More than 20 years after Hurricane leveled the area, is West End poised for a comeback?
New Orleans and Jefferson Parish leadership announced Thursday that they have agreed on a coordinated effort to redevelop the area.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said for years, the holdup was that the city was insisting on getting more than a 50-50 split.
"I chose progress over delays, I chose people and community over getting a few extra dollars, because ultimately what was happening was we were getting nothing," Moreno said at an event announcing the partnership.
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said for too long, the region has been going without a potential economic engine.
"I want to go back to a 1896 Times-Picayune guidebook," said Sheng. "(It) referred to West End as 'the Coney Island of New Orleans, because of its number of hotels and restaurants and all sorts of devices for public amusement.'"
Restaurants like Bruning's and Sid-Mar's drew regular crowds of diners to West End until Hurricane Katrina destroyed them in 2005. While many would like to see the return of over-water dining, State Representative Stephanie Hilferty says that aspect of West End will be harder to re-create.
"Those were all over and out into the water, and with the 17th Street Canal pumping station being where it is, it is unlikely and it won't happen that we will have restaurants into the water because we don't want to impede the flow of that pump station," she said.
Hilferty spearheaded the creation of the West End Economic Development District. Signed into law last month by Gov. Jeff Landry, the five-member district will oversee the redevelopment of the four acres near the 17th Street Canal.
