Dome party district devised

The state agency that runs the Louisiana Superdome and the New Orleans Arena has taken tentative steps toward purchasing a major piece of downtown real estate near the stadiums that eventually could become a glittering entertainment district with bars, sports-themed restaurants and other attractions.

The agency hopes by the end of the week to sign an option agreement for the New Orleans Centre, a group of three buildings that includes the Dominion Tower, the mall that once held the Lord & Taylor and Macy's stores, and a parking garage across the street from the Dome. The option gives the state 75 days to inspect the buildings, after which time it can purchase them or walk away from the deal with no obligation.

Agency leaders ballyhooed the project's potential to transform a section of downtown that empties when office workers punch out for the evening, creating a third tourist destination area downtown, along with the French Quarter and the Convention Center. At the same time, they cautioned that a purchase agreement was not a sure thing.

"We are excited about the potential to bring life to that part of the city, but we have a lot of work to do over the next 75 days," said Ron Forman, chairman of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, adding that he did not want this project to join the roster of "false starts" that deflate after a grand announcement in the news media.

If the state decides to buy the New Orleans Centre, it would convert the most prominent of the three buildings, the Dominion Tower, into offices for state agencies that were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. It would then turn control of the mall and the parking garage over to the LSED, which would work with a private developer to transform them into a plaza filled with restaurants, retail stores and possibly condominiums....