Benson Family Plans Entertainment District Around Superdome
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Benson Family Has Purchased Three Largely Idle
Commercial Properties Adjacent To Superdome |
The family of Saints Owner Tom Benson yesterday "completed its purchase of a trio of largely idle commercial properties" adjacent to the Superdome, the "first milestone in the new agreement between the football team" and Louisiana, according to Rebecca Mowbray of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. The family, in partnership with the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District, "plans to immediately begin redeveloping the area around the Superdome into a sports entertainment district." Benson's family, through their Zelia LLC company, paid California-based Hertz Investment Group $42.1M for the "26-story Dominion Tower office building, 400,000-square foot New Orleans Centre mall and 2,000-space parking garage in one of the largest downtown real estate transactions since Hurricane Katrina." Zelia will rename the office tower Benson Tower. The company plans to "demolish a chunk of the mall to create a giant pre-game entertainment zone in the latter half of next year." The family has pledged $10.5M to create a 92,000-square-foot "party zone in the mall atrium area across the bridge from the Superdome concourse." The changes to the area surrounding the Dome are "expected to help generate more revenue for the Saints, improve the experience of fans, and present a more lively picture of New Orleans." The Bensons and the Superdome Commission are "searching for a master planner for the sports entertainment district with national sports and commercial development experience to work in partnership with local firms." Saints co-Owner & Exec VP Rita Benson LeBlanc, Benson's granddaughter, said that the family "wants local firms working on the properties around the Superdome because she feels that will help integrate the buildings into the rest of the city" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 9/16).
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