President’s Message: It’s a New Day in New Orleans!
Last week, we celebrated the Grand Opening of Mid-City Market in New Orleans. This Winn-Dixie anchored, urban shopping center is a milestone for Stirling Properties, as it’s our largest ground-up shopping center development in the City of New Orleans in our company’s 37 year history! It also represents one of the most significant retail developments in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, taking once blighted and vacant properties and returning them to commerce. This project creates over 500 new jobs and generates projected annual retail sales of over $61 Million.
Mid-City Market is the culmination of over 4 years of work and it was a challenge to put (and keep) all the pieces together. Few companies could take on a project of this complexity and succeed, but Stirling Properties was up for this challenge.
I want to commend our incredible team who worked on this project for a job well done! There were many points in time where it looked like the deal was dead, but our Stirling team worked diligently to complete it. It was through their hard work and perseverance that this inner-city project materialized.
I also want to commend Mayor Mitch Landrieu for his vision and leadership and Councilwoman Susan Guidry for her incredible support and drive to help make this a reality for Mid-City.
The Mid-City Market project is a result of over $40 Million in private investment and demonstrates our strong belief in the City of New Orleans and the civic and business leadership which has created an environment where businesses are confident to invest. A plethora of national and regional rankings paint a truly remarkable picture of New Orleans as THE city on the move, which is in stark contrast to previous decades.
This project, combined with our other projects completed to date, brings Stirling’s investments to over $120 Million in the City of New Orleans in just the last 3 years. All of us at Stirling Properties are confident in the direction of New Orleans, and Mid-City Market shows our continued commitment to the market. This project was the first for us in many ways and certainly will not be the last.
Louisiana Rising in the National Rankings
As the International Council of Shopping Center’s (ICSC’s) State Director for Louisiana, I recently contributed an article for the July 2013 edition of our Quarterly Membership Newsletter that I’d like to share:
As the returning ICSC State Director, I am extremely excited about the progress that we are making in the State of Louisiana on a number of fronts. Most importantly for our retail industry the economic and business growth trends continue to show a phenomenal trend for the region. Over the last 5 years, Louisiana has risen significantly across numerous national rankings – and the accolades keep coming! It’s hard to keep up with all the good news, which is a great problem to have. Highlighted below for quick reference are some of the rankings earned by the State of Louisiana over just the last quarter – very impressive for a state that was traditionally on the bottom of every list.
Louisiana Rankings – 2nd Quarter 2013:
- Top 10 Most Entrepreneurial States
CNN Money, June 2013
- #1 State with the Most Engaged Employees (most involved & enthusiastic)
Gallup, June 2013
- 2nd in the U.S. for construction job growth from May 2012 to May 2013
Associated General Contractors of America, June 2013
- 11th among “Best/Worst States for Business” based on CEO survey (most improved in the U.S. over the past 4 years, up 33 spots since 2009)
Chief Executives, May 2013
- Top 5 State in the U.S. for worldwide exporting in 1st Quarter 2013
World Trade Center of New Orleans, May 2013
- #2 Best States for Retirement
Bankrate.com, May 2013
- #7 among “Top Ten Competitive States of 2012”
Site Selection, May 2013
- 2nd Least Stressed State in 2012
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, April 2013
- 1 of 6 states experiencing the largest increases in entrepreneurial activity rates over the past decade; 9th for 2010 to 2012 Entrepreneurial Activity with a rate of 400 per 100,000 residents (U.S. 300 per 100,000)
Kauffman Index, April 2013
- 2nd fastest revenue growth (up 170%) and 4th fastest growth in number (up 84%) of women-owned firms from 1997 to 2013
The State of Women-Owned Businesses, March 2013
- 12th in the U.S. for per-capita economic development project wins
Site Selection’s 2012 Governor’s Cup, March 2013
- Record-breaking $63.2 billion in merchandise exports in 2012, growing 15% over 2011
International Trade Administration, March 2013
- 3rd Best State for Banking
MoneyRates.com, March 2013
Louisiana’s cities and metro areas are also commanding positive national attention. Summarized below are some of the rankings earned over just the last quarter in these areas.
Notable Metro/City Rankings – 2nd Quarter 2013:
- Lafayette #1 overall among 100 Leading Locations in the U.S. for economic & job growth; #1 for Economic Strength, Year-Over-Year Growth & “Recession-Busting” factors among Top 25 Mid-Size Cities
Area Development’s Leading Locations for 2013, Summer 2013
- New Orleans and Shreveport among Top 20 Fastest Growing Cities in U.S.
NerdWallet.com, June 2013
- New Orleans is America’s Fastest Growing City
Forbes, June 2013
- New Orleans #3 among “Big Cities Winning the Battle for Information Jobs”
Forbes, May 2013
- Benteler Steel/Tube in Shreveport among “Top North American Deals of 2012” – 2nd largest investment in the U.S. during 2012
Site Selection, May 2013
- New Orleans #2 “Boomtown” in America, based on population and GDP growth
Bloomberg, April 2013
- Baton Rouge and Alexandria among “25 Best Places to Retire” out of 400 total U.S. cities
Forbes, March 2013
- New Orleans & Baton Rouge among Top 30 Best Cities for Young Entrepreneurs 2013
Under30CEO, March 2013
Louisiana has fared relatively well during the Great Recession and the national rankings show it. National and trade publications are taking notice and businesses are too. Louisiana is well positioned for a great future.
Grand Opening of Mid-City Market
Stirling Properties’ largest ground-up Retail Development in New Orleans
Today, Stirling Properties celebrates the grand opening of Mid-City Market, located at North Carrollton Avenue and Bienville Street in New Orleans. The 108,763 square-foot shopping center, anchored by a 54,390 square-foot Winn-Dixie, represents one the of the most significant retail developments in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. This highly anticipated urban development brings new retailers to an established, historical neighborhood. The Honorable Mayor Mitch Landrieu commented that, “Mid-City Market is proof that New Orleans is building back better than before. This project took once blighted and vacant properties and transformed them into a retail and restaurant hub for the community. It’s another example of a strong public-private partnership delivering new jobs, new tax revenue and new energy to this important corridor. The project also will nicely complement the nearby Lafitte Greenway, the linear park that will link neighborhoods and spur activity and redevelopment across the city.” Mid-City Market is a result of over $40 Million in private investment, illustrating Stirling’s continued commitment to the market. The center creates over 500 new jobs in the area. Mid-City Market was designed to complement and address the proposed Lafitte Greenway pedestrian and bicycle pathway that is scheduled to begin construction later this year and will border the shopping center. “We have been diligently pursuing this development for the better part of 4 years. Completing this project is the culmination of a great deal of work by many people. It is extremely gratifying for us all to see the fruits of our labor, this project is very exciting for the future of the City of New Orleans and the Mid-City neighborhood,” states Townsend Underhill, Senior Vice President of Development at Stirling Properties. To commemorate the Grand Opening, special guests Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Councilwoman Susan Guidry, and Winn-Dixie’s Regional Vice President Karena Niblett will attend. Stirling Properties’ President and CEO Marty Mayer and Senior Vice President of Development Townsend Underhill will address the audience at the event.
Tenants Now Open Winn-Dixie Office Depot Jefferson Feed Pet & Garden Center Panera Bread Pizza Hut LA Nails Spa
Tenants Opening Soon Verizon Wireless Felipe’s Taqueria Five Guys Burgers and Fries Pei Wei Asian Diner Ochsner Urgent Care Clinic Pinkberry GNC
For development inquires, contact Townsend Underhill, Senior Vice President of Development for Stirling Properties, at tunderhill@stirlingprop.com or by phone at 985-246-3785. For information about leasing opportunities, contact Rick Skelding, Senior Broker Associate, at rskelding@stirlingprop.com or by phone at 504-620-8126.
Mid-City Market AFTER
Mid-City Market AFTER – Winn-Dixie and Plaza Buildings
Mid-City Market AFTER – Winn-Dixie
Stirling Communities Update: Tiger Manor Improvements Completed!
Since our last Stirling Communities update, Tiger Manor has come a long way and the renovations are 100% complete! The $1.4 Million in renovations were completed a couple months ago and included these major renovations:
- Complete exterior repaint of all buildings
- New primary entrance road off E. State Street
- Card Access Security Gate Systems
- New management office
- Pool Renovations
- Landscaping and Irrigation
- Parking Lot Repairs
Tiger Manor is currently experiencing a strong summer lease-up season with 5% rental increases on average on the new leases being signed.
Mobile, Alabama Garners International Attention
I wanted to share this article from Mobile’s Press-Register, “Mobile Chamber President: Area Must Capitalize on ‘Great Window of Opportunity’ after 2013 Paris Air Show,” that highlights how Mobile is now seen internationally as a new center for aviation and aerospace.
It is a great article about the surging Mobile, Alabama market and it underscores the reasons why Stirling is opening an office there this year. This office will not only serve this growing economy, but also anchor the eastern side of the Interstate 10 corridor for us.
Will Barrois, our Vice President and Regional Manager for Alabama and Florida added, “The future of Mobile is bright and the area is poised for growth. Our active customer base is looking forward to us expanding our presence there.”
Stirling Properties Hosts Tour of Mid-City Market Development Under Construction
Last week, Stirling Properties and VergesRome Architects hosted a building and site construction tour of Mid-City Market in New Orleans for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Louisiana, prior to the center opening to the public. Approximately 50 people attended the event, ranging from real estate professionals, designers, and developers to interested neighbors and residents. The event gave ULI members and non-members the opportunity to hear from the project team related to design, construction, deal structure, tenancy, and many other items related to the collaborative urban neighborhood development process.
Architects Chip Verges and Michael Roussel of VergesRome Architects discuss design themes and architectural challenges associated with the Mid-City Market development in New Orleans.
Located at the northwest corner of North Carrollton Avenue and Bienville Street in Mid-City New Orleans, Mid-City Market is a 107,000 square-foot, grocery-anchored urban infill shopping center. Stirling broke ground on the project in March 2012 and will be opening the project to the public with Winn-Dixie in late July. Prior to Stirling’s acquisition and development of the roughly $35 million project, the 6.5 acre site sat vacant and blighted since Hurricane Katrina. Designed by Mid-City architecture firm VergesRome Architects, the building and site design incorporate extensive pedestrian features, contextual urban and adaptive reuse architecture, and will complement the future Lafitte Greenway adjacent to the site.
Stirling Properties is a proud sponsor of the Urban Land Institute and is pleased to be involved with its activities in Louisiana. For more information about the Mid-City Market development or Stirling Properties, contact Jordi Goodman, Development Manager, at 985-898-2022 or at jgoodman@stirlingprop.com. For leasing information, contact Henry Spain, Sales and Leasing Agent at 504-620-8147 or at hspain@stirlingprop.com.
