HRI Properties recently broke ground on a fourth phase of construction at a large housing development in New Orleans.
Josh Collen, vice president of development for HRI, says Phase IV of the 23-acre Bienville Basin District covers 182,000 sq ft of space with 164 mixed-income apartment units spread across eight buildings. Collen says the six new buildings in the phase will be "stick built" with a style complementing the surrounding historic neighborhoods. Buildings will be clad in traditional materials of stucco, brick and lap siding, while adhering to the latest energy and hurricane codes.
Phase IV also includes the renovation of two historic structures built in 1940. HRI must follow strict preservation standards mandated by the Dept. of the Interior. Collen says existing 70-year-old terra cotta roof tiles must be delicately removed and replaced to allow for a waterproof substrate to be installed. He says the installation of modern building systems must also accommodate the space limitations of the existing structures.
"We've completed eight similar buildings so the team has a roadmap to follow now," says Collen.
The cost of construction is estimated to be $45 million. HCI Architecture is the architect of record and Woodward Design+Build is the general contractor. Previous phases included the demolition and infrastructure wo4rk which included the reoncstruction of the historic street grid and the installation of new utilities and right-of-way improvements.
Collen says crews are currently driving piles. New construction buildings will be delivered on a staged basis between October 2017 and April 2017.
Phase IV is the latest in the $600 million redevelopment of the old Iberville public housing projects. Originally constructed in the 1940s under the Wagner Bill, the Iberville projects had more than 800 units and fell into decay over the years before being damaged and shuttered after Hurricane Katrina. The redevelopment by the Housing Authority of New Orleans started in the fall of 2013 and preserves sixteen of the 76 original buildings.
Collen says 227 apartments have so far been delivered in the first three phases. "There's already a waiting list for the next phase. We couldn't be more pleased about how this transformational public-private partnership is progressing," says Collen.