WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today joined Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Shaun Donovan in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Lafitte housing redevelopment project in New Orleans. The Lafitte site suffered major damage from Hurricane Katrina and was not re-occupied after the storm.

"The Lafitte redevelopment project is a good model of how public housing can be responsibly rebuilt into quality, mixed-income communities," Sen. Landrieu said. "Lafitte will re-establish all 900 subsidized pre-Katrina apartments, and eventually will add another 600 homes for sale to working families and first-time homebuyers. This development builds upon the rich past of this community and provides great opportunities for the families that live and work here. I commend HUD, the State of Louisiana, and the developers for their work on this initiative."

The Lafitte conventional public housing development was constructed in 1941 with 896 units on a 27.2-acre site. Lafitte is located near the New Orleans central business district.

"As a strong advocate for communities that better incorporate transportation, economic development, and housing, I welcome developers' plans to restore the original street grid that was erased in the 1940s when the public housing development was built," said Sen. Landrieu. "This will reconnect residents to supportive services, local schools and churches. The Tremé community is truly a cultural treasure and there is no better neighborhood to launch HUD's 'choice' initiatives."

Due to the extent of damage suffered from Hurricane Katrina, the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) demolished the site in phases and is in the process of redeveloping it into a mixed-income community. Additionally, HANO repaired 94 units at Lafitte in 2008 for temporary occupancy while the balance of the site was being redeveloped. A total of 42 families returned to the site. Presently, all 42 families have been relocated from the property so the archaeological investigations, remediation, and demolition activities could resume April 1, 2009. Archaeological investigations of the 94 units are well under way.

The site will be developed in two phases, the first of which includes 812 units. Phase I was awarded 2006 Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding secured by Sen. Landrieu. Phase II will include 688 mixed-income rental and home-ownership units.