Audubon Park Master Plan Seeks Public Input

Public meeting for future of the park scheduled for Tuesday

NEW ORLEANS – The Audubon Commission is seeking ideas, comments and feedback from the public about the master plan for Audubon Park.  

A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 6 from 6-8 p.m. at the Audubon Tea Room, 6500 Magazine Street. The public is also encouraged to take surveys and submit comments online to help shape Audubon Park’s future.

"Everyone in New Orleans should have the opportunity to participate in this important planning process," said J. Kelly Duncan, Audubon Commission president. "We are providing many different opportunities to voice priorities for the park and look forward to hearing ideas from the community."

According to the Audubon Commission, the master plan for the park was 90 percent complete prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The plan notes, in bold, that it “reflects no major changes to land uses in Audubon Park.”

That master plan will be the starting point as the commission works with the Audubon Nature Institute and local architecture firm Eskew+Dumez+Ripple to complete the master plan following a series of public meetings and feedback.

Public input has already proven to have a profound effect on the future of the park. In 2016, members of the community were outraged at a proposal to build a soccer complex on the riverside area known as "The Fly." That project has since been abandoned.

Additional meetings about the master plan will be held at the Audubon Tea Room will be held on the following dates:

March 6 from 6-8 p.m.

April 5 from 6-8 p.m.

Audubon Park has been a prime gathering place in New Orleans for more than 150 years, with oaks and expansive green space perfect for recreation and relaxation.

Originally designed by Charles Olmsted, the park is ringed by a bustling 1.8-mile paved path where visitors enjoy scenic strolls, walking their dogs, running or bicycling. The lagoon, picnic shelters and playgrounds offer splendid venues for families with children.

Since 1898, the Audubon Golf Course has hosted both amateurs and professionals. The park is also home to tennis courts, horse riding stables and the Whitney M. Young Memorial Pool.

“The Fly” offers athletic fields, including the Whitney Bank Miracle League Field, which is designed for children with special needs to play baseball.

To fill out a survey, leave feedback or get more information, visit http://audubonparkmasterplan.org/.

-By Jenny Peterson, Associate News Editor, Biz New Orleans