The city of New Orleans and the owners of what would have been the Hard Rock Hotel agreed during a court hearing today on a plan to demolish the partially-collapsed structure at Canal and North Rampart streets.
A city attorney said that the plan's approval remains subject to the owners paying the city appropriate costs.
A lawyer for the developer says demolition contractors could be on site as soon as Monday, if the city signs off on a permit before the end of the day. The entire process is expected to take six months, with demolition occurring in four stages, and cranes could be on scene within ten days.
The hotel was under construction when part of several floor collapsed on to one another on Saturday, October 12. Three workers were killed. Only one body has been recovered.
Plans submitted earlier this month by the owners, 1031 Canal Development, LLC, abandoned plans for a controlled implosion and instead propose to remove material floor-by-floor.