Occupying a strange, underused area between Mid-City and the CBD, 2001 Canal St. is currently a derelict former office building across from the Veterans Affairs Hospital and University Medical Center complex currently under construction. But Mid-City Messenger's been following a potential development boon to the area: a proposal to develop the site into a "European-style" boutique hotel by property developer Dr. Nariner Gupta. Today the site reported that the City Planning Commission approved the proposal for the hotel, pushing it one step closer to reality.
The Mid-City Messenger report says the proposal for what's being called the Hotel Loren and Suites includes plans to add two additional floors to the existing five-story building, which has been vacant since Hurricane Katrina, to create a total of 132 rooms. The hotel would primarily cater to families of patients at the neighboring VA hospital, and the proposal says the hotel would offer a discount to veterans and their families in need.
Next the proposal heads to New Orleans City Council for approval. Since Mid-City is lacking in hotels (if you're not counting bed and breakfasts and small inns), and that part of Canal Street is severely underused, we're interested to see if this plan comes to fruition.
·Proposed hotel on Canal Street approved by City Planning Commission [Mid-City Messenger]