Naval Support Activity East Bank (redevelopment)
A strategically located swath of riverfront property brimming with history is in the beginning stages of its second act – a multi-stage, multi-layered site reinvention that upon completion will serve the modern needs of the New Orleans community.
Home to a variety of military operations serving different branches since World War I, the expansive East Bank Complex of the Naval Support Activity (located in the Bywater) has sat dormant since 2011 and, frankly, aged exponentially ever since its closure. However, after an extended (and, at times, exhausting) planning period, shovel finally punctured dirt this past January, marking step one in arguably the most ambitious economic development project in south Louisiana this century.
The story of the re-imagined Naval Support Activity East Bank project will unfold in chapters, as construction crews execute designs to bring affordable housing, innovation/technology centers, and retail space that will serve as a commercial conduit linking the old, isolated military site and the vibrant neighborhood surrounding it.
“The community has waited a long time for this moment, but ‘it takes a village’ and a lot of time and cooperation to manifest it into reality,” said Brian Gibbs, whose firm is the lead developer of the site. “The state and its agencies, the city/parish and its agencies, the neighborhood itself, and all the other various stakeholders have been incredibly supportive and instrumental to this project’s ultimate success.”
From an economic standpoint, the site will serve as the future home of ‘Newlab New Orleans,’ an innovation and technology epicenter primed to shepherd the region’s long-standing economic cornerstones (specially energy production) into that industry’s next evolutionary stages, thus ensuring south Louisiana’s reputation and standing in that field for generations to come.
Additionally, while meeting the economic demands of tomorrow, this project is also aggressively tackling the needs of today’s working class and their families through the largest affordable housing investment in Louisiana history. Existing military structures on site will be renovated into near 300 affordable housing units targeted to be the future households of working individuals/families who earn less than the local medium income.
Gulf South Commerce Park (development)
Spurred on by the Northshore’s growing reputation as a strategic logistics hub positioned between the major markets of the Gulf South, Gulf South Commerce Park is uniquely positioned to mature into “Louisiana’s Global Gateway for Business.”
“Gulf South Commerce Park fills an important role in St. Tammany Parish’s portfolio of development opportunities,” said Russell Richardson, President and CEO of St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation. “As part of the Greater New Orleans region, St. Tammany adds capacity to one of the nation’s most important trade and logistics gateways. Companies evaluating Southeast Louisiana increasingly need options that provide room for growth, access to transportation networks, and long-term development potential. Gulf South Commerce Park expands the menu of sites available to the market and strengthens the region’s ability to compete for investment opportunities that might otherwise go elsewhere.”
Recently, Gulf South Commerce Park earned a few zoning victories that will aid its marketability. In late 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce approved the Port of New Orleans’ request to expand Foreign Trade Zone No. 2 into St. Tammany Parish, meaning businesses that establish a presence in Gulf South Commerce Park are now permitted to defer, reduce, or forego duties on imported materials. Secondly, Gulf South Commerce Park is now classified AML—a zoning distinction that permits large-scale manufacturing, research and development facilities, logistics operations, and warehousing.
“The expansion of Foreign Trade Zone No. 2 into St. Tammany Parish is a significant milestone because it further integrates the Northshore into the global trade ecosystem anchored by the Port of New Orleans,” Richardson said. “Combined with the planned Louisiana International Terminal and the continued growth of the I-12 corridor, we are seeing the emergence of a logistics network that connects global markets to available land, workforce, and infrastructure opportunities throughout the region. Gulf South Commerce Park is well positioned to benefit from that growth.”
“The vision for this project has always been larger than a single industrial park,” Richardson added. “The Northshore sits at the intersection of I-10, I-12, and I-59, providing connectivity between New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the Gulf Coast, and major Southeastern markets. As freight movement, manufacturing, and distribution continue to evolve, sites like Gulf South Commerce Park give the Greater New Orleans region additional capacity to accommodate growth while creating new opportunities for businesses and residents alike.”
Churchill Technology & Business Park
(development)
Considering Jefferson Parish consists of 296 square miles of land, making it the largest parish in Louisiana if you exclude water and wetlands, it’s crazy to think that the Churchill Technology and Business Park might be the ‘final blank canvas’ when it comes to new economic development hubs.
“The rapid success in Jefferson Parish’s growth as a ‘First Ring’ suburb (of New Orleans) resulted in a scarcity of land or green spaces to develop, so in many ways Churchill Park is that Last Frontier,” JEDCO President and CEO Jerry Bologna said. “Knowing the importance of education and job-training, for many years our focus with Churchill has been institutional uses, but now we’re really at that tipping point in regard to sustainable and impactful economic development.”
Envisioned more than 20 years ago, Churchill (a nearly 500-acre mixed-use campus located on the West Bank of the Mississippi River) is already the home of the Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy – a magnet school that in its short history has become one of the top-performing secondary/college prep schools in Louisiana – and Delgado Community College’s. River City Site and Advanced Manufacturing Center – a hands-on satellite campus specializing in training students to meet the immediate workforce demands on foundational regional industries that traditionally offer high-paying careers.
With educational and government agencies anchoring the site, infrastructure development was taking place at Churchill to ready it for “future phases” of development, which, as Jerry Bologna mentioned above, are now “current” phases.
Most notably, in April 2026, local and state officials formally announced and unveiled design plans for a new, state-of-the-art Food & Beverage Incubator at Churchill that will foster culinary entrepreneurs from around the Gulf South. Once completed, the 12,500 Sq-foot facility will house four kitchens (three commercial, one teaching/demonstration), able production space, equipment for bottling, multiple freezer/room temperature storage areas, loading docks suited to handle raw materials and the staging of finished products, and on-site training and support staff.
Old Charity Hospital (redevelopment)
An iconic and vital part of New Orleans history (and, frankly, survival during several of its darkest moments) the old campus of Charity Hospital is set to serve the needs of the community once again.
Restoration specialists have begun work on re-imaging the vast 1 million sq-foot facility while preserving its architectural heritage, artistic integrity. Once finished this $600 million major renovation will be a modern mixed-use setting that serves both public and private interests. Located in New Orleans’ medical hub, the reborn Charity site will create 2,000 new jobs, be the epicenter of Tulane’s medical research division, feature up to 300 residential units for middle-income earners, and public spaces.
