The French Market Revitalization Project is a comprehensive effort designed to strengthen the entire French Market for the benefit of the surrounding Vieux Carre and the larger New Orleans community. The Market has long been associated with its adjacent neighborhood and has a history of serving the entire City, initially as a source of meat, fish and fresh produce, and now as a vibrant retail, restaurant and trading center. The goal of this project is to restore the Market’s authenticity and sense of place through a series of physical improvements (such as deferred maintenance, improvements in infrastructure and amenities, upgrades to buildings and facilities, and improved traffic and pedestrian flow) that are consistent with the Market’s historical character. The project seeks to celebrate the Market’s cultural identity and reconnect it with its community.
In the fall of 2004, the Project Team conducted a study of the needs for the revitalization of the French Market facilities and adjacent areas, and collected input from various stakeholder groups. The needs assessment identified dozens of issues, ranging from maintenance needed in specific buildings and tenant spaces, to opportunities that could improve the shopping experience and the success of the vendors and tenants. The overall project will be conducted in at least two phases, one to be implemented in the near term, and others to be pursued over the next 2-5 years.
Based on the needs assessment, the Team prepared a Concept Plan for the Market Revitalization, which identified the areas of the Market that will be addressed in the design phase and provided a general glimpse of what and where the work will be focused. The Team has now completed the design phase, where the concepts have been expanded into actual images of what these items might look like. We currently expect to be breaking ground in the early fall of 2005.
http://www.frenchmarket.org/progress/
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