In July 2013, RNDC completed the redevelopment of Lykes Steamship District at 1770 Tchoupitoulas Street, a two-acre site along the Mississippi riverfront at the foot of Felicity Street. The rehabilitated Lykes Steamship Building contains Centennial Place, a 52-unit residential rental apartment building and Riverfront Self Storage, a climate controlled storage facility. The renovated Centennial Cotton Press Building houses New Orleans Boulder Lounge, an indoor rock climbing facility, as well as Fresh Food Factor, a fresh and healthy food production facility that provides nutritional meals to a number of institutional customers, principally public and charter schools in New Orleans and is operated by Volunteers of America Southeast Louisiana. The program also includes a training course to teach culinary skills whereby graduates can gain employment in New Orleans’ vast food service industry.  A particular focus of Fresh Food Factor is training for veterans.

This redevelopment placed both these historic buildings, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, back into commerce after sitting vacant for over twenty years.  The residential portion is certified Enterprise Green Communities and LEED Gold.  The commercial building is also LEED certified. The site is located in a post-industrial neighborhood that is experiencing increasing redevelopment. It is proximate to commercial services and public transportation, allowing residents to commute downtown within five minutes. The $20 million financing plan included many sources of funding, including New Market Tax Credits, Federal and State Historic Tax Credits, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, private bank loans,  as well as contributions from a number of local and national foundations.

Twenty-seven of the 52 apartments in Centennial Place are affordable to families at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI). The remaining apartments have no income restrictions, however their rents are approximately 20% below comparables in the sub-market.