Fat City could finally be getting the spark locals have been waiting on. After years of empty storefronts and stalled redevelopment, parish officials and the Metairie Business Development District are rolling out plans for a compact leisure park and more parking that they hope will turn the low-rise strip around Edenborn Avenue and 17th Street into a true destination.
As reported by NOLA.com, the proposed Fat City Leisure Park would pack a lot into a relatively small footprint. Plans call for a stroll garden, an oak grove, a children’s play area and four bioswales, plus a 14,320-square-foot lawn set up for events and a 7,000-square-foot pocket park on the former Crazy Johnnie’s site. A 12,000-square-foot parking area and a larger Edenborn lot with up to 75 pay-to-park spaces are also on the table. Project leaders peg the total price at about $17 million, with roughly $11.7 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds and about $5.4 million in state money expected to cover the cost.
What Parcels Officials Are Targeting
Parish documents show the Edenborn parcel and nearby lots are the prime focus of the push. Meeting materials from Jefferson Parish outline acquisition steps for 3133 Edenborn Ave., laying out a coordinated plan between the parish and the development district. Officials say that paperwork is meant to clear the title, finish environmental testing and get the property ready for demolition and construction.
How The District Is Moving It Forward
The Metairie Business Development District has signed off on a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Jefferson Parish to tap CDBG money for architectural and engineering work. The Metairie Business Development District board minutes show the panel also authorized a reimbursable deposit of up to $10,000 toward buying 3133 Edenborn Ave. The same records note that appraisals are underway and staff are lining up environmental testing and outreach to regional partners, all of it aimed at smoothing the path from purchase to demolition and, eventually, construction.
Neighbors, Money And A Snag
Supporters are pitching the park as a magnet for fresh investment rather than just a nicer lawn. “It’s supposed to be the catalyst to get things to develop around it,” Metairie Business Development District chair Dana Pecoraro told NOLA.com, while board member Tommy Cvitanovich said upgrades will draw more interest and more people. One complication is the former Crazy Johnnie’s building, where negotiations to buy the property are still in progress and tangled in bankruptcy proceedings, a hitch that could slow the timeline…