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Here’s a list of links to news-stories in print and online publications; and links to video. (Some video is from city meetings.) See also Neighborhood news.
NEW Sept. 17, 2025—Rob Masson, Fox8–WVUE News, “Experts link spike in for rent signs near Tulane, Loyola to housing policies.”
June 24, 2025—Letter to the TP/NO Advocate editor: “Cannabis dispensary not welcome in Carrollton,” by Susan Johnson, Town of Carrollton Watch.
June 2, 2025—The New Orleans Advocate jumps on board with marijuana sales in Carrollton. There’s no mention of majority shareholder Boysie Bollinger. Reporter Stephanie Riegel helps the old dope peddler push the cart. Three new medical marijuana dispensaries set to open in New Orleans as industry expands.
Apr. 6, 2025—Stephanie Riegel, “Nuns once ran a college there. Now, this Uptown St. Charles landmark may become a boutique hotel; Loyola University plans hotel for Broadway campus; neighbors voice concerns about parking, building size, live oaks” (link to nola.com).
Apr. 3, 2025—Stephanie Riegel’s article on the Neighborhood Participation Program (NPP) meeting on April 2 for the institutional master plan (IMP) re Loyola’s new boutique hotel at 7330–7330 St. Charles Avenue is here: “Loyola planning boutique hotel and conference for Broadway campus. Some neighbors aren’t happy” (link to nola.com).
May 2, 2024: More apartments could be coming to New Orleans neighborhoods after city OK’s two changes, by Sophia Kasakove. Article covers the SMFA expansion hearing at the City Council meeting of May 2; makes no mention of D2Ds or any stated opposition to the text amendment. (Kasakove was not present at the meeting.)
March 6, 2024: OPINION | Tulane’s new junior residency requirement puts students last,” student opinion in the Tulane Hullabaloo. Tulane students will be required to live on campus for their junior year, starting in fall 2025. See Tulane’s new residency requirements as posted on the TU website.
February 2, 2024. “New Orleans car wash owners can knock down three Tchoupitoulas Street homes Uptown, council says,” by Sophie Kasakove, with photos by Chris Granger, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate.
January 30, 2024. “Car wash owners seek demolition of Tchoupitoulas cottages,” by Stephanie Bruno and Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger (posted Jan. 30, 2024)
Aug. 11, 2023 Letter to the editor, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate, “If your child is living off campus this year, please read this,” by Angie Lamoli Silvestri.
July 31, 2023 Leah Clark, “Tulane to open two new dorms; part of $185M project to bring more students on campus,” Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate. (Did you know that MARI was a “resident advocacy group”? We thought it was a neighborhood association.)
June 15, 2023 “Another preservation fight is brewing in New Orleans. This time it’s about historic signs,” Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate.
May 22, 2023 “Assessor Has Removed 4,393 Homestead Exemptions Since Beginning of 2022,” www.bizneworleans.com, May 18, 2023. And he definitely needs your help to do it. Call the Exemption Fraud Hotline at (504) 754-8929. See more information at the tax assessor’s website. (For one thing, an LLC may not claim a homestead exemption.)
May 15, 2023 Stephanie Riegel, “Tulane University looks into leasing five streets near Uptown campus from city,” www.nola.com, May 15, 2023.
May 14, 2023 “City Hall taught consultant how to navigate the system,” by Stephanie Riegel, “Talking Business” column, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate, May 14, 2023, Page D11. Riegel interviews Zach Smith, who works for dorm developers John Hamide and Preston Tedesco, Berry Silver et al., and Le Bon Temps Ventures, LLC.
Apr. 28, 2023 “Loyola, Tulane plan to increase student housing,” by Kloe Witt, Uptown Messenger.
April 12, 2023 “Fire erupts in a university area apartment building,” by Katherine Hart, uptownmessenger.com. About an April 10 one-alarm fire at 825-27 Hillary, owned by John Hamide and Preston Tedesco.
April 12, 2023 “New Orleans City Council tries, again, to crack down on ‘doubles-to-dorms’ near universities,” by Stephanie Riegel, nola.com. About the amended IZD, passed April 6 by the City Council.
March 8, 2023 “Critics say New Orleans failing to properly enforce new ‘doubles to dorms’ regulations,” by Stephanie Riegel, nola.com. See the .pdf here. Concerns the BZA’s rulings on neighbor’s appeal of S&P permit issuance for 7417-19 Zimpel and 905-907 Cherokee.
Feb. 14, 2022 “Renovation Report: Former Carrollton Courthouse to open as an assisted living facility,” New Orleans CityBusiness. Available here as .pdf.
Nov. 10, 2022 “Fire Marshal inspections of D2Ds yield no violations, report states,” Uptown Messenger.
Nov. 9, 2022 “Future of campus housing? More beds, more students,” Tulane Hullabaloo.
Nov. 1, 2022 “State Fire Marshal begins inspections of doubles-to-dorms, Town of Carrollton Watch reports,” Uptown Messenger.
Oct. 27, 2022 “What’s behind that fire safety email? More than you think,” student opinion piece, Tulane Hullabaloo.
Oct. 25, 2022 “Louisiana fire marshal issues warning to owners of 105 ‘doubles to dorms’ near Tulane, Loyola,” by Stephanie Riegel, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate.
Oct. 25, 2022 “State fire marshal warns doubles-to-dorms owners about safety violations, NOLA.com reports,” Uptown Messenger.
Oct. 22, 2022 We were amused to find this economic rationalization of D2Ds by Loyola economics professor Walter Block: “‘Doubles to Dorms’ Isn’t a Scandal, but Prohibiting Bidding on Real Estate Would Be,” Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) Stories. Block himself lives in a condo on St. Charles Avenue.
Oct. 21, 2022 On “Informed Sources” (WYES-TV 12), David Hammer discusses the Office of the Inspector General’s recently published audit of Safety and Permits (link to report). Link to video starts at timestamp 00:21:21. Business reporter Stephanie Riegel and David Hammer talk briefly at 00:24:40 about doubles-to-dorms in the context of the need to reform S&P.
Oct. 20, 2022 “State rep: The next ‘Double to Dorm’ could be near you“; letter to the editor from La. Rep. Aimee Freeman, Dist. 98, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate.
Oct. 7, 2022 “Tulane, Loyola support stopgap City Council measure to slow ‘doubles to dorms’ home conversions,” by Stephanie Riegel, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate.
Oct. 6, 2022 “City Council issues new parking requirements Uptown to curtail ‘doubles to dorms’ trend,” by Sarah Ravits, Gambit Weekly.
Oct. 5, 2022 “‘We’re fed up’: Uptown homeowners say ‘doubles to dorms’ replacing longtime residents with students—City Councilman Joe Giarrusso plans to introduce an updated ordinance aimed at slowing the development,” by Stephanie Riegel, Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.
Sept. 14, 2022 “Stop Doubles to Dorms Movement Continues Amid New School Year,” by Mercedes Ohsen, Tulane Hullabaloo. Interview with Joe Giarrusso. Contains many inaccuracies and is not recommended.
Sept. 1, 2022 “For $1.95M, you can buy this 1852 Carrollton house with so much history that it has its own blog,” by Victor Andrews, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate. (About the Ireland House.)
July 26, 2022 “Zimpel Street cottage sets off battle between developers and neighbors,” by Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger. (About 7314 Zimpel.)
June 17, 2022 “S&WB hires contractor convicted of illegal dumping to demolish historic building: The HDLC denied the demolition permit on June 1, but admitted in a letter June 2 it has no actual power to stop it,” by David Hammer, WWL Ch. 4 News. (about the S&WB’s proposed demolition of 7330 Cohn and 1823 Lowerline: See the video.)
June 10, 2022 “City board denies neighbors’ appeals over doubles-to-dorms conversion on Audubon,” by Jacqueline Galli, Uptown Messenger.
June 6, 2022 In docket #036-22, the BZA granted developer Edie Pitt a variance for insufficient rear setback in her renovation of a single-family house at 1015 Adams. See the Meeting Agenda with links to the staff report and public comments. See video here.
June 1, 2022 The HDLC reviewed the partial demolition application for 7314 Zimpel, owned by Sidney Torres, V, and Preston Tedesco. The application was approved, although Commissioners Bruno and King voted against it. Watch the video (beginning at 02:14:47).
March 29, 2022 “City Council upholds demolition of bungalow on Henry Clay,” by Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger. The demolition permit for 1025 Henry Clay was issued on March 29, 2022.
March 24, 2022 District A Councilman Joe Giarrusso, III, denied our appeal of the HDLC-approved demolition of 1025 Henry Clay Avenue by its new owner—Baton Rouge developer Jim Brown, III. We are considering an appeal to the Civil District Court. Watch the video of the proceedings in the City Council.
March 23, 2022 “Viewpoint: We need to stop demolishing our historic homes,” by Susan Johnson, Uptown Messenger. Sponsored opinion piece by the author of this site argues against the demolition of houses in historic neighborhoods—with 1025 Henry Clay as a case in point.
January 5, 2022 The HDLC’s hearing of the application for the demolition of 1925 Fern was deferred until the next meeting on February 2, 2022—so that a City inspector may review Hurricane Ida’s purported damage to the structure on both the interior and exterior of the building. Watch the meeting video from Jan. 5 from timestamp 03:34:38.
December 16, 2021 “Affordable housing rezoning, quality of life ticketing measures approved by City Council,” by Ryan Nelsen, WWNO Radio. (Article contains several errors.)
December 16, 2021 “New Orleans council allows fourplexes amid continued debate over short-term rentals,” by Ben Myers, Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate.
December 15, 2021 “More affordable housing or short-term rentals? Why a rezoning effort is being met with resistance,” by Ryan Nelsen, WWNO Radio.
December 14, 2021 “Tulane University’s Burgeoning Residential Village Receives Major Donation,” by Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger.
November 18, 2021 “N.O. City Council backs Uptown parking restrictions aimed at reining in student housing,” by Ben Myers, Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.
November 1, 2021 It was reported in yesterday’s Times-Picayune/N.O. Advocate that the spires of Mater Dolorosa Church on South Carrollton were damaged by Hurricane Ida. See David Grunfeld’s photo.
October 28, 2021 “Uptown home expansions impact community,” by Jacqueline Galli, Loyola Maroon. In August, Loyola published its Fall 2021 stats for first-year admissions—973 new arrivals, a 25% increase over last year’s admissions. Some have noted this number actually represents a recoup, as admissions took a considerable dive some years ago.
October 15, 2021 Greg LaRose of WDSU appeared on Informed Sources (WYES) last night to talk about doubles to dorms and the new Overlay. Watch the Oct. 14 segment on YouTube here.
October 9, 2021 “New Orleans City Council OK’s rules against ‘doubles-to-dorms’ conversions Uptown,” by Jessica Williams, Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.
October 8, 2021 “New Orleans council makes permanent zoning law change to limit “doubles to dorms” spread,” by Greg LaRose, WDSU-TV (video and accompanying article).
October 8, 2021 City Council Approves University Area Off-Street Parking Overlay, by Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger.
July 11, 2021 In a triumphant “post-pandemic” return to the New Orleans music scene, Benny Grunch and the Bunch performed at Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow Street, for the benefit of Town of Carrollton Watch. Photos by Claudia Garofalo.
July 9, 2021 “Carrollton Courthouse developer fined for razing schoolhouse building,” by Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger.
July 7, 2021 The unpermitted demolition (in May 2021) of the Carrollton Courthouse schoolhouse at 701 South Carrollton Avenue was considered at the New Orleans HDLC meeting. This was the single-story building on the Maple Street side of the site, dating from the 1880s. In the City’s video, the discussion of the “retention of demolition” for the Courthouse schoolhouse starts at timestamp 02:50:00.
June 6, 2021 Rep. Aimee Freeman’s HB372 was deferred by the La. Senate Committee on Health and Welfare today (Sunday, June 6) for further discussion and study. So it’s dead in the water for this year. The bill would provide for stiffer penalties for bad-actor developers in New Orleans. Councilman Joe Giarrusso, III, was also in attendance. Video is available here (timestamp begins at about 00:08:00).
May 20, 2021 “Loyola plans to welcome a record number of freshmen, as students and local residents brace for a potential housing shortage,” by Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger.
May 17, 2021 “Proposed subdivision of historic property causes controversy in Carrollton,” by Katherine Hart, Uptown Messenger. (Update: The house at 914 Dante was nominated on Oct. 12, 2022 for HDLC landmarks nomination.)
May 14, 2021 We went to the Capitol yesterday (May 13) to hear the House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs discuss La. Rep. Aimee Freeman’s HB372, which would impose higher penalties on bad-actor developers in New Orleans. The bill passed the Committee and will next go to the House. Here is a digest of the law; and the full text of HB372 and its amendments. And here’s more information about HB372.
Watch the video. Discussion of HB372 begins at about 0:13:00.
March 27, 2020 “To slow ‘doubles to dorms’ trend, New Orleans might keep Uptown parking restrictions,” by Jessica Williams, Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.
March 25, 2021 “‘Doubles-to-dorms’ restrictions could apply to larger portion of Uptown,” reported by Greg LaRose on WDSU-TV, Channel 6.
March 5, 2021 “New Orleans City Council member says ‘doubles-to-dorms’ drive up rents near universities,” Greg LaRose, WDSU-TV, Channel 6.
March 1, 2021 “Shared housing is an affordable housing option,” by Neal Morris of Redmellon Restoration and Development, the Lens. Reached by telephone this afternoon, Lens editor Charles Maldonado affirmed that this opinion piece was printed in response to ‘Doubles-to-Dorms’: Another threat to New Orleans neighborhoods by Chunlin Leonhard, published by the Lens on October 30, 2020.
February 17, 2021 “Uptown neighbors want tougher enforcement on ‘doubles-to-dorms,’” broadcast on WDSU-TV Ch. 6 at 6 p.m. Greg LaRose’s investigative reporting on the University Area investments/developments of Dr. John P. Hamide and Preston Tedesco. Also starring Sidney Torres, IV.
January 12, 2021 WDSU-TV reported briefly on Judge Cates’s ruling.
January 12, 2021 Judge Sidney Cates of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court today dismissed Amicus’s petition (.pdf) in re 1409 Broadway, upholding the BZA’s decision last August that Safety and Permits had issued the building permit in error. This means that Amicus may not camelback the building as planned.
January 11, 2021 Watch our recent television ad on the Town of Carrollton Watch YouTube channel. The ad aired on January 1–11 on WWL–TV Ch. 4 and its internet affiliate WUPL-54—ahead of the January 11th BZA hearings involving Carrollton neighbors and Amicus Properties.
November 30, 2020 ‘New list of New Orleans endangered sites includes old school, former church’ (.pdf), by R. Stephanie Bruno, Times Picayune/Advocate.
October 30, 2020 “‘Doubles-to-Dorms’: Another threat to New Orleans neighborhoods,” by Chunlin Leonhard, Lens opinion piece.
September 16, 2020 “University area residents advocate to ‘Stop Doubles to Dorms,” by Gabby Abrams, Tulane Hullabaloo.
August 5, 2020 Greg LaRose of WDSU-TV interviewed the Leonhards about Amicus’s development of 1409 Broadway.
July 25, 2020 “New Orleans’ Uptown University area could see these changes to relieve traffic congestion,” by Jessica Williams, Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.
July 23, 2020 “Bringing students back endangers university workers,” by Matt Sakakeeny and Mohan Ambikaipaker, Readers’ Views, Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate.