After failing to convince people that moving New Orleans City Hall into Municipal Auditorium in Treme is a good idea, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration is proposing building a new city hall. It would be on state-owned land across Perdido Street from the current city hall.
However, it would take state approval in order to make it happen, and so far, Governor John Bel Edwards' administration is not interested in the terms Cantrell is offering.
The Cantrell administration is proposing a land swap, exchanging the land that the Civil District Court building currently occupies, plus some city streets and green space near the Superdome, in exchange for Duncan Plaza and the parking garage on the west side of the plaza.
State officials say they would rather have the land under the present city hall. But the city does not want the state to become their landlord until they can move into a new city hall.
"We don't want Jeff Landry to evict us," a city official told NOLA.com. The conservative Republican Attorney General is the front-runner to win the governor's race this fall.
The state also disagrees with the value of the streets and land near the Superdome. The city is claiming it is worth $19 million. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne says the city as recently as 2018 valued Dave Dixon Drive, which runs between the Dome and the Smoothie King Center; and LaSalle Street, between the Dome and Champion Square, at $9.1 million.
Rep. Candace Newell (D-New Orleans) has authored legislation for the land swap, House Bill 505.
