Lafitte Projects

Demolition work ongoing at the Lafitte Projects, July 2008

The Lafitte Projects were one of the Housing Projects of New Orleans and were located in the 6th Ward of New Orleans Treme neighborhood. It was one of Downtown New Orleans' oldest housing developments and had many associated problems before being severely flooded and damaged during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

By a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) decree, the projects were demolished and redeveloped as affordable, mixed-income housing. The redevelopment effort was charged with replacing every demolished unit.

The large housing project was left mostly vacant following evacuations after the extensive flooding from Hurricane Katrina. Heated arguments have surrounded the demolition of the project, as some longtime residents wanted them renovated.[1]

The first phase of the development plan included 134 on-site affordable rental units completed in December 2010 and 47 on-site affordable homeownership units to be completed by March 2011. The overall Lafitte community will be constructed around existing schools, emphasizing education as the bedrock of the neighborhood.

The redevelopment restored the historical street grid that was erased when the original housing development was built. The restoration will integrate the new buildings and residents into the city and provide for easier access to the surrounding areas. It will reconnect residents to essential supportive services, particularly those now offered at the reopened Sojourner Truth Community Center.

The development is being created in part by Low-Income Housing Tax Credit through Enterprise Community Investment, Inc., a real estate investment services company working to create affordable housing and develop communities. The homes are being built in accordance with the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria, incorporating healthy and energy-efficient building practices, materials and systems.

References

  1. ↑ Adam Nossiter, "In New Orleans, Ex-Tenants Fight for Projects", New York Times, 26 December 2006, accessed 1 April 2011

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