1-5-2026: RE: Opposition to Rezoning 1608-1620 Dumaine Street

January 5, 2026

New Orleans City Planning Commission
1300 Perdido St.
New Orleans, LA 70112

RE: Opposition to Rezoning 1608-1620 Dumaine Street

Dear Commissioners:

Louisiana Landmarks Society asks you to vote no on the proposed rezoning of 1608-1620 Dumaine Street from HMR-1 (historic residential) to HMC-2 (commercial district). This request represents spot zoning and sets a dangerous precedent while undermining the carefully crafted protections the community fought to establish.

The Historic Faubourg Treme Association and residents invested considerable effort to create a Residential Diversity Overlay (RDO) district. The RDO explicitly defines acceptable commercial activities that respect residents' quality of life. The current rezoning proposal directly contradicts this community agreement.

While the owner demolished an existing structure to create parking, he charges fees that drive most patrons to park on residential streets instead. This causes residents to struggle daily to park near their homes, particularly after work or when carrying groceries from blocks away. The lot entrance opens onto Dumaine rather than N. Claiborne, creating unnecessary congestion on the residential block.

The street has become a venue for inappropriate behavior and unsightly litter. Amplified noise, often late into the evening, has become an exhausting nuisance.

The business has transformed multiple times, beginning as an unpermitted short-term rental operating without a proper occupancy license, which then converted to a hotel, and now functions primarily as a pool party venue and bar that presents quality of life issues for the neighborhood.

Granting commercial zoning to a mid-block property surrounded by residences would establish a dangerous precedent throughout historic neighborhoods. It would effectively allow commercial encroachment into working- class residential areas that depend on zoning protections.

We urge you to maintain the HMR-1 designation and preserve the integrity of the neighborhood's residential character. The community has spoken through the RDO process. Please honor that work by voting against this rezoning request.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Sandra Stokes
Chair of Advocacy
Louisiana Landmarks Society