KEY TAKEAWAYS: $50M Newlab tech incubator to anchor $300M Bywater redevelopment Project includes affordable housing, retail, community spaces by 2028 Innovation hub focused on advanced energy and industrial technologies Redevelopment transforms long-vacant former Navy base site A $50 mi llion technology startup incubator complex known as Newlab New Orleans will serve as the lead anchor tenant for the approximate $300 million mixed-use redevelopment of the former Naval Support Activity East Bank site, which has sat vacant since 2010. By summer 2028, the redevelopment of the 20-acre site on Poland Avenue in the Bywater neighborhood will include a modern mixed-use campus of the startup incubator complex, a world-class venture platform, affordable housing, retail, and shared community spaces that reconnect a long-isolated riverfront campus to the surrounding neighborhood. Led by Brian Gibbs Development, the mixed-use redevelopment project partners broke ground in January 2026 on the construction of Newlab New Orleans, brought to the city by a Brooklyn-based tech startup center. The innovation hub will focus on advanced energy and power solutions, and is purpose-built for industrial-scale innovation, enabling startups to fabricate, test, and de-risk first-of-a-kind systems in real-world conditions before commercial deployment. Building on success in cities like Detroit and Brooklyn, the hub aims to accelerate commercialization, attract high-growth companies, and align with Louisiana’s manufacturing base and workforce to position the region as a launchpad for critical technologies. “Today marks a defining moment in Newlab’s long-term commitment to anchor industrial innovation in the region,” said Newlab CEO David Belt at the groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 21, 2026. “We see in New Orleans, and the State more broadly, both the capability and the momentum required to lead – making this region and the NSA site the perfect place to build a home for scaling critical technologies.” Newlab New Orleans is anchored by a public-private partnership that includes Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the City of New Orleans, Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL), Louisiana State University (LSU), Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), and Shell. Newly-elected New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said the groundbreaking “marks an important step in putting long-idle public land back to work for New Orleans. “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,” Moreno said. At an approximate cost of $197 million, Lincoln Avenue Communities’ NSA East Bank Apartments will anchor the housing component of the redevelopment. Through an adaptive-reuse project, the residential phase will deliver 294 units of affordable housing and approximately 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The development 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, LAC Vice President and Project Partner. “LAC along with Brian Gibbs Development are proud to play a role in preserving New Orleans’ architectural heritage while creating sorely needed affordable housing for New Orleans residents.” The 20-acre former Navy base at Dauphine Street and Poland Avenue was officially closed by the Navy in 2010. The federal government transferred the property to the City in 2013, but buildings sat vacant and the site faced issues such as criminal activity, fires, and homeless encampments. In 2017, the City signed a long-term lease with the late Joe Jaeger and EMDRC Partners, but the redevelopment plans never came to fruition. Following Jaeger’s passing in June 2024, Gibbs, who was previously involved in the project, took over the leadership role to advance the redevelopment with the City and partners. “Today is more than a groundbreaking – it is the start of a redevelopment that will transform the neighborhood and the city,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of GNO, Inc., at the groundbreaking ceremony. “The NSA site will seamlessly combine the practical with the aspirational, providing hundreds of units of affordable housing, while launching Newlab – the most successful venture platform in the world – right here in New Orleans. We are grateful to all of the committed and creative partners who have brought us to this day.”   ...read more read less