sister was born at this hospital and I had my tonsils removed at what was once Mercy Hospital, now, Lindy Boggs. This long overdue demolition and ensuing construction will net about 200 apartments as well as another water detention project that is sorely needed along Norman Francis Parkway. Set along the Lafitte Greenway, the development should really be a boon for local businesses:
How is a New Orleans developer building apartments in Covington while other projects stall?
I was just up in this area yesterday dropping off renters insurance brochures at apartment complexes and missed these two new places. I am used to seeing apartments being converted to condominiums. This is the first time I have seen hotels being switched to apartments. St. Tammany is projected to need 17,000 new units (homes/apartments) in the coming years. These efforts put a small dent in the gulf. One more thing, it's easier to get these kind of projects on existing buildings approved as opposed to new ground developments:
Despite moratorium, carbon sequestration moves forward in SWLA
What is the difference between carbon storage and carbon sequestration? Carbon sequestration is the active process of capturing carbon dioxide and moving it into a holding place, while carbon storage is the amount or state of carbon resting inside that place over time. My question, is "sequestration" a word being used to suggest to carbon will be eventually moved, while we all know it's found it home?:
https://thecurrentla.com/2026/despite-moratorium-carbon-sequestration-moves-forward-in-swla/
Louisiana’s insurer of last resort seeks to offload commercial policies to Mississippi company
Whelp, we have a new commercial company coming into Louisiana to assume most of the Louisiana Citizens policies in a depopulation move. Catch this article. Property Insurance Company of America (PICA) is a Demotech (small) company. The only companies to go out of business after Hurricane Ida were Demotech companies. HOWEVER, PICA is admitted, which means it's backed by LIGA, and Demotech companies are carrying much more reinsurance than pre-IDA, and not carrying enough reinsurance was why those companies went out of business. I am looking forward to seeing how the companies performs:
S&WB, New Orleans city officials say contractors overlooked voltage issue in power complex
Who would'a thunk that voltage sags might occur in New Orleans. I'm guessing anyone who caught the 2013 Super Bowl, when the power shut down for 34 minutes:
Can rocks protect Grand Isle's fading beach? Louisiana bets on it with new project
Yes, I'm one of those people who have very fond memories of Grand Isle. I'm also the person who thinks we should be using concrete debris to line our coastline, as I question whether the amount of pollution created by the cement is relatively that toxic. Transporting rock from other regions is much more expensive, and the costs to save our coastline, and Grand Isle, especially since we have foregone major Mississippi River diversions, is exhorbitant:
Why did U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approve permit for Louisiana International Terminal?
Building the super port in Violet will realize one of the largest job and revenue generators to Greater New Orleans area since probably the Avondale Shipyards, reversing decades of shipping losses. Work flow will extend into the Slidell area. The facility will represent a boon for the general community. There's only one problem, the residents of lower St. Bernard do not want the port and the traffic it will cause, at least initially
‘A pull on my heart’: Why this Slidell woman joined Ukraine’s army
I was a bit surprised that I did not know about this story, a real estate agent from our area volunteering to be a medic in Ukraine, what a truly special act of giving:
Lafayette Parish School Board votes to close Comeaux High School — again
Here is a reality that the late comedian, Richard Pryor saw coming, we just don't have nearly as many school-age children as we once did, especially with the current anti-immigration efforts. As a result, one major round of changes will be the closing and consolidation of schools. The convenience of school locations can subsequently effect home-buying decisions:
The poorest in the U.S. can’t find housing even as low-income units sit empty
I am intrigued by the idea of tiny homes. Honestly, there are many times I wished my home was a tiny home. I really do think we have opportunities to help our most unfortunate...........Is it just me, or do you really wish we took our abandoned homes, refurbished them and helped people buy them?:
Following St. Tammany subdivisions veto, developers wonder where, if they can build homes
"St. Tammany Parish President, Mike Cooper, told The Times-Picayune that he vetoed the project because investments in drainage and roadway infrastructure had to be prioritized before the project could move forward. Traffic also contributed to his decision." If you want to understand the general challenges of bringing in new development into the area and across South Louisiana, I'd recommend this article:
Big expansion approved for New Orleans area landfill, making it Louisiana's largest
As a former resident of Avondale, I can assure you that there have been those days, when the prevailing winds were coming from the West, that we'd catch the lovely aroma of the landfill. Waggaman is much closer to the dump sites. A view that never ceased to amaze me back in the day were the flares emplaced on the old dump located on the south side of Highway 90. Driving by them at night, they would light the sky, as they burned off the gases forming underground from the rotting garbage:
This Nearly Lost New Orleans Landmark Just Might Be The City’s Best Comeback Story
This throwback piece to the Truman Capote era or something like that offers an idle opportunity for a lazy holiday (and what holiday says "lazy holiday" more than Labor Day) afternoon read, will have you yearning for a cocktail at the Hot Tin Bar at some time and on some day when you should be otherwise, conducting some type of organized efforting:
https://www.southernliving.com/hotel-pontchartrain-new-orleans-11922106
This Gulf Coast downtown never recovered from Katrina. Now signs of hope are finally emerging
Hot-selling Bay Saint Louis is moving people to start looking elsewhere for home/building/business options. I don't think I could find my way to invest into Waveland. They are just too low and too hanging it all out there. I'm much more comfortable building on a bluff............. "Waveland is generally considered more vulnerable to direct open-coast storm surge than Bay St. Louis because it sits directly on the open Gulf of Mexico facing the full force of incoming marine energy. Waveland suffered the literal ground-zero landfall of Hurricane Katrina's most violent right-front quadrant, recording a catastrophic historic surge height of up to 28 to 32 feet (about 10 meters). Its flat, low-lying coastal topography leaves almost no natural barrier against open-water momentum. Bay St. Louis: Highly vulnerable to coastal flooding and experienced devastating destruction during Katrina, but its geography inside a recessed bay provides slightly different hydrodynamic and wave-action behaviors compared to Waveland's direct oceanfront exposure":