$35M Warehouse District Hotel Sparks Local Opposition

By Eliza Theiss, Associate Editor

A new 75-foot hotel proposed in the Crescent City’s Warehouse District is heating up talks regarding the city’s master plan and height limitations.  The project, proposed by Ohio-based Filmore Hospitality, envisions a two-building, 178-key Cambria Suites hotel, complete with a meeting room and restaurant, for an L-shaped tract on the 600 block of Tchoupitoulas Street, reports The New Orleans Advocate. The site, comprising 10 lots, is currently a surface parking lot but is owned by hotelier Warren Reuther, who’s got a sales contract in place with Filmore for the site. Filmore’s project – boasting an 85-foot height at the time – was voted down by the City Planning Commission due to concerns regarding traffic, height and disrupting the historic character of the neighborhood. The area height limitation is 65 feet and five stories, while Filmore’s hotel, somewhat downsized from its initial 85 feet, would rise six stories high, with a 75-foot height at its Commerce Street entrance and a 65-foot height on the side fronting Tchoupitoulas Street.

Granaio Lofts

The site is in Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell’s district; she recently rejected the proposed $20 million luxury apartment project Granaio due to similar concerns, reports Canal Street Beat. The project, helmed by local real estate developer Josh Bruno, envisioned an 18-story apartment project with a two-story penthouse on top. Designed by local architect Wayne Troyer of Studio WTA, it would have included amenities such as a pool, outdoor balconies, private parking, Crestoron technology to control energy usage, lighting, heating, cooling and floodwater management, and a green living bio wall. Interiors would have been signed by Philippe Starck, with internationally awarded urban landscape designer Raymond Jungles also contributing to the project.

The New Orleans City Council is now expected to make a decision regarding the Cambria Suites hotel. Several locals, organized as the group Residents for Responsible Development, have organized a rally to oppose the $35 million project, reported The Times Picayune.

Click here for further New Orleans data.

Image courtesy of Granaio Lofts via Facebook