Port NOLA Adopts PIER Plan

Written by Andrew Corselli
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The cover of the adopted PIER Plan. Photo via: Port NOLA.

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) Board of Commissioners has adopted the Port NOLA Inner Harbor Economic Revitalization Plan (PIER Plan)—a collaborative vision to revitalize the Inner Harbor Industrial corridor, increase commercial activity and create jobs for area residents.

The PIER Plan, a collaborative planning project with the City of New Orleans, focuses on future development of the Port’s Inner Harbor and was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Other key partners include the Regional Planning Commission (RPC), Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. A stakeholder panel helped provide input and feedback over the course of more than two years of data gathering, analysis and public meetings.

The Port NOLA Strategic Master Plan, adopted in 2018, laid out a bold vision for the next 20 years and a roadmap for growth that identified a need for regional freight-based economic development. This planning effort provided the framework for the PIER Plan.

To view the entire adopted plan, click here.

“Together with tenants, operators and partners, Port NOLA serves as an economic catalyst that drives global trade and local prosperity,” said Brandy D. Christian, President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans and CEO of the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. “The PIER Plan and its focus on the Inner Harbor will guide the Port’s short, medium and long-term goals toward that prosperity. We know that revitalization and future development cannot be done in a vacuum, and we were gratified to engage and work with a diverse range of stakeholders in the process.”

“The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s Brownfields Program has enjoyed working with Port NOLA and their partners on the development of the PIER Plan,’’ said Rebecca Otte, LDEQ’s Statewide Brownfield Coordinator. “We hope that this plan will support the Port’s efforts to revitalize the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal corridor, redevelop vacant and underutilized properties and attract businesses that will provide living wage jobs for the community.”

“The Regional Planning Commission supports the Port of New Orleans’ planning efforts,” said Adam Tatar, RPC’s Brownfields Coordinator. “The PIER Plan was drafted with extensive stakeholder involvement and technical expertise, and it will help to guide the use of EPA funds under our joint Brownfield Assessment Grant.”

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