NEW ORLEANS – After nearly three years of work, the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, which is being developed by the Howard Hughes Corp., is slated to open May 22. This $82 million project will be the nation's first upscale outlet shopping center to be located in the heart of a major city.

“Our redevelopment and repositioning of this symbolic riverfront property will deliver a distinct mix of retail and entertainment offerings unmatched in the region,” says Grant Herlitz, president of Howard Hughes. “Beyond the impact of these compelling options for locals and visitors, we are pleased to be a part of the continued revitalization of New Orleans.”

The space was originally used for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. After that, the property was repurposed into a traditional shopping center, which did fairly well, Mark Bulmash, senior vice president of Development for Howard Hughes, tells GlobeSt.com. 

But when hurricane Katrina hit, things rapidly began to change. After that, the retail center was unable to book a single national retailer while others began to pull out of existing space.

“Katrina sucked the life out of it,” Bulmash says. “We got to the point where a lot of the space wasn't on a full lease. It really was beginning to implode over time. It was losing its relevance.”

Still, tourists were visiting the space and, while it wasn't a shopping destination for locals, many New Orleans residents had visited. Additionally, the property is in between a number of popular destinations, including the Morial Convention Center, Harris Casino, the Aquarium of the Americas and the Entergy IMAX Theatre.

Even with all these major attractions, the retail component of the city was dwindling. After conducting a study, Bulmash says they were surprised to find that the “New Orleans area in a retail-per-capita basis has 30% less than the national average. It was shocking how much retail had deteriorated.”

To meet this need, the development plan called for renovating the existing 250,000 square feet and adding an additional 50,000 square feet. The project started moving forward in 2011, with redevelopment plans in place by the summer of 2012, as reported by GlobeSt.com. Construction began in the summer of 2013.

Then it was a matter of convincing retailers to return. According to Bulmash, it was difficult to get people's attention because New Orleans and the Outlet Collection at Riverwalk was not on their radars. But once companies came in to see the area, they began to reevaluate. 

Now the property is already 96% leased with only two spots remaining. The tenants vary, and some of them are entering the city and state for the first time. For instance, the outlet mall will house the state's first Neiman Marcus Last Call, Coach Mens and Tommy Bahama. Other retailers include Forever21, Coach, Lucky Brand, Steve Madden, PUMA and Kenneth Cole.

As a result of this project, Bulmash says he's heard of other retailers looking at locating in New Orleans and are excited about the prospects again.

“The city is really coming back very strongly. We are catalytic of that,” Bulmash says. “We feel like we are getting in on the ground floor of this opportunity.”

Not only has this project helped fill a retail void in the city, it's also provided the residents with a local shopping alternative. After Katrina, residents “really developed this determination to spend money locally because they knew it was essential to getting the area up and running,” Bulmash says.

Before now, residents often needed to leave the area in order to shop but now they can stay local and contribute to the economy.  As a result the entire project has met with a lot of local support. Even Mayor Mitch Landrieu tweeted about the opening on Tuesday.

“This is an important project emotionally for a lot of people,” Bulmash says.