Depending on who you ask, 2005 could seem like it was just yesterday or a lifetime ago. And while that year was less than two decades ago, how this country and the world have changed in that timespan is quite shocking when you take a closer look.
One of the defining moments of the fifth year of the 21st century was the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, which barreled down on the southeast United States, particularly Louisiana, in August 2005. In the end, the hurricane claimed the lives of 1,392 people and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. One of the constant reminders of this tragedy has been the long-abandoned site of what was once Six Flags New Orleans. During Hurricane Katrina, the theme park was leveled and has never reopened. Despite this, most of the attractions remained intact, acting like ghosts from a time when the location was lively and fun-filled, not colorless and decaying.
Over the years, ideas and plans for the lands have come forward, but nothing has ever come to fruition. Even former Saints QB Drew Brees once threw his hat into consideration as part of a group that proposed a logistics hub, complete with an urban farm and outdoor education facilities. However, every idea never moved very far at all, that is, until now.
However, a new $900-million redevelopment master plan for the lands was recently unveiled to the public.
The plan calls for 30 acres of outdoor sports fields and almost 185,000 square feet of indoor basketball and volleyball courts and training facilities.
The outdoor space would include a FIFA-size soccer field, regulation Little League fields, NCAA softball fields, four acres of shade structures, and parking for more than 3,000 vehicles.
The indoor portion would include eight NBA-sized basketball courts, 16 regulation volleyball courts, one championship arena court with seating, and 15,000 square feet of performance training space.
Other elements include a water park resort with two hotels, retail space, movie studios, and go-karts.
While financing still needs to be finalized and no tenants have signed on, this plan has already gone further than any other.
While optimism should remain tepid for now, it’s great to see sports playing such a large part in the revitalization of this site, which has sadly been a reminder of those tragic days of 2005.
