The beef between actor Wendell Pierce, former mayoral candidate Troy Henry and the Marigny neighborhood continues. After City Council OK'd the demolition of the business partners' dilapidated property at 2501 St. Claude Ave., several Marigny residents and neighborhood groups have filed a lawsuit.
Neighbors have long opposed demolishing the property. But, you may ask, why would they care if the property is blighted, anyway?
Pierce and Henry own the property, a former auto parts store, as well as the neighboring Shell Station. They want to demolish the auto parts store to merge the two properties into an outpost of Sterling Express—a chain of convenience stores started by the two.
Neighbors are upset because they think the historic structure should be preserved, not demolished, and they don't think another convenience store will improve the character of the St. Claude corridor.
The neighborhood also isn't confident in Pierce and Henry as owners, seeing as the two left their property to deteriorate for years, and claim that they acquired the property through a "sweetheart deal"—in 2012 NORA included the property in a sheriff's sale, removed it and sold it to Henry for only $19,900 as part of a "revitalization strategy."
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Matthew and Brooke Kyte, who live near the store; the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association; and the nonprofit St. Claude Main Street.
Henry, in response, claims the plaintiffs are "sore losers."
• OK'd demolition of Troy Henry, actor Wendell Pierce's St. Claude Ave. property prompts neighbors to sue [The Advocate]
• Marigny residents suing to stop St. Claude Avenue demolition [NOLA.com]
• City Council OK's Demolition of Wendell Pierce and Troy Henry's Blighted St. Claude Avenue Property [Curbed NOLA]