GNO, Inc. Sunday Night Highlight: New Year, Newlab 💫
This week marked a milestone for the former Naval Support Activity (NSA) site in Bywater, a hulking 1.5 million square-foot site on the Mississippi River, that has been waiting for redevelopment for over a decade – groundbreaking was held on a project set to deliver hundreds of new homes, neighborhood-serving retail, and one of the most renowned technology accelerators in the world.
The first phase is anchored by the “NSA East Apartments,” a redevelopment by Lincoln Avenue Communities that will convert the former federal complex into a mixed-use site featuring nearly 300 affordable housing units and retail. In addition, the project will launch Newlab New Orleans, the nation’s top technology commercialization platform, which will provide a home for nascent companies in energy and maritime. Newlab has a track record of success in New York City and Detroit, as well as Montevideo and Riyadh.
NSA by the numbers:
- 294 housing units in the first phase
- 37,000 square feet of retail
- 30,000 square foot Newlab New Orleans facility
- 20-acre total redevelopment footprint
GNO, Inc. was central to making Newlab New Orleans a reality.
Conversations with Newlab began four years ago, as GNO, Inc. and partners sought to drive innovation in the energy and maritime sectors. A major catalyst was GNO, Inc. winning a $50 million EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge award in 2022, which helped drive funding and the partnerships behind Newlab. Working alongside Louisiana Economic Development, the City of New Orleans, the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL), Louisiana State University, Shell, and other partners, GNO, Inc. coordinated the money and organizations required to bring Newlab in New Orleans. Another turning point was when local developer Brian Gibbs – who was also key to GNO, Inc.’s successful Super Bowl LIX effort – agreed that Newlab would be an excellent complement to his vision for the NSA, adding economic opportunity to the housing and retail mix.
There are many individuals and entities who have been at the table for this NSA journey, including U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, U.S. Congressman Troy Carter, State Senators Royce Duplessis and Joe Bouie, State Representative Candace Newell, City of New Orleans Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarusso III, City Councilmembers J.P. Morrell, Freddie King, and Lesli Harris, Louisiana Housing Corporation, Housing Authority New Orleans, among many others.
Newlab is slated to open this year.
