Multi-phase project will deliver affordable housing, innovation space, and long-term neighborhood investment along the Bywater riverfront
NEW ORLEANS, La. — A long-dormant federal campus along the Mississippi River is officially returning to active use as project partners broke ground on the redevelopment of the former Naval Support Activity (NSA) East Bank site, launching one of the most significant mixed-use investments in New Orleans in decades.
Led by Brian Gibbs Development, the multi-phase redevelopment will transform the historic riverfront property into a modern, mixed-use campus featuring affordable housing, neighborhood-serving retail, shared community spaces, and Newlab New Orleans, a world-class innovation and technology hub designed to support the future of energy, maritime, and industrial innovation.
The project reconnects a long-isolated campus to the surrounding Bywater neighborhood while delivering both immediate community benefits and long-term economic growth.
“This groundbreaking marks an important step in putting long-idle public land back to work for New Orleans,” said New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno. “Through partnerships like Newlab New Orleans, we’re building on Louisiana’s strengths in energy, maritime, and industrial innovation to help local talent and businesses grow — while also delivering real community benefits, including much-needed affordable housing for the Bywater community.”
Anchoring Industrial Innovation in Louisiana
A cornerstone of the redevelopment is Newlab New Orleans, an innovation and technology platform designed to help startups and industry partners develop, test, and scale critical technologies shaping the future of industry in Louisiana and beyond.
Newlab New Orleans is anchored by a public-private partnership that includes Louisiana Economic Development, the City of New Orleans, Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL), Louisiana State University, Greater New Orleans, Inc., and Shell.
“Reactivating the former Naval Support Activity site reflects how Louisiana is rethinking innovation, industry, and community,” said LED Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois. “By embedding advanced technology development within our legacy industries, Newlab New Orleans will help new companies scale, modernize existing industries, and deliver sustained economic benefits to communities. This is Louisiana innovation — driven by purpose and anchored in partnership.”
Newlab New Orleans will initially focus on advanced energy and power systems, carbon management, industrial efficiency, and maritime innovation — sectors where Louisiana’s existing industrial base, infrastructure, and workforce create a strong competitive advantage. Purpose-built facilities will allow startups to fabricate, assemble, and pre-commission first-of-a-kind systems, enabling real-world testing prior to commercial deployment.
“Today marks a defining moment in Newlab’s long-term commitment to anchor industrial innovation in the region,” said David Belt, CEO of Newlab. “We see in New Orleans — and in Louisiana more broadly — the capability and momentum required to lead, making this site the ideal home for scaling critical technologies.”
Record-Setting Affordable Housing Investment
Housing is another central pillar of the redevelopment. Lincoln Avenue Communities will anchor the residential component through the adaptive reuse of former military facilities into the NSA East Bank Apartments.
The $197 million investment — the largest affordable housing development in Louisiana history — will deliver 294 units of affordable housing and approximately 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The project will include one-, two-, and three-bedroom units serving individuals and families earning between 20% and 60% of Area Median Income, including 74 Project-Based Voucher units.
“This project will be transformative for the New Orleans Bywater community and will bring new life to this historic property,” said David Garcia, Vice President and Project Partner at Lincoln Avenue Communities. “Together with Brian Gibbs Development, we’re proud to preserve New Orleans’ architectural heritage while creating sorely needed affordable housing for local residents.”
A Long-Term Commitment to Community and Growth
The broader NSA redevelopment is designed as an integrated campus that aligns housing, innovation, retail, and shared community spaces — generating daily activity while positioning New Orleans as a launchpad for industrial-scale innovation.
“Today is more than a groundbreaking — it is the start of a redevelopment that will transform both the neighborhood and the city,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “This site will seamlessly combine the practical with the aspirational, delivering affordable housing while launching Newlab — one of the world’s most successful venture platforms — right here in New Orleans.”
Newlab’s proven model has generated billions in economic activity and supported high-wage job creation in legacy industrial cities such as Detroit and Brooklyn. In New Orleans, the platform will be closely aligned with the state’s economic development strategy and manufacturing base.
“FUEL’s investment in Newlab will put Louisiana energy startups on a faster path from lab to market,” said Mike Mazzola, Executive Director of FUEL. “When combined with our other investments, founders will gain access to the tools, capital, and partnerships needed to scale.”
With construction now underway, the multi-phase redevelopment will deliver new homes, retail, innovation space, and shared community amenities — returning the former Naval Support Activity East Bank site to active use and reinforcing New Orleans’ long-term economic and industrial future.
