Zoning request approval unlocks potential $5M in permitting fees
The following is a statement attributable to the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
The April 14th approval by the City Planning Commission (CPC) marks a critical step forward for the Omni New Orleans project, advancing the proposal to City Council consideration. We thank the commissioners and CPC staff for their thoughtful review and for recognizing the importance of this project.
New Orleans is a great American city, and great cities don’t stand still. They invest, they compete and they lead. New Orleans is Built to Host and today’s vote helps ensure we are ready to host what comes next.
This approval is the next step toward delivering a transformative investment for New Orleans. The proposed zoning action creates a clear, intentional framework for a project of this scale, one that reflects the importance of this site and the opportunity in front of us.
The permitting fees associated with the Omni New Orleans would be approximately $5 million. Upon approval of the permitting process, those dollars would represent immediate revenue flowing directly to the City that can be used for infrastructure, public safety and essential services.
Omni New Orleans is expected to bring nearly 96,000 additional visitors annually to the Convention Center, growing total attendance towards 837,000 and strengthening our ability to compete for major conventions and events. After opening, the hotel will generate an estimated $15.2 million in new city and state taxes each year.
About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans is Built to Host! With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space on one level, all under one roof, NOENMCC is tied for the sixth-largest convention center in the United States. NOENMCC is a 2025 Exhibitor Magazine Centers of Excellence recipient and is consistently named a regional top workplace by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. A recent LEED Gold certification makes NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana and the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, as well as the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED Gold v4.1 O+M. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, NOENMCC event activity has produced $93.2 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening.
About the Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority
The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority’s (Authority) exclusive mission is to finance, construct, and operate facilities in order to attract and conduct conventions, trade shows, and other events that support and expand the economy of both the State of Louisiana and the New Orleans region. The Authority is composed of a 13-member Board of Commissioners, with ten members appointed by the Governor of Louisiana and three appointed by the Mayor of New Orleans. Since 1985, event activity at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center has produced $93.2 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening, including $6.2 billion in new tax revenue for state and local governments.
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