In the park? On the park? Next to the park?

There's an update this morning on a plan to finally build a new City Hall. This time they're aiming to put it in what many of us have always believed is the only location that makes any sense; the same location as the current location... basically.   I say basically because they're actually moving across the street.  But exactly where across the street is difficult to pinpoint from the article. 

City and state officials have reached a tentative agreement on a complicated land swap that would allow a new City Hall to be built in Duncan Plaza, said Jay Dardenne, the commissioner of administration for Gov. John Bel Edwards, who negotiated the deal for the state. The swap, which still needs to clear several procedural hurdles, would also allow for a new Civil District Court building that judges have been clamoring for. 

City officials confirmed they've come to an agreement, but cautioned that much needs to happen before committing to the relocation plan, including subdividing Duncan Plaza and getting City Council approval — not to mention figuring out how to pay for a new building.

Back in May, when we first learned this might be in the works, we tried to get clarification as to how much of Duncan Plaza would be needed for the new building and how much would remain a public park. Although we didn't get a straight answer, I came away a little bit encouraged by the implication that the land under discussion was the vacant lot where the State Supreme Court building once stood and the Heal garage behind it.  But today, this looks a bit different. 

Again, this is all open to interpretation but it looks like the vacant lot is slated now for the new Civil District Court while the garage is out of the deal.  

The Civil District Court plan calls for its new building to go on the now-vacant site in Duncan Plaza that once housed the Louisiana Supreme Court before its move to the French Quarter. City Hall would be a separate building. Plans discussed last spring contemplated a 57,000-square-foot City Hall building and 32,000-square-foot court building. 

Is there enough room for all of that on the vacant part of Duncan Plaza? Or do they need the park too?  Seems like a simple enough question. But I still can't answer it.