Grand Prix of Louisiana Has Officials Hopeful Big Race Leads to West Jefferson Boom
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Grand Prix of Louisiana has officials hopeful big race leads to West Jefferson boom BY CHAD CALDER| [email protected] April 11, 2015 Spectators’ attention will be focused this weekend on NOLA Motorsports’ 3-mile asphalt racetrack for the inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana in Avondale, but economic development officials are hoping the event will put a much larger piece of real estate on the radar of visitors and, in some cases, their companies. The 750-acre racing park developed by Laney Chouest will host an annual stop on the IndyCar Series for at least three years, a run that is estimated to have a total direct economic impact of $100 million. But NOLA Motorsports also is one of several economic anchors in a mostly undeveloped, 13-square-mile area at the West Bank end of the newly expanded Huey P. Long Bridge — an area that Jefferson Parish officials are betting is ripe for development. Jerry Bologna, executive director of the Jefferson Economic Development Commission, said that in addition to the visitors drawn from throughout south Louisiana and neighboring states, the race will bring in a slew of representatives of corporate sponsors, from auto-related companies such as Bridgestone and Goodyear to retailers like Target. “We get to have them as a captured audience for the weekend,” he said. “It’s bringing a lot of people into an area that has a lot of raw land and space to grow,” agreed Todd Murphy, president of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce. Jefferson Parish has branded the area as Fairfield and, along with the Regional Planning Commission, has begun a planning study in hopes of encouraging and guiding its future growth. Officials emphasize three strategic advantages for the 8,500-acre area: lots of available land, improved access from the 2013 expansion of the bridge and anchor facilities, including the TPC Louisiana Golf Course, the Churchill Technology & Business Park, the Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, the Alario Center and NOLA Motorsports. Delgado Community College plans to open a $15 million, maritime industry-oriented River City Campus next year that could bring as many as 3,000 students to the area every week. Bologna said that while events like the Louisiana Grand Prix highlight NOLA Motorsports’ ability to bring large-scale events to the area, the track’s hosting of smaller events and use as a testing facility for auto industry companies have quietly made it an important player in Fairfield’s nascent economy. “That facility is a huge spoke in the wheel to the development of that whole area,” Murphy said. “There’s a lot going on on the West Bank, and we’re hoping those types of venues and the expansion of the Huey P. Long Bridge will bring some expansion opportunities.” Bologna said JEDCO recently hosted a visit from representatives of an out-of-state developer of large-scale, mixed-use developments and brought them to Nola Motorsports, among other stops on the Fairfield tour. It didn’t hurt that they got to meet Indy champion Tony Kanaan while he was there. “They’re planning to come back for the race and further the discussion about what they might be able to do to spur some development in this area,” Bologna said. Events like the Grand Prix of Louisiana have the obvious impact of filling hotel rooms and seats at local restaurants, bars and entertainment venues when they occur. But Terrie Birkel, director of marketing and communications for the Jefferson Convention and Visitors Bureau, said preparations for the race have been drawing sponsors and racing team members to the area for months. “Overall it’s been good, and (hotels) are feeling the impact,” she said. The race, which is sponsored, in part, by The New Orleans Advocate, will have a festival-type atmosphere for the three-day weekend, with local food vendors and entertainment, along with fan activities, including the facility’s go-cart track. Officials with NOLA Motorsports could not be reached for comment, but others hope the anticipated fan response and the partnership forged so far between NOLA Motorsports and the Indy Racing League will keep the event here longer than three years. The response from racers testing the track earlier this year was positive, and Indy Series brass have been optimistic about their outreach and marketing efforts to drum up interest among fans. With the help of $4.5 million in state funding, the track was improved to make it more race-friendly. Grandstand seating was added to allow spectators to watch the entire race, and additional turns were put in the track to create more moments for the lead to change hands. Some of the other stops on the tour are done on closed streets, meaning spectators can watch only a portion of the race and speeds don’t go as high as the 170 mph at NOLA Motorsports. “This is professional racing,” Murphy said. “This is taking it to a whole different level.” He said professional racing is always looking to broaden its fan base by growing geographically, and the NOLA Motorsports facility’s proximity to New Orleans — always a plus in attracting events — bodes well for the event’s future here. “It’s like any festival or major event that we’ve had,” he said. “We have the first one, and then you continue to grow it. It seems natural to me that you can then have ancillary services that develop over time.” This story was changed on April 11, 2015 to remove an incorrect number of estimated spectators at the Grand Prix of Louisiana. Follow Chad Calder on Twitter, @Chad_Calder. Indy Grand Prix economic boom for West bank Indy Car race coming to west bank Paul Murphy / Eyewitness News 5:39 p.m. CDT April 10, 2015 The eyes of the IndyCar racing world will be on the New Orleans area this weekend. NOLA Motorsports in Avondale is hosting the inaugural Grand Prix of Louisiana. If the weather holds up, it could be one of the largest events ever for the west bank of Jefferson Parish. "This Indy race has the ability to be a staple, big event every single year that we don't have to go bid on," NOLA Motorsport President Kristen Engeron said. "As long as we get the support from the local community." NOLA Motorsports estimates the local economic impact will be at least $100 million over the 3 years Indy has committed to racing at the track. "It's hiring the generator people," Engeron said. "It's hiring the lighting people, hiring the caterers. Then for people coming in town for the the race it translates into restaurant reservations, hotel reservations." The race gives local leaders an opportunity to meet and greet Fortune 500 sponsors in town for the Grand Prix. "You have all of these different companies like the Targets and the Firestones who are out here for the race, who are sponsors of the race who are seeing what we have to offer here," Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO) spokesperson Kelsey Scram said. "I think that the biggest thing that this does for us is that it gives us a lot of exposure." The Westbank is the fastest growing area of Jefferson Parish. It has 9000 acres yet to be developed, anchored by the Churchill Business Park, TPC of Louisiana and NOLA Motorsports. We want to develop it as a mixed use space. We're calling it Fairfield and I think there are a lot of opportunities for business growth," Scram said. Thanks to the race, the region will get network TV exposure this weekend. "You're talking about an international commercial that will be broadcast to 12 other countries," Engeron said. NOLA Motorsports has future plans to expand and build another full race track on its property in Avondale. New Orleans, Baton Rouge leaders make trip to the southwest with objective of forming regional bonds Leaders learn from southwestern state BY REBEKAH ALLEN | [email protected] April 20, 2015 2 Comments PHOENIX — About 150 business and civic leaders from the Baton Rouge and New Orleans metropolitan areas came together this week for the second three-day Super Region Canvas trip — this time to Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona — to learn from the Southwestern U.S. leaders how to form regional bonds in southeastern Louisiana. The trip is a semi-annual trip to progressive U.S. cities that is organized by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. The idea is that leaders representing government, the private sector and nonprofit organizations will see enviable programs, policy and infrastructure in other cities and try to emulate the ideas back home. In 2013, BRAC reached out to its New Orleans counterpart, GNO Inc., and invited its members to join forces, giving leaders from the two metro areas an opportunity to form a better relationship. John Young, the Jefferson Parish president, noted that the Tampa-Orlando, Florida, metro area — the site of the 2013 Canvas trip — has a combined 4 million people, which is almost the entire population of Louisiana. “We need to work together to compete in a global economy,” he said Sunday morning at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport before the group departed on their chartered flight. Young, who attended the 2013 trip, appeared only to see the group off Sunday; he did not go to Arizona with them. The group is made up of about 60 percent Baton Rouge area leaders and 40 percent New Orleans area leaders. A few people from the Lafayette area are included. Among the attendees are East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden, St.