Hotels on LaSalle St.

That's what it says, right?

Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell, whose district includes Central City, introduced an amendment that would establish the LaSalle Street Overlay District between Washington and Louisiana avenues. She said the five-block stretch has the potential to become the next Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, which has experienced significant commercial growth in the past several years.

The LaSalle Street overlay is designed to promote businesses catering to the cultural arts and live entertainment as well as hotels, similar to what was done on Freret Street. Adult-themed businesses and karaoke bars would not be permitted.

The main benefit of the proposal would be to pave the way for the redevelopment of the historic Dew Drop Inn into a boutique hotel and live music venue, Cantrell said.

"This is a part of the history of the city of New Orleans, and the uses that are being proposed are those consistent with how the Dew Drop Inn was operated in the past, particularly prior to the civil rights movement and in the Jim Crow south," she said.

Weird. I know this isn't what they mean to say but that almost reads like we are deliberately planning to go back to Jim Crow times.   Then again, when you plan to put a "boutique hotel" and entertainment district where just a few years back you forcibly removed public housing residents, you can kind of see the consistency in that.