Out with a bang after all

Well this is like the third or fourth reversal of plans now. But somehow this just feels more like the way we do our business anyway.

NEW ORLEANS — The city is speeding up the Hard Rock collapse demolition timeline. Officials will now use a controlled implosion to bring down the building and destroy three buildings surrounding the collapse site to do so.

Engineers are shooting for the implosion to take place in mid-March. Debris cleanup will take another two-to-three months.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the new plan Friday afternoon after meeting with the building’s owners and insurers.

“We are going to revert back to implosion of the site as being necessary to insure public safety as well as being aligned with a timeline that is more suitable for the city of New Orleans,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell also announced her support for destroying three buildings that surround the collapse site to make that happen.

The most likely explanation for the change is this is the fastest and most emphatic way to ensure the whole block gets demolished. Which, in turn, is the best way to ensure the owners of those properties (i.e. the villains responsible for the hotel collapse in the first place) can sell the land for the highest possible profit.

In other words, it's Cantrell looking out for her wealthy allies again.  But, hey, more explosions!

Every emergency is an opportunity

No, we're not talking about Sewerage and Water Board just yet. But we'll get to it. There's a lot of emergencies to keep track of. Meanwhile, back at the Hard Rock site, the developers charged with demolishing the mess they've made there want to also knock down three more buildings in the process. Is it absolutely necessary for them to do this?  They haven't explained that yet. But it does look like it would be beneficial to them either way.

There’s also a worry that the developers might benefit from knocking down the buildings, since it would leave a large vacant parcel that could be sold or redeveloped to recoup the mounting costs of the collapse.

“All of that is a matter of speculation, but it certainly would result in a larger parcel for redevelopment and no assurance on what would be put back there,” Lott said.

There is a review process that goes through HDLC and then through other bodies including the City Council with probable input from the mayor.  But often these sorts of things get expedited during an "emergency."