For nearly a year, neighbors in Faubourg Marigny have been fighting to preserve our community. Now, we need your help to stop a five-story, 128-room Hilton Home2 Suites hotel that threatens to overwhelm our historic neighborhood.

Developers from Baton Rouge are trying to force this massive project onto a site that simply cannot support it — at 621 Elysian Fields Avenue, between Chartres and Royal streets, where modest homes and rich architectural history define the block. The building they’ve proposed doesn’t just exceed the height limits—it would loom over nearby homes, destroy neighborhood character, and set a dangerous precedent for future developments that ignore our zoning laws and community voice.

Despite opposition from the City Planning Commission, the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC), and countless residents, the City Council approved a zoning exception in March under questionable circumstances. Since then, neighbors have challenged this decision in court and through local appeals, but the developers keep pushing forward with minimal changes to their original oversized proposal.

City staff have called the design “over-scaled and poorly articulated,” warning that it fails to respect the scale and harmony of the surrounding neighborhood. Even after being denied by the HDLC again in December, the developers are expected to appeal once more—ignoring the consistent message from residents and preservationists alike: this hotel doesn’t belong here.

We urge the New Orleans City Council, especially District C Councilmember Freddie King, to reject any future appeals and stand with residents in protecting one of our city’s most unique and historic neighborhoods.

Development in Marigny should uplift our culture, not erase it. Let’s send a clear message: Our neighborhoods are not for sale.

Sign this petition to stop the hotel at 621 Elysian Fields and preserve the character of Faubourg Marigny.

Photo: Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune