The City of New Orleans released a Request for Qualifications, which seeks a Master Developer for the former Six Flags theme park in New Orleans East.
The decaying theme park has been vacant for more than a decade. The city tried several times to find a developer that can revitalize the site but have struggled to land a developer.
The city is trying again to find a developer with the experience, and resources to reimagine the site and bring economic development to the city and the New Orleans East area.
The RFQ opens December 16, with developer responses excepted up to February 9, 2021.
The city has some objectives that the new developer must achieve for the 227-acre property.
- Create a catalytic economic development anchor project that will spur job creation and investment in alignment with the City’s priority economic development industries
- Bring the site back into commerce as an amenity that will benefit the community and make use of the site’s strategic assets and location
- Create a coherent, unified environment through integration of adjacent land uses and spaces, emphasizing green and blue site design elements
- Spur vibrancy in the New Orleans economy by providing new, well-paying permanent jobs in priority industries and/or industries appropriate to the site
“The Six Flags site is a generational opportunity to create a transformative project at one of the best redevelopment sites in the region,” said Jeff Schwartz, Director, Office of Economic Development.
“While we are well aware of the historic challenges with the site, the City is deeply committed to ensuring that this solicitation results in the successful redevelopment of the Six Flags property. The City is looking forward to partnering with a development team that has a track record of success bringing multifaceted, forward-thinking projects to fruition that achieve the benefits of economic and community development, job creation, blue and green infrastructure, and more. Bringing this site back into commerce is a commitment of the Administration to the New Orleans East community and the City, and the first step in that process has been taken today,”
“The New Orleans Business Alliance is excited to partner with the City to market the opportunity to redevelop this key site that serves as the gateway to New Orleans,” said Quentin Messer, President and CEO, New Orleans Business Alliance.
“NOLABA has cultivated a vast network of local, regional and national real estate development organizations and we’ll be activating that network throughout this process. Redevelopment of the Jazzland/Six Flags site has the potential to drive job growth, create opportunities for local neighborhood businesses and represent proof of the economic vitality for New Orleans East, the entire city and entire region.”
The New Orleans East Six Flags theme park originally opened in 2000 as the $130 million Jazzland theme park. The amusement park was acquired by Six Flags in 2002, but did not reopen after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has remained shuttered since then.
