Concept

The proposed concept indicates (1) a 150-acre riverside container terminal, (2) a 127-acre middle Industrial Park, and (3) a rear 398-acre business, research, value-added industrial, and distribution campus. The tract could be buffered from adjacent land uses, and have planned quality growth. Alternative mixed land use concepts are also possible.

Location

The site is located on the Mississippi River (mile marker 85.5) in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It is in the jurisdiction of the Port of St. Bernard which operates the Chalmette Slip, old Kaiser Aluminum Plant site, and other riverfront assets.

Dimensions & Acreage

The site contains roughly 675 acres of prime land. The site measures about 3,300 feet (.62 miles) in width on the Mississippi River by a depth of average depth of 7,590 linear feet (1.42 miles). The rear boundary line has an irregular shape. Attached is a site map.

Water Access

The site fronts 3,300 linear feet on the Mississippi River. The river provides access to the site for various types of ships and barges. There is a narrow river batture on the western side of the site. The tract drains northward away from the river in the Debouchel Canal to the lateral 20 and 40 Arpent Canals. The 40 Arpent Canal has pumping stations that pump drainage water into the central wetlands of the Lake Borgne Basin.

Railroad Access

A single rail line operated by Norfolk Southern Railroad serves the site. The railroad has a large switching yard in nearby Arabi. Rails exit the Parish through New Orleans.

Highway Access

The site is accessed by E. St. Bernard Highway (a two-lane state road—La. 46) and E. Judge Perez Dr. (a four-lane state road--La. 39). Both of these roads connect to the West to the City of New Orleans, and to the North via Paris Road (a four-lane State Highway—La. 47) and Interstate 310 to Interstate 10. The distance from the site to Interstate 10 is about 10.5 miles. Paris Road also connects to the Algiers area of New Orleans via an automobile river ferry. Also, the State has a long-term plan to construct a major east-west road along the northern boundary of the site.


Existing Conditions

The site is undeveloped. The front portion of the site from the river to E. Judge Perez Dr. is an open pasture; the remaining northern portion is lowland woods.

Zoning

The tract is zoned “Heavy Industrial” or I-2 and is regulated by the St. Bernard Parish Zoning Ordinance. The US Corps of Engineers regulates riverfront permits and area levees.

Immediate Surrounding Land Uses

To the North of the site are thousands of acres of marshland; to the East is the St. Bernard Grove subdivision; to the South is the river levee, batture, and Mississippi River; to the West is the Cypress Gardens subdivision.

Greater Surrounding Environment

To the East of the tract is Violet and lower St. Bernard Parish; and to the West are Meraux, Chalmette, and Arabl. These areas consist of typical suburban residential and commercial uses. Adjacent is New Orleans. Along the St. Bernard Parish riverfront are several major industries and facilities. These include the Domino Sugar Refinery (largest in the USA); Exxon/Mobile Oil Refinery, Exxon Tank Farm, Valero Refinery, Boasso America, Associated Terminals, Rain CII, and Violet Ship Berths. The Violet Canal (to Lake Borgne) is just south the site.

Relationship to Other Port Facilities

Upriver of the site is the Port of St. Bernard and the Port of New Orleans. Downriver is ship harborage for vessels waiting for the signal to proceed to upriver port facilities.