NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Over the objection of some French Quarter residents, the Vieux Carre Commission's Architectural Committee gave initial approval to a plan to convert a vacant 19th-century riverfront building into the first new French Quarter hotel in decades.
On Tuesday, the committee granted the proposal "conceptual approval," the first of several steps in the process of getting permission to make changes to a building in the city's oldest neighborhood.
Developers Wayne and David Ducote want to redevelop the building into an 80-room boutique hotel.
The Ducotes proposed a similar transformation in 2004, but it was vetoed by then-Mayor Ray Nagin.
The New Orleans Advocate’s Jaquetta White reports the proposal will now go to the full Vieux Carre Commission for conceptual approval. It also must be reviewed by the City Planning Commission and the City Council.
