Six Flags New Orleans: Green amusement park or outlet mall?

The committee tasked with deciding the fate of the abandoned former Six Flags amusement park in eastern New Orleans has narrowed the field of proposals from eight to two, The Times-Picayune reports. The two proposals will advance to a second round that will include in-person interviews and formal presentations. Based on the results of the meeting, the 150-acre site could become either a green amusement park or an upscale outlet mall. The former is a $200 million plan from a Houston company called RCS Entertainment. Phase One of the company’s plan calls for keeping the park’s existing inventory of rides and reopening the space as an amusement park. In a second phase, RCS said it would build out the property to include a water park and hotel. The first phase of development would produce 2,000 jobs, according to the company’s proposal. RCS, which is currently developing an amusement park in the Houston area, according to its website, says it envisions its development in New Orleans to be on the order of Busch Gardens. The second proposal to move on to round two of consideration by the committee is to build a $40 million, 400,000-square-foot upscale outlet mall. That proposal, from DAG Development and Provident Development, also contemplates a second phase that would include a theme park and entertainment district, employing as many as 4,000 upon completion. To read the full story, click here, and read the rest of the 10/12 Corridor Weekly newsletter here.