The shuttered Six Flags New Orleans theme park is being considered as the site for a recreational sports complex. Big League Dreams is talking with the city about building replica stadiums and full-sized courts. The company operates nine recreational sports complexes in the United States that offer places to play baseball, softball, soccer, indoor soccer, basketball and other sports. The parks are free and generate revenue by charging sports groups for league and tournament use, said Pat Knight, the company’s director of the new park development group.
Development would require the city to clear the Six Flags site and to pay for building the park, though funding could also come from the state and private investors, says City Council member Arnie Fielkow. Six Flags New Orleans has been closed since Hurricane Katrina. The parent company, Six Flags Inc., says it does not intend to rebuild the park.
A startup company, Baton Rouge-based Southern Star Amusement, has applied for $100 million in Gulf Opportunity Zone bonds to revive the park. That application is still pending before the city’s Industrial Development Board. For a recent Business Report article about Southern Star’s plans, click here.
