Gretna Resilience District
25th Street Canal Project Update – November 29th, 2023, Public Meeting and Draft Environmental Assessment Comments
Pursuant to Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management) and FEMA’s implementing regulations at Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 9, FEMA hereby provides interested parties with a notice of its intent to carry out an action affecting a floodplain. The City will host a public meeting at the Gretna Cultural Center for the Arts located at 740 4th Street, Gretna, LA on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 beginning at 6:00p.m. to make the community aware of the proposed project.
Click here for more details on how to provide comment during the public review period.
The Draft Environmental Assessment is available for review here.
Appendices are available for review here.
Direct any questions to Planning & City Development Director Amelia Pellegrin (504) 363-1568 or apellegrin@gretnala.com.
The boundaries and intent of the Gretna Resilience District were established in 2017 by the City Council to position resources to support low-impact design infrastructure features that support community scale flood risk reduction while satisfying long standing demands for other neighborhood amenities. The District centers around improvements to the 25th St. Canal and Gretna City Park. The District is bound by the Westbank Expressway to the north; Belle Chasse Highway and the Whitney Canal to the east; and the Hero Canal to the south and west – see elevation and floodplain maps below.
To date, the City has positioned approximately $20 million with support from numerous external funding partners, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Louisiana Office of Community Development (OCD), the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD).
25th Street Canal
There are longstanding flood mitigation and other supportive infrastructure needs around the 25th Street Canal in the City’s Jonestown neighborhood. In 2019, the City was identified for one the nation’s highest FEMA non-disaster awards – $10 million to support flood risk reduction interventions that satisfy other demands for neighborhood amenities, including a complete retrofit of the 25th St. Canal. This work will also be supported by funds from DOTD’s Statewide Flood Control program. Conceptual sections of the retrofitted 25th St. Canal can be found here.
Gretna City Park
In 2017, the City partnered with the Tulane Regional Urban Design Center to explore concepts related to improving recreational opportunities within Gretna City Park. Working with the neighborhood through this process, it was determined that enhancing passive recreational recreational opportunities while formalizing connections with the neighborhood should be a priority for improvement to Gretna City Park. The full report can be be found here.
In April 2018, Governor John Bel Edwards and the Office of Community Development announced an award of approximately $5.6 million to support the implementation of park improvements that balanced demands for flood risk reduction through the Louisiana Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments (LA-SAFE) process. The full Jefferson Parish Adaptation Strategy, inclusive of Gretna Resilience District and Gretna City Park recommendations can be found here.
Throughout 2019, the City engaged a design team and continued to work with the neighborhood to assist in refining concepts related to Gretna City Park. The full phasing strategy, inclusive of the LA-SAFE award, can be found here. Following an expedited design process, Phase I improvements are scheduled to begin construction in early 2021.