The long-blighted Lindy Boggs Medical Center near Bayou St. John — shuttered since it flooded during Hurricane Katrina — could finally see new life. But its future depends on how New Orleans voters decide a set of bond propositions on Nov. 15.
Developers Bill Hoffman and Paul Flower, who have owned the 13-acre property since 2021, say the long-delayed demolition and redevelopment of the former Mercy Hospital site will move forward only if voters approve a $500 million bond sale that would help fund city-wide infrastructure and economic development projects.
Hoffman said the site, still referred to as “Mercy” by the development team, is included in two of the three propositions on the November ballot. If approved, the funds would help cover two major early costs: demolishing the decaying hospital complex and building a massive underground stormwater retention system designed to alleviate flooding in surrounding neighborhoods.
“We are listed in Prop 3 for infrastructure dollars to help defray the cost of the water retention system, which will ultimately be owned by the City,” Hoffman said. “And we’re listed in Prop 2 for economic development dollars to help defray the cost of taking down the hospital buildings.”…