Housing Authority of New Orleans Anniversary Highlights

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

As the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) celebrates its one-year anniversary of returning to local control, we take a look at some of its highlight achievements of the past year.

• Marais Apartments
  

  Marais Apartments

Opened in September 2014, Marais Apartments ticked off several goals for the city of New Orleans, bolstering its stock of senior and low-income (senior) housing. The $35 million public-private partnership project also marked the return to use of the former Texaco building, a landmark high-rise of downtown New Orleans that had sat empty and blighted for 15 years. Marais Apartments offers one-bedroom and studio apartments to seniors age 62 and older. Marais Apartments is the first off-site housing project within the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, currently revitalizing the historic Iberville and Tremé neighborhoods.

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  Marrero Commons

  Marrero Commons

Located in Uptown New Orleans, Marrero Commons’ $158 million phase one also celebrated its completion in the second half of 2014, adding 410 units to New Orleans’ housing stock. Featuring one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom townhomes and garden apartments, Marrero Commons Phase I comprises 250 units, of which 143 are public housing.

• Lafitte Senior Building

January 2015 brought the groundbreaking for the new Lafitte Senior building, a 96,000-square-foot addition to the $148 million, 276-unit Fabourg Lafitte housing development in historic Tremé.

Faubourg Lafitte

The $22 million project will feature public and Section 8 voucher assisted housing. Lafitte Senior will offer 89 one-bedroom and 11 two-bedroom units featuring Energy Star appliances. Expected to be complete in mid-2016, Lafitte Senior is being developed by Lafitte Senior LLC, a partnership between Providence Community Housing and Enterprise Community Partners, and is funded by HANO, HUD and FEMA.

Image credits: HRI Properties and Housing Authority of New Orleans