2026-10-27 - Joint Economic Development and Climate Change and Sustainability Committee Meeting

02:02Mhm.

03:49>> Do you have a key?

03:51>> We can go.

03:51>> Yeah, we can go.

03:52>> Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

04:00>> All right, we're ready to get started.

04:04Please call the roll.

04:05>> Okay. Council member Morell.

04:07>> Here.

04:08>> Council member Willard.

04:09>> Here.

04:09>> Council member McCaren.

04:10>> Here.

04:11>> We have a quorum.

04:12>> All right, thank you.

04:14Um so, today is a joint climate change

04:16and sustainability and economic

04:19development and special [clears throat]

04:20development projects committee meeting.

04:22Uh we are going to take up item number

04:25three first and I'd like to call uh

04:27Deputy Mayor Jeff Schwartz down to do a

04:31brief presentation. Um this is related

04:34to the Omni Hotel and the pilot term

04:37sheet.

04:39>> Thank you so much, council members. Um

04:41uh

04:42I appreciate you all scheduling this

04:44meeting. Um

04:45and uh the agenda item up for today is a

04:49discussion and consideration of the Omni

04:52pilot term sheet. Um that has received a

04:53lot of discussion um over the last 6

04:55months or so.

04:57Uh today is simply a procedural step um

04:59in the approval process. Under the state

05:02revised statutes, uh the convention

05:04center uh headquarters hotel subdistrict

05:07uh has to refer the pilot term sheet

05:09that was negotiated back in June with a

05:11lot of uh leadership on the part of uh

05:13the council members, uh especially those

05:15here today.

05:16Um and that term sheet is then referred

05:18to the office of economic development at

05:20the city, which then has to uh create a

05:22report and uh report to the council

05:24economic development committee before it

05:26goes to the full council for approval.

05:28So, uh this is a procedural step in that

05:31process.

05:32Um

05:33uh I think everybody is uh intimately

05:35familiar with this project, but I just

05:36want to briefly go over its attributes.

05:39Um uh this is a truly transformative

05:42project uh and the office of economic

05:44development is recommending approval. Um

05:47this project will

05:49uh Oh, it's Council member Green. Uh

05:51this project will uh activate a long

05:53underutilized site and bring it back

05:55into commerce. It is going to be a

05:57massive job creator and create uh uh a

05:59minimum of 500 permanent jobs. That was

06:01a part of the term sheet that you all uh

06:03in your leadership uh had negotiated

06:05with um the Omni and the convention

06:06center and it is going to be a massive

06:09tax generator for the city

06:11by estimates

06:14this will generate $8 million in local

06:16recurring taxes between the ad valorem

06:19and sales taxes.

06:20>> From a property that generates nothing

06:22right now.

06:23>> Correct. From a property that generates

06:24nothing and if we don't move forward

06:25with this project will continue to

06:26generate nothing

06:28and it will generate at least $18

06:30million in one time sales taxes

06:32and and other taxes.

06:34And revenues for the city and then

06:36obviously on the economic development

06:38front this will anchor our tourism and

06:40hospitality industry and enable it to be

06:42able to compete and attract the

06:44>> For the convention business.

06:45>> The convention business.

06:46>> So Jeff we we want to thank you for

06:48putting together this slide with the

06:50positive impacts related to the new Omni

06:53Hotel development. Want to thank Mayor

06:55Helena Moreno. We want to thank the

06:57convention center under Jim Cook's

06:59leadership, Walt Leger with New Orleans

07:01and company, the Omni Hotel Group and

07:04all of the council members for putting

07:06in the hard work. I think we have a

07:08win-win here. I think this is a big

07:11financial boom, economic development

07:14move for the city of New Orleans.

07:16So with that do we have any comments

07:18from the dais?

07:20All right, I will motion to

07:23approve.

07:25It's been seconded by

07:34All right, seconded by Council President

07:36Morrell. All in favor?

07:39>> Aye.

07:39>> Aye.

07:40Any opposed?

07:43All right, four yays, zero nays and it

07:47has been the reso- the resolution has

07:49been adopted. Thank you Jeff.

07:50>> Thank you all so much.

07:52>> All right, and now I will turn it over

07:54to Chairwoman McCaren.

07:58>> Thank you. So one the last thing on our

08:00agenda it's a resolution for community

08:03solar. This is just a contract summary

08:06disclosure form that needs to be adopted

08:09to continue with the

08:12solar

08:13community solar projects. This has been

08:16reviewed by the

08:19in the docket and there were no there

08:22was no opposition, right? Okay. So, if

08:25there are any questions, with that I'll

08:27make a motion to approve.

08:29>> I'll second.

08:30>> Seconded by Council President J.P.

08:31Morrell.

08:34All those in favor?

08:35>> Aye.

08:35>> Aye.

08:37Any opposed?

08:38Seeing none,

08:39we are approved.

08:41>> Motion to adjourn.

08:43>> I'll

08:44>> These items go on consent for a clerk.

08:45>> Yes.

08:46>> Yes.

08:46>> Um [clears throat] make sure both of

08:47these items go on consent for next

08:49week's council meeting.

08:50>> Absolutely.

08:51>> Okay.

08:52>> Thank you.

08:52>> All right. Thank you, everyone.

11:05>> Mhm.

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