Andrew B Marcus

Posts are mostly about New Orleans and Real Estate.

[Rod D. Martin @RodDMartin]

🧵New Orleans just proved failing schools can be fixed at scale.

It became America’s first all-charter school district.

The results are staggering:

• 99th percentile nationally in reading growth
• 98th percentile in math growth
• The only state in America beating pre-pandemic levels in both subjects

This is what real reform looks like. THREAD 🧵

[S.E. Robinson, Jr. @SERobinsonJr]

SPACEX: Louisiana lawmakers have passed a package of bills to attract aerospace companies like SpaceX. The following bills were sponsored mainly by State Representatives Tony Bacala of Prairieville. Jack McFarland of Jonesboro, and Chris Turner of Ruston. They have all been signed by Governor Jeff Landry.

- HB 1088: Sales tax rebates on equipment/materials for aerospace facilities (requires$1B+ capital investment and 200+ jobs).

- HB 1179: Property tax exemptions for aerospace manufacturing.

- HB 1071: Exempts aerospace project records (blueprints, plans, security info) from public records laws, if the company holds a U.S. Department of Defense contract or maintains information under International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

- HB 1098: Limits liability for nuisance, noise, trespass, and environmental claims against aerospace operators.

- HB 1033: Adds spaceports/aerospace facilities to “critical infrastructure,” making unauthorized entry a felony.

More SpaceX news in today's ELON CHRON below!

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

Tectonic plates are shifting under Louisiana: exploding AI/data center demand, abundant power capacity, and lightning-fast permitting are colliding head-on, creating mountains of opportunity rising fast.

At Agile Coast, we build warehouses and manufacturing facilities in Southeast Louisiana and are seeing this demand firsthand. The flood gates of opportunity are wide open, especially along the river corridor and port-adjacent industrial zones where logistics, energy, and AI infrastructure converge.

I never thought I would say this in my lifetime, but the Gulf South is building the future.

It’s awesome to see.

[LouisianAI @LouisianaAIDesk]

https://t.co/8Wr7UjyWyJ

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

🚨 @elonmusk @GNOInc @GovJeffLandry @LEDLouisiana Texas is the lead contender for Terafab due to proximity of Tesla Gigafactory Austin and Spacex Brownsville, but Louisiana offers the stronger deal for locating Terafab. Here is the total cost of ownership breakdown on why a $10 billion plus economic development package is the bare minimum starting point for any State serious about winning this $100 billion gigafab.

Terafab is the largest semiconductor project ever planned. Thousands of acres, massive power demand, full design to packaging for Tesla, SpaceX and xAI.

Multiple sites remain in play and the project announced at $20 to $25 billion could easily scale to well over $100 billion as it expands to meet exploding AI demand. Louisiana stands ready to compete hard and win on pure economics.

Over 10 years, locating in Texas costs roughly $16.8 billion more in total cost of ownership than Louisiana. Here is why:

Property taxes are the biggest long-term difference. Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program delivers a 93% (or higher) Mega-Project abatement for the full 10 years on all new investment. On a $100 billion fab, that alone saves more than $13 billion compared with Texas. Texas JETI only limits 50% on the school district portion, leaving the company paying about 72% of full taxes every year.

Energy is a make-or-break factor at this scale. Louisiana offers lower and far more stable industrial power rates backed by abundant natural gas and nuclear baseload on an integrated regional grid. Texas relies on the isolated ERCOT system, which has faced repeated winter shortfalls and growing risk of forced curtailments as demand surges. For a multi-gigawatt gigafab, even brief outages can cost millions per hour in scrapped wafers and lost production. That reliability gap plus the rate difference adds more than $1.1 billion in extra costs over 10 years in Texas.

Sales and use taxes on equipment and construction materials give Louisiana another clear edge. Full rebates through the Enterprise Zone program drop the net cost close to zero on billions in tools and cleanroom gear, while Texas exemptions are narrower, especially during the build phase. That swings another $1.75 billion in Louisiana’s favor.

Louisiana also delivers direct cash that Texas simply does not match. High-Impact Jobs Program grants provide 18% to 22% rebates on high-wage payroll, and R&D tax credits add meaningful savings even after the statewide cap. Combined, those benefits put another $820 million back into the project over the decade.

The bottom line is clear. Texas ends up $16.8 billion more expensive over the critical first 10 years, and the gap keeps growing afterward as Louisiana’s energy and logistics advantages compound while most Texas abatements expire.

And for Louisiana taxpayers, a $10+ billion incentive package is not a giveaway. It pays for itself many times over. Ten thousand new high-wage jobs will generate more than $1.2 billion in annual payroll. That brings steady streams of State income tax, sales tax from worker spending, and billions more in property taxes once the abatement period ends. LED’s own models for megaprojects show taxpayers typically see a return of 3x to 5x their investment through direct revenue, supplier networks, and long-term economic growth, all while creating thousands of family-sustaining careers and positioning Louisiana as a national semiconductor leader.

Texas has the existing ecosystem. Louisiana brings lower lifetime costs, shovel-ready FastSites across the GNO region, unmatched Mississippi River logistics for wafers and chemicals, cheaper land, and a Governor plus LED team that has repeatedly closed transformational deals.

@Tesla, @xai, and @SpaceX have a fiduciary duty to pursue the best deal for this transformational project. That likely looks like $10+ billion in combined State and local incentives. Any state that truly wants Terafab should meet these minimum terms. Louisiana has the structure, the sites, and the political will to go big because we understand exactly what this project means for jobs, national security, and American AI leadership.
@LAGovJeffLandry @GNOInc @LEDLouisiana Let’s put the full Terafab package on Louisiana ground. @elonmusk the numbers line up in our favor. We want you to be a @Saints fan.
#TerafabLA #LouisianaAdvantage

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

JP or Kenner buying the property is unnecessary. The owners want to redevelop it but the zoning only allows for a mall. Jefferson Parish won’t rezone it. If they just rezoned it to literally any other zoning, the owners would act. But Kenner city officials are unrealistically insistent on getting the mall to come back…

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

@elonmusk .@LAGovJeffLandry We should throw a Mardi Gras parade for the people of Greenland with USA-themed throws and loads of Louisiana food. Put Louisiana's hospitality on full display

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

@realEstateTrent What do you think of our redevelopment, @realEstateTrent ? Madison, MS has some crazy design standards, which are comically/tragically non-standard!

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

@Nick_Keesee M.A.I. is the professional appraiser certification. An appraiser once told it stands for “Made As Instructed”

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

@nick_underhill Nick’s pick for over / under wins this season..?

[Barrett Linburg @DallasAptGP]

Forget everything you've heard about Opportunity Zones

They're now permanent

The new program lets you reinvest the same capital repeatedly for decades, building project after project, with all growth tax-free

Here's the details:

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

@DallasAptGP Opportunity Zones build jobs and housing in Louisiana’s most needed neighborhoods. Many projects rely on them. Make this 4-word change. End the dead period or projects will push 2 years. @BillCassidy

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

.@KyleTurley133

[Boot Krewe Media @BootKreweMedia]

This Guy Is Ready

[Donald Schneider @DonFSchneider]

This is by far the best new idea to be considered in reconciliation. There's a strong argument for expanding its scope beyond manufacturing (27% of structures investment) to all nonresi structures. That said, it looks like this might be scored at ~$15bn annual cost. Worth it.

[joshua steinman (🇺🇸,🇺🇸) @JoshuaSteinman]

Should we ask @JeffBezos to add a “made in America” filter to @Amazon?

Would be an insane boost for the reindustrialize movement.

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

@GadSaad Try to mimic each of these accents as you make your way through the South. And add New Orleans to your itinerary!

https://t.co/fMCXY9Pa3F

[Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו @netanyahu]

.@elonmusk is being falsely smeared.

Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the October 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel’s right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state.

I thank him for this.

[FOX 8 New Orleans @FOX8NOLA]

Getting that gumbo ready to keep warm

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

Merry Christmas New Orleans

[Andrew B Marcus @MakersMarcus]

@kevinolearytv Hyperscaler companies, come check out Louisiana! This Meta deal is likely the first of many...
https://t.co/7BCHISi3ne

[Peter C. Cook @petercook]

Once again, this whole controversy is being ginned up by a small grp of people spreading disinformation about grain dust, vermin, etc. Even the claim that this is "reindustrialization" is complete nonsense as the wharf has been in continuous use for literally decades... 1/n #NOLA