Official Statement from The City of New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans today issued the following statement regarding the Pontalba Building:
On Friday, March 1, the City of New Orleans released an official statement to all media outlets regarding the status of the renovation project at the Pontalba Building. Since that official City statement was released, several inaccurate remarks have been circulating regarding the Pontalba Building.
Any statements or sources-say reports are again not accurate and not a fair representation regarding the Office of Mayor, and not a respectful decorum towards the hard work and dedicated efforts of Mayor Cantrell. In addition, the suggestion that the Mayor is somehow holding up the process regarding the renovation of the building and rental market availability is incorrect. Even before the City Council Ordinance was passed authorizing the return of the Pontalba apartment to the French Market Corporation, the Mayor has not used that apartment.
What is correct is that the Mayor is leading the way on productive City investments.
The process stated below is not about a single apartment. It is about a multimillion-dollar investment into this historic French Quarter building. Reports or statements that suggest it is a prudent financial step to move forward with renovation work on a single unit would not benefit the City or French Market Corporation.
With the amount of positive work currently underway being done by a dedicated City workforce and the strong economic plans for 2025, this is a counter-productive issue. The correct status of the Pontalba Building is simply not being conveyed to the public.
Regardless of the misinformation, Mayor Cantrell is committed to doing the work in collaboration with City and State partners and will continue to demonstrate her firm commitment to putting the people of New Orleans first over politics while remaining focused on moving this City Forward Together.
Statement from the City of New Orleans
Pontalba Building Renovation
March 1, 2024
The City of New Orleans is set to invest in a multimillion-dollar building-wide renovation package for the Historic Pontalba Building, and the City is currently in the early stages of drafting a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) with the French Market Corporation that could range to over a $10 million City renovation investment.
Once the City's CEA is completed with all the necessary elements, the public will be notified, and the process will then move to the renovation phase for the Pontalba Building. The renovation is slated to take over 18 months to complete.
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