Renderings: Lincoln Beach's redevelopment plans in New Orleans
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One of the concepts for Lincoln Beach calls for an elevated facility with a waterfront restaurant and rooftop pool. Rendering: Courtesy of the City of New Orleans/Sasaki
New Orleans leaders are looking to transform Lincoln Beach with a waterfront restaurant, skate park, rooftop pool, drive-in movie theater, boardwalk and fishing piers.
Why it matters: They need input to narrow down what features residents want at the historic Black beach.
The big picture: Lincoln Beach is expected to reopen in time for next summer, making it the city's first public beach in decades.
- It will only have the basics at that point to provide safe access to the waterfront, said Cheryn Robles, the city's environmental affairs administrator in the Office of Resilience and Sustainability.
- Bigger redevelopment projects will follow.
Zoom in: Sasaki, the design firm contracted to create the master plan, unveiled three concepts at recent community meetings.
- Robles says they can take pieces from each concept to come up with something new.
Concept 1 includes a large development that crosses Hayne Boulevard. It has a waterfront restaurant, rooftop pool and recreation center, plus space for a farmers market, drive-in movie theater and skate park.
- The beach is split into quiet and active sides, with a boardwalk, nature center, picnic area and elevated tree canopy walk.
Concept 2 focuses on the beach with a wide, sandy waterfront, fishing piers, a cafe and centralized restrooms, lockers and showers.
- Part of the Hayne Boulevard parking lot would transform into a covered event hall, welcome center and sports courts.
Concept 3 focuses on preserving and enhancing the historic elements of the beach, which is now listed on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places.
- It calls for leaving historic architectural elements like the beach's old boardwalk and pavilion coverings and adding an amphitheater, kayak launch, bathrooms and a waterfront cafe.
- A restaurant incubator space could open in the parking lot on Hayne, along with a grocery store, food hall and urban farm.
By the numbers: The city has $24.6 million in funding for Lincoln Beach's redevelopment from bonds and other sources.
- This month's addition to the National Register unlocks more funding options too.
Catch up quick: Lincoln Beach closed in the Little Woods area of New Orleans East shortly after Pontchartrain Beach, the white-only beach, was integrated in 1964.
- Lincoln Beach is about 15 acres along the lakefront near Hayne Boulevard and Vincent Road.
- It was a major recreational spot for Black residents during segregation and had live performances from Fats Domino, Irma Thomas and Nat King Cole, according to the city.
What's next: City leaders are asking residents to contribute their thoughts about the vision plan through this online survey before midnight Aug. 11.
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