On Saturday, June 13, 2020 the City moved into #PhaseTwo: Safer at Home. Under Phase 2, medium risk operations like restaurants, bars, barber shops, and businesses will be able to open with 50% capacity.  Working from home is still encouraged, if possible. People who are sick, have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, or are vulnerable to infection, should continue to stay home. For more details, see NOLA Ready's reopening guidelines. 

While the Greenway has remained open throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic, Phase Two includes some updated guidance for Greenway users.

What’s New:

• Non-contact sports are now allowed. This includes: baseball, softball, tennis, and swimming. Contact sports like basketball, football, and soccer are not allowed.  
• Large gatherings require a permit. Gatherings are limited to 100 people with one safety control officer provided per 50 people per State Fire Marshal guidelines, even in outdoor parks and spaces. Participants in gatherings must maintain six feet of distance between others and must wear masks. Learn more at ready.nola.gov
• The Greenway facilities at Sojourner Truth Neighborhood Center, including the tennis courts, playground and FitLot between N Miro and N Rocheblave remain closed until further notice. 
• Lemann pool on the Greenway will remain closed this summer. For a list of open NORD pools click here.

Social Distancing & Safety on the Greenway: Phase Two Reopening

• Don't leave home if you’re not feeling well, or if you’ve come into contact with someone with COVID-19 symptoms.
• Keep a 6 ft distance from others - The Greenway Trail is 12 feet wide, so keep to the outer edges of the trail and pass one at a time.
• Look for the least crowded path. If your schedule is flexible, try going to the Greenway when it’s less crowded, like early morning and mid-day.
• Exercise caution on fitness parks and playgrounds. While these facilities are being routinely sanitized, you should take care when touching anything that other people have touched. Sanitize your hands before and after using equipment, avoid touching your face, and if you can, bring sanitizing wipes to wipe down surfaces before and after use.
• Non-contact sports are allowed. Contact sports like soccer, football, and basketball that require close contact with others are not allowed.
• Avoid water fountains. Instead, bring your own water bottle. 
• Wash your hands with soap and water before and after you go outside. 
• You don’t need to wear a mask while exercising outdoors, but if you’re going to an outdoor gathering or taking the Greenway to get somewhere that will require you to go indoors (like an essential job, a bike shop, the grocery store or your favorite reopened bar or restaurant), be sure to bring a mask, scarf, bandana, or other face covering with you to cover your nose and mouth.
• Stay Up to Date! Be sure you're getting reliable information: check ready.nola.gov for updates about New Orleans' COVID-19 response.

Reopening Resources:

• City of New Orleans Reopening Guidelines
• NOLA Ready Assistance Resources

Announcement Date: June 17, 2020

Q&A Virtual Information Session (optional): Wednesday, June 24, 2020 | 12pm-1:15pm, Register Here

Submission Deadline: July 1, 2020

Announcement of Winner: July 10, 2020* (subject to change)

Deadline to Complete & Install: October 31, 2020

Eligibility: Landscape Design-Build firms or multidisciplinary teams (see Team Qualifications on pg. 7)

Maximum Total Budget: $39,700

Friends of Lafitte Greenway is calling on landscaping and landscape design-build firms or multidisciplinary teams to submit qualifications for the The Clarity Parks Project: Lafitte Greenway Plaza (The Plaza), a design-build project to create a visionary, active and flexible community gathering place on the Lafitte Greenway near Bayou St. John.

The project site historically served as the driveway from N. Jefferson Davis Parkway to the old Brake Tag Station motor vehicle inspection building. This March, the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORD) completed a $1.5 million renovation to transform the old Brake Tag Station facility into a new flexible community pavilion on the Lafitte Greenway. This project seeks to complement and expand the transformation of the overall site from a historic driveway for cars into a welcoming pedestrian plaza for farmers markets, community events, passive use, and programming--expanding the Greenway’s role as a cultural asset. 

Located at the central node of New Orleans bike network, and the historic crossroads of Bayou St. John and the former Carondelet Canal, The Plaza project is fueled by years of community visioning and demand, including in the 2013 Greenway Master Plan and public input at community events since the Greenway opened in 2015. Design for the Plaza will be subject to community engagement and City approval. 

The project is made possible thanks to the financial support of the Clarity Parks Project, a collaboration of the Project for Public Spaces and Claritin® to help parks and public spaces fulfill their vital role in the community. This initiative has provided grants to improve public spaces in three communities across the U.S. that have been impacted by natural disasters, including the Greenway and parks in Austin, TX, and Tulsa OK. This project will be implemented in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (NORD).

The Plaza will complement the transformation that has already begun on the site, including the below, and will help guide future investments:

The Brake Tag Pavilion - In March 2020, The City of New Orleans completed a $1.5 million renovation of the old Brake Tag Station to convert it into a community pavilion. The operator and uses of the building have not yet been determined, and are subject to public input. The Pavilion will likely include a restaurant or concessions, and flexible community programming space. 

Iris of Memory Art Installation - In 2019, Friends, NORD, and the Arts Council of New Orleans commissioned a $30,000 permanent art installation, Iris of Memory by Will Nemitoff. This iconic Iris sculpture will be installed this fall at the front of the site nearest Jeff. Davis Parkway. The sculpture will illuminate at night, and its leaves double as benches. 

The selected firm will work with the project partners, Friends of Lafitte Greenway, New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and Project for Public Spaces to design, support community engagement, and implement the project by October 31, 2020.

This is a rapid-build project with a limited budget, and great opportunity to guide the upcoming use and transformation of this central site on the Lafitte Greenway.

Learn More & Apply

Apply by July 1, 2020.

Q&A Information Session: 

Learn more about the project goals and RFQ requirements, and connect with potential teammates at a virtual Q&A Information session. 

Wednesday, June 24, 2020 | 12:00 pm-1:15 pm

via Zoom

Register Here 

By Katherine Hart 

May 13, 2020

A ray of good news has appeared through the gloom of the coronavirus pandemic: More New Orleanians are getting on their bikes and enjoying local trails and greenspace.

It’s a phenomenon many have noticed since the stay-at-home restrictions began, whether they’re among those getting out to exercise or among those observing the world from their porch or front window . Now there’s data to support it. A sustained rise in biking and walking counts has been recorded throughout the stay-at-home order by the University of New Orleans Transportation Institute.

The institute records data on pedestrian and bicycle activity from permanent, continuous counters in key locations throughout the region .

“It appears that many people are discovering or rediscovering the bicycle during this time of significantly disrupted travel behaviors and traffic patterns,” said Tara Tolford, research associate and pedestrian and bicycle outreach coordinator at UNO Transportation Institute.

By: Kathy Finn | May 31, 2019

Source: MyNewOrleans.com | Full Article

In a city where land available for commercial development is scarce, it is refreshing to see a strip of green space not only preserved, but transformed into a magnet for new activity, which is what is happening along the corridor that stretches from New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood through Mid-City.

The former railroad right-of-way now known as Lafitte Greenway is slowly becoming an oasis of outdoor fun and relaxation thanks to a 2.6-mile bicycle path, with playgrounds and pedestrian-friendly features that have taken shape there. Since the corridor’s opening in 2015, about 320,000 cyclists and pedestrians access the greenway annually, according to automated people counters monitored by local researchers.

Now, developers who recognize the growing appeal of the green space have begun re-purposing adjacent sites and renovating ramshackle structures into new housing, cafés and bars, with plans to make the Greenway a place where people will routinely come for a refreshing break in the heart of a bustling city.