The Elysian hotel scaled back its plans. Opponents say it’s still too big as council plans to vote.

A group of developers will ask the City Council on Thursday to approve a new five-story hotel in the Faubourg Marigny that’s faced opposition from some neighbors since it was proposed two years ago. 

The Elysian, which is being planned by Metairie-based NOLA Hotel Group at the site of a former nursery at 621 Elysian Fields Avenue, needs a waiver from council members because of its size. While the development group has scaled back their original plans calling for a larger hotel, the latest proposal, at nearly 87,500 square-foot, is roughly 30% larger than is allowed under current regulations.

Hundreds of residents in the historic neighborhood have indicated they oppose the project since it was proposed in 2023, arguing that a large hotel on the site would change the character of the area and dwarf their 19th-century cottages and shotgun doubles. In late December, the City Planning Commission agreed that the project was inappropriate for the site and unanimously recommended that the council deny the waiver request.

But District C City Council member Freddie King, who represents the area and initially opposed the hotel, says he supports it now because the developers have scaled down their plans and dropped a request for height and parking waivers.

The City Council typically defers to district council members on land-use issues.

“We are trying to strike a balance so we can move forward with this project on a lot that has sat vacant for five years,” King said.

The controversy is the latest of several in the Marigny and Bywater between developers and residents. Developers argue they are getting properties, some of which haven’t been maintained, back into commerce. Opponents say additional hotels and short-term rentals are changing the character of historic, eclectic neighborhoods. Within a few blocks of the proposed Elysian, three hotels have opened over the last few years — the Hotel Peter and Paul, the Hampton Inn and 2121 Chartres Street. More are planned. 

Developers of The Elysian say that while they understand neighbors’ concerns, their project doesn’t work if they cannot build enough guest rooms to justify the cost of their investment in the property, which they purchased in 2022 for $2.75 million

“Our architects are already cringing because we have reconfigured the space to appease adjacent neighbors,” said Katie Minor Bliss, one of the partners in the project. “So, we are wasting space as it is.”

Opponents of the project counter that the City Planning Commission found that the project did not meet any of the nine criteria that are required for a zoning variance like a size or height waiver to be granted. The commission also found the project was inconsistent with the city’s master plan.

“The City Planning Commission was explicit that this project does not meet crucial legal requirements,” attorney William Most, who represents the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association, said in a letter to City Council members Tuesday. “If the City Council were to approve the conditional use and variance for this project, it would expose the city to substantial legal liability.”

Open to interpretation?

The proposed hotel is the brainchild of a seasoned hotel group whose local portfolio incudes the Andrew Jackson Hotel, Hotel St. Pierre and the St. James Hotel in the French Quarter, as well as the Blake and La Galerie downtown. The group, led by Ty Angeron, Edward Jacobs and Bliss, have enlisted local lobbyists Ike Spears and Chris Young to help get approval from city regulators.

Young and Spears referred calls for comment to Bliss. 

When first unveiled, the group proposed a 90,000-square-foot, seven-story Courtyard Marriott with 148 guest rooms and a rooftop pool. Current zoning laws limit building size in the neighborhood to 67,000 square feet with a maximum height to 50 feet.

The Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association submitted nearly 600 signatures of people who say they are against the project to the council and the City Planning Commission. In response to the concerns, The Elysian will now have five floors, a maximum height of 50 feet and an estimated 110-120 guest rooms, according to Bliss. The brand is now Home2 Suites by Hilton. Because plans were recently modified, no new renderings or plans have been filed in writing with the city, Bliss said.

Neighbors say even at 50 feet, the project is too large and out of scale for their neighborhood.

“Our neighborhood is a historic neighborhood that matters with homes that have architectural significance,” said Barb LaFleur, a longtime resident, whose home would back up to the hotel. “We don’t deny their right to build a hotel but it’s the size of this one we’re against.”

Opponents also fear that greenlighting a project that does not meet any of the city’s requirements for a zoning waiver  could open the door for other projects in a neighborhood that has seen a proliferation of new hotels in recent years.

“There is substantial risk here of setting a problematic precedent,” Most wrote in his letter. “If the City Council were to say that that criterion is met here, then it would encourage other developers to seek similar variances.”

Bliss and King disagree and say the city zoning code is open to interpretation.

“It is subjective and the Planning Commission and council do not always agree,” King said. “As a council member, my job is to try to move the needle forward.”

Thursday’s meeting is the last opportunity that the developers have to bring their project to the council. The matter was deferred several times earlier this year and must be heard by the end of February.

If council members deny their request, they will have to wait two years before refiling new plans with the city.