Developer fights City Hall over planned Westbank mixed use proposal

The developer of a proposed mixed use complex slated for the Westbank is calling the City of New Orleans anti-business.  Philip Spiegelman is involved in a long running court battle to get his proposed $50 million dollar development approval by the City Council, which he contends was approved by the city council, but never voted on when the new council took office in May 2018.  A Times-Picayune/Advocate story states Spiegelman successfully sued the City honor a requirement the Council were to vote on the project within 90 days.  However, as the City now appeals the decision, City Attorney Michael Laughlin says the Council was within its rights to let the time to let the deadline run out and effectively kill the project.  And, the City apparently changed zoning laws in 2019 removing working requiring a vote within 90 days.  To this end, Spiegelman has angrily responded, telling the paper “I have never in 50 years doing business been in a position where I committed resources, time, effort, and money and found that the rules changed after the fact.”