Lafitte Phase VII Multifamily Units
Completing a Two-Decade Vision for Faubourg Lafitte
Nearly twenty years after Hurricane Katrina reshaped New Orleans, the final phase of the Lafitte redevelopment is now complete. A site once counted among the city’s most heavily damaged public housing communities now has residents again, and Faubourg Lafitte has the finish it was promised for years.
RNGD delivered Lafitte Phase VII on a 2.75-acre multifamily site in the heart of Tremé. The project added new affordable townhomes and restored the remaining historic Lafitte building for use as a leasing and administration office. The new homes and the restored building now make up a finished neighborhood.
The two pieces of work called for opposite approaches. The new homes needed rhythm, repetition, and momentum. The historic building needed patience. Completing the final phase meant doing both on the same block at the same time.
Finding a Rhythm on a Tight Urban Site
The site left little room to spare. Active streets, neighboring properties, existing parking areas, and a protected stand of trees set the boundaries, leaving little to no space for staging and laydown. During preconstruction, RNGD split the site into four phases that moved around each block in sequence. That kept trades working steadily and allowed framing, enclosure, and interior work to move forward in different areas at once.
The rhythm started in the ground. As crews refined their forming and pour approach, the foundations went in faster and faster. By the end, the team was averaging one home foundation about every day and a half, and every new-home foundation was finished in just over 50 days. The time gained at that stage carried through the rest of the job.
Uncovering What Remained
At the center of Lafitte Phase VII is the final remaining historic Lafitte building, a structure that represents both the neighborhood’s past and its path forward.
Delivering this portion of the project required careful coordination across historic preservation requirements, regulatory oversight, and modern construction demands. Following months of documentation, permitting, and National Park Service coordination, the team restored key architectural elements including chimneys, balconies, railings, and masonry while adapting the building to meet current leasing and administrative needs.
Inside the structure, crews worked within tight existing conditions to replace damaged stairs, integrate new structural steel, and route updated MEP and fire protection systems without compromising the building’s character. Each step was measured, ensuring the building’s history is preserved while preparing it to serve the community again.
Building Toward Long-Term Community Impact
The planning paid off at the finish. RNGD turned over the first group of new homes about two months ahead of schedule and the remaining homes about a month early. That head start freed the team to give its full attention to the historic building, the most unpredictable part of the job, and to bring it to completion the way it deserved.
Today the restored Lafitte building anchors the development. It serves as the leasing and administration office for the wider community. Around it, new affordable homes for low- to moderate-income families sit near shared public spaces, recreation areas, and the Lafitte Greenway, linking the neighborhood back to the rest of the city.
With its last chapter written, Faubourg Lafitte has its homes, its history, and its future back.
LCMC Audubon Retirement Village
Accelerated renovation delivered 119 modernized private rooms around existing operations.
