On Oct. 25, developer Bayou Phoenix officially took control of the 227-acre site of the former Six Flags amusement park in New Orleans East. The lease-signing ceremony inspired cheers and applause from stakeholders during a meeting of the World Waterpark Association at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Now comes the hard part: raising a half-billion dollars and signing big-name tenants that can help convert the long-abandoned theme park into a collection of attractions that could include a water park, a youth sports facility, two hotels, an 8.5-acre man-made lake, a movie studio, an amphitheater and retail outlets.
The property was flooded during Hurricane Katrina and has been abandoned ever since, except for its occasional use as a backdrop for movies and TV shows such as 2013’s “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” or “Project Power” in 2020.
Bayou Phoenix founder Troy Henry — who is partnered with construction company owner Thomas Tubre on the project — said he hasn’t secured funding or partners to operate the attractions, but now that the lease is signed, work can begin in earnest.
“We are pleased after 30-plus months of pursuit to finally be able to get started on this transformational project,” Henry told Biz New Orleans.
The next step is to clean out the site, removing destroyed rides along the way, and to get to know the property better in the process.
City, state and federal sources are expected to contribute $100 million toward the development. The balance will come from private investors and loans.
The 50-year lease with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, which owns the land, includes development milestones. Bayou Phoenix, for instance, must have a sublease in place with an operator for at least one component of the project by Oct. 25, 2024.
Bayou Phoenix was selected to pursue the project in 2021 after a development group that included Drew Brees withdrew from the application process. Its annual rent is $1 a year, but the company estimates it will spend several million dollars just getting the project off the ground.
At the other end of town, Ben Jacobson and Casey Burka have announced the purchase of the Bisso Marine salvage yard located at the foot of Walnut Street just upriver from Audubon Park. They said they plan to invest tens of millions of dollars of private capital with bank financing to convert the former marine industrial property, purchased from Bisso Marine for an undisclosed sum, into a mixed-use riverfront park called The Batture.
Jacobson and Burka, New Orleans natives and Uptown residents, said they have spent more than five years working to purchase the roughly 10-acre property, which is zoned for maritime industrial uses.
“For the past 170 years, the neighborhood has not had access to this land,” Jacobson said in a press release. “We want to open it up to the community — to bring it to life. We envision a space where families can get together, enjoy the river, let the kids run around on the great lawn and have a bite and a drink from some of the best local chefs and restaurants New Orleans has to offer.”
The Batture project is located on the river side of the levee along Leake Avenue, between Walnut and Lowerline streets. Jacobson and Burka hope to transform the industrial site into an “oasis” that integrates the energy of a mixed-use corridor with the ambiance of a riverfront park. They envision something akin to the Audubon Institute’s Audubon Riverfront Park (better known as “the Fly”) — which is just downriver — but with food and beverage sales and other mixed-use elements.
The developers said that, more than a century ago, the Bisso family envisioned hosting neighborhood dances and picnics on the site, which was just across the levee from a family-owned grocery store at the foot of Walnut Street. Instead, the tract became home to later generations’ marine services businesses.
The Burkas plan to continue discussions with neighbors, civic leaders, business owners and elected officials to “ensure the project’s success and its positive impact on the community.” They said additional partners will be announced soon. They estimate the project will be complete in 2026.
Jacobson and Burka’s development company is Federated Historic Holdings.
Rich collins is an Emmy Award-winning writer, musician and actor known for the Disney Channel TV series “Imagination Movers.” He covers New Orleans business for the Biz New Orleans website when he’s not performing on stages around town and worldwide.
