NEW ORLEANS — There’s not much left at Hard Rock Hotel site except a few piles of debris.
Work to get to this point is months behind schedule.
An attorney for 1031 Canal Development, the Hard Rock's builder, earlier this year said crews hoped to have the site clear by the end of February.
That didn't happen.
Now, though, most of the heavy machinery is gone, as is the building, which collapsed in October 2019, killing three people and injuring dozens more.
Also gone are heavy wooden planks that covered the street during the demolition.
City Hall spokesman Beau Tidwell on Tuesday said crews still need to check out the roads that sat beneath them for months before they can be reopened.
"We are optimistic it'll be sooner rather than later. We anticipate opening lakebound Canal Street sooner than North Rampart Street,” Tidwell said. “So that'll be the next step you see. I can't give you a timeline on that today, but we're moving toward it.”
An attorney for 1031 Canal did not respond Tuesday to messages seeking an updated timeline for the rest of the work.
The logical question after the corner is cleared: What's next for it? That remains to be seen, but it likely won't be another high-rise.
City Councilwoman Kristin Palmer is working to have a permit pulled that let the developers build the hotel to a height of 190 feet, well above the limit of 70 feet. Palmer sponsored the 2011 measure that allowed the taller building.
Two neighboring buildings had to be torn down to make way for the Hard Rock demolition. Palmer said that's also a factor to keep in mind as the decision to revoke the permission is weighed by the City Planning Commission and the City Council.
"A lot of people are concerned this was a land grab by the developer,” she said. “I want to assure the public that is not the intent of this council. Our intent is to hold them accountable."
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