METAIRIE, La. — The deadline has now come and gone for proposals to redevelop the empty Metairie Towers condo complex. It is another step toward getting condo owners a payout after years of uncertainty.
Metairie Towers has been empty since Hurricane Ida when high wind ripped part of the roof off. Months later, a contractor trying to repair the electrical and water systems inside the building accidentally flooded the building. In September of 2022 residents were told they would be able to return in twelve months. That date came and went. In October, the board that controls the complex voted to put it up for sale rather than continue to renovate it.
Developers submitted proposals for the future of the building until Friday’s deadline. Ron Carter, President of the Board, told WWL Louisiana neither he nor members have seen the proposals yet. He said realtor Shaun McCarthy is compiling them and will pass them on to the board.
“It'll be an end to a really long and arduous process they've been through,” said McCarthy of Metairie Towers’ hundreds of residents, “these people who've been through a lot.”
A successful redevelopment would also be a boon to the community, especially if it becomes another multi-family housing complex, said Jefferson Parish Council Member Jennifer Van Vrancken. “There's really a lack of places where people can buy a condominium in Jefferson Parish,” she said. Metairie Towers houses 219 units. Van Vrancken added that because of the way the property is zoned, turning it into anything besides multi-family housing would mean an extra step for the next developer.
Some of the proposals would leave the building intact and others would tear it down and start over, according to McCarthy. He said the board may even choose “two or three” proposals then decide on a winner later.
Carter told WWL Louisiana the price will depend on what the eventual future developer has planned. He and the rest of the board will start reviewing proposals on Monday.
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