New Orleanians and Louisiana residents as a whole could benefit from a revitalized and thriving Canal Street, and that’s been a focus moving forward according to Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. He told WWL’s Tommy Tucker that he would like to create more residential living in the spaces above the shops that line Canal Street to create a more local base for future businesses.
“We’ve got to find a way to utilize those upstairs buildings above those shops. Whether it’s apartments or something to bring more people into that corridor … and do it wisely to where it doesn’t hurt other businesses. But, we have these buildings that are 4,5,6 stories tall and need to use that extra space for offices, housing, or something,” Nungesser explained.
The Lieutenant Governor also noted that safety is a top priority in the current planning, both when it comes to crime prevention and access in and out of the multi-story Canal Street. “We’re on a mission to save the French Quarter and bring it back to what it used to be,” says Nungesser. A huge part of that, he says, is ensuring the buildings being occupied are easily accessible to all who are using them. “The challenge is giving people a safe exit without going through the shops on the bottom. Those are the challenges of making Canal Street all it can be,” he went on to emphasize.
Nungesser noted that having an active local clientele in the same space as higher end retail would maximize the square footage of the buildings in the area and lead to a better breed of businesses populating the iconic street. The Lieutenant Governor is also not above incentivizing businesses to open shop along the iconic Canal Street. “Even if we’ve got to put incentives for those types of shops that would draw more people, that’s something that we’re looking at,” Nungesser noted. He added that he would also like to see a return to more live music being played along the street as most of that entertainment has moved outside of the French Quarter in recent years.
Ultimately, Lt. Governor Nungesser is hoping a multi-pronged approach that emphasizes safety, accessibility, and a higher quality of shop throughout the corridor will more consistently draw locals to the area as well as attracting the tourists who frequent New Orleans year after year. “Canal Street is such an important part of New Orleans. We need it to be the best version of itself it can be,” emphasized Nungesser.