Episode 291: Does Your Business Need a Facelift? NORA Can Help!

First impressions matter, but when it comes to exterior beautification efforts many times it’s just not in the budget. But for small businesses and commercial property owners in New Orleans East and Lower Ninth Ward, help is here. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority ( NORA) is offering substantial grants through its 2026 Façade RENEW Plus Program. The deadline to apply is coming up fast though, July 1, so NORA Executive Director Brenda Breaux shares everything you need to know. For more information or to apply, visit NORA’s Façade RENEW Plus Program, visit noraworks.org.

Tulane Avenue Corridor Set for Transformation as NORA Issues Conditional Award for Housing Development

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA), in partnership with the City of New Orleans Office of Community Development (OCD), announced a conditional funding award for the Tulane Avenue Redevelopment Project, a key initiative under the Strategic Redevelopment Framework to expand housing opportunities and strengthen neighborhoods. Approved by the NORA Board of Commissioners during its April meeting, the conditional award advances plans to develop a non-congregate housing facility on the 2900 block of Tulane Avenue. The project will transform a collection of underutilized, city-owned properties into a housing development designed to serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness, or otherwise meeting qualifying population definitions. The selected development partner, HRI Communities, will lead the project and, upon completion, operate the facility. “This project reflects a coordinated effort to bring underutilized property back into commerce while addressing critical housing needs in our community,” said Adrienne Celestine, Chief of Real Estate Development and Strategy at NORA. “By leveraging federal resources and strong development partners, we are advancing a model that supports both immediate housing access and long-term stability for residents.” The development will feature private, non-congregate units equipped with kitchens and bathrooms, along with supportive services designed to help residents transition to permanent housing.  The project is funded through federal HOME-ARP resources allocated to the City of New Orleans through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Through a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement, the City has designated NORA to administer these funds and oversee the redevelopment process in alignment with federal guidelines. The Tulane Avenue site spans approximately 35,000 square feet across multiple parcels, including frontage along Tulane Avenue, South Gayoso Street, and South Dupre Street. The project is part of a broader strategy to reinvest in key corridors while addressing housing instability across the city. “This is part of a clear, strategic push to reinvest in our city, turning underused, city-owned properties into real opportunities for our residents,” said Mayor Helena Moreno. “We’re being intentional about strengthening key commercial corridors like Tulane Avenue and driving meaningful growth where it matters most.” The Tulane Avenue Redevelopment Project was identified through a competitive Request for Proposals process and reflects ongoing coordination between NORA and the City under the Strategic Redevelopment Framework. The framework enables the redevelopment of underutilized City-owned properties by leasing sites to NORA, which then works with development partners to deliver housing and economic development projects. This is the first of many steps in the development process that will create housing for the city’s most vulnerable population.  NORA and its partners will continue to work closely with the development team to meet all U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirements prior to the release of funds. Additional project details, including design plans and timelines, will be shared as the project advances. Community engagement will be incorporated throughout the development process, including opportunities for public input once design concepts are available. For more information on NORA’s initiatives and programs, visit noraworks.org.Read the full aricle on Bizneworleans.com.

City could begin disbursing affordable housing funds later this year

Under a plan discussed this week, the city will use bond proceeds, rather than general fund revenue, for the trust fund and dedicate nearly $20 million to help fund more than 370 affordable units.

Two years after voters approved the measure, New Orleans’ multi-million dollar affordable housing fund — known as the Housing Trust Fund — is poised to start distributing its first installments of money.  Under a plan discussed during a Tuesday (April 28) meeting of the advisory committee that oversees the fund, the city would dedicate $19.8 million to bolster six multifamily affordable housing developments this year, including at least one that stalled after an $8 million shortfall put its gap financing from the city at risk. Schwartz said that the six deals — which include the Mazant-Royal, Esplanade Delille, Baronne Lofts, BW Cooper, Gold Seal and Meridian developments — will collectively deliver more than 370 affordable apartments in New Orleans.  Because of the city’s ongoing budget crisis, the plan calls for the funding to come from bond proceeds rather than recurring dollars from the city’s general fund, at least for its first year. There wasdebate among some affordable housing advocates last fall — when voters were considering whether to approve the sale of a $45 million bond for affordable housing — whether the bond would ultimately be used to backfill the Housing Trust Fund. Approved as a 2024 charter amendment, the Housing Trust Fund was pitched as a stable, recurring pot of local money — an amount that is equal to least 2% of the city’s general fund each year — that an advisory committee would steer toward affordable housing projects, independent of one‑time grants or annual budget cuts. Some critics worried that once voters approved $45 million in borrowing, the city might lean on bond proceeds rather than setting aside 2% of its own general fund. Supporters, including District B Councilmember Lesli Harris, argued the bond was intended to help finance larger multifamily projects that the annual trust fund alone could not sustain. Voters ultimately approved the bond proposition.  “I want to acknowledge that that is not a situation that anybody wanted or hoped for, but it is simply a recognition of the pragmatic reality of where we are today as a city,” said Jeff Schwartz, the city’s director of housing, community development and special projects at Tuesday’s meeting. “The elephant in the room that I just want to acknowledge is that the city does not have general fund dollars in order to be able to fund this right now. Anybody who’s been reading the news knows that to be the case.” According to Schwartz, the current plan is to sell $32 million in bonds, or about 70% of the $45 million approved by voters, this summer — and combine that with $4 million in re-obligated older bonds for a total of $36 million for affordable housing this year, more than the roughly $14.6 million the Housing Trust Fund initially expected to receive.  The administration’s proposal is to then use that $36 million for a two‑track strategy: First, fully funding the Housing Trust Fund at $16 million this year — splitting that money between initiatives dedicated to affordable homeownership, rental supply expansion and rental preservation, as well as administrative costs — and then using the remaining $19.8 million to bolster six multifamily affordable housing developments.   The administration will then use the remaining $13 million in affordable housing bond money, the last 30% of the $45 million approved by voters, to fund the Housing Trust Fund in 2027. That $13 million will be divided between three multifamily developments, which will receive approximately $10.5 million, and other affordable housing initiatives, which will receive $2.5 million.  The advisory committee is not being asked to vote on the bond deployment plan yet. According to co-chair Maxwell Ciardullo, a vote from the Housing Trust Fund committee is likely to come in May. But Schwartz noted that the New Orleans City Council earlier this month approved an ordinance to allow the city to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and Finance New Orleans, to administer Housing Trust Fund dollars.  “We are now finally at long last at a point where we can now get those dollars out the door and really operationalize it,” Schwartz said.Read the full article on Veritenews.org.

NORA backs Tulane Avenue housing project

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority has issued a conditional funding award for a housing development along Tulane Avenue, marking a step forward in the city’s efforts to expand housing access and redevelop underused properties. The award, approved during NORA’s April board meeting in partnership with the City of New Orleans Office of Community Development, advances plans for the Tulane Avenue Redevelopment Project. The initiative calls for transforming several city-owned parcels on the 2900 block into a non-congregate housing facility aimed at serving individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. HRI Communities was selected as the development partner and is expected to lead construction and operate the site upon completion. Adrienne Celestine, NORA’s chief of real estate development and strategy, said the project reflects a broader push to bring underutilized properties back into productive use while addressing critical housing shortages. She noted the effort leverages federal funding and private-sector collaboration to support both immediate housing needs and long-term stability for residents. Plans call for private units equipped with kitchens and bathrooms, along with on-site supportive services designed to help residents transition into permanent housing. Funding for the project comes from HOME-ARP resources allocated through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Under a cooperative agreement, the city has tasked NORA with administering the funds and overseeing redevelopment in compliance with federal guidelines. The site spans roughly 35,000 square feet across multiple parcels along Tulane Avenue, South Gayoso Street and South Dupre Street. Officials say the project is part of a broader strategy to reinvest in key corridors while addressing housing instability across New Orleans. Mayor Helena Moreno said the initiative represents a targeted effort to convert underused public assets into opportunities for residents while strengthening commercial corridors. The project emerged from a competitive request-for-proposals process and is part of the city’s Strategic Redevelopment Framework, which enables NORA to lease and redevelop city-owned properties in partnership with private developers. Officials said the conditional award represents an early phase of the development process. The project must still meet requirements set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development before funding is released. Additional details, including design plans and construction timelines, are expected to be released as the project progresses. Community engagement efforts, including opportunities for public input, will be incorporated in later stages.Read the full article on Neworleanscitybusiness.com.