Plans for Uptown location of Trader Joe's grocery move ahead

The New Orleans City Council voted Thursday to approve demolishing a former school building to make way for a Trader Joe's grocery store on Freret St.

The school used to be Our Lady of Lourdes, at Freret and Jena St. off Napoleon Ave.

The council's 7-0 vote overrides the Historic District Landmarks Commission's unanimous vote rejecting the demolition.

Developers said the mid-century school building could not be repurposed to accommodate their plans for the store.

Councilmember Lesli Harris, who represents the district the store will go in, said Trader Joe's will be an asset to the neighborhood by providing a retailer of fresh, affordable groceries that can serve many residents within walking distance.

"To have a specialty grocery store that has affordable, fresh food and vegetables, that's walkable, that's on a public transportation system? That's everything we could want," Harris said.

Plans are also in the work to open another Trader Joe's store in New Orleans on Tulane Ave. Currently, the retailer's only two outlets in Louisiana are in Metairie and Baton Rouge.