Property Watch: 4100 Royal Street & Why Bywater Should Be On Your Radar

Welcome to the first article of Property Watch a new series where I break down development news happening across the New Orleans metro and what it means for buyers, sellers, and neighbors paying attention to where the city is headed.

First up: 4100 Royal Street in the Bywater.

The Project

This is an 82-unit affordable housing development sitting on land owned by the New Orleans Housing Authority (HANO), also known as the Mazant Royal project. It's a significant piece of new residential density landing in a neighborhood that's already seeing steady interest and reinvestment.

The Bigger Picture: Bywater Naval Base

Here's what makes this one worth flagging: 4100 Royal sits just two blocks from the Bywater Naval Base redevelopment. Two significant projects that close together isn't a coincidence worth ignoring, it's a signal.

When you get this kind of concentrated investment in a small radius, it tends to have a ripple effect. New residents, new foot traffic, new demand for the businesses and housing around them.

Why I'm Keeping an Eye on This

My take: these two developments could act as a catalyst, not just for more activity in the Bywater itself, but for the St. Claude and Holy Cross as well. Both neighborhoods are adjacent, both have the kind of historic housing stock and walkable bones that tend to attract attention once a neighborhood sees redevelopment acitivty, and both are still priced well below where the Bywater has landed over the last several years.

What I'll Be Watching Next

This is the first of many Property Watch artciles, I'll be tracking real estate development news across the metro, with a particular eye on how it affects the neighborhoods I work in most.

If you're curious about what a development like this could mean for property values on your block, in the Bywater, St. Claude, Holy Cross, or elsewhere in the historic core, reach out. I'm always happy to talk through what I'm seeing on the ground.

— Jake Watts, The Historic Home Specialist, Engel & Völkers New Orleans