FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
City Hall, Oct. 6, 2025
Developer Zach Kupperman had an easy win over a large cadre of Freret Street neighbors on Monday at the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA). Pending a further appeal, this means Sunnies Restaurant (4917 Freret) may open an over-21-only outdoor pool-bar in the popular Freret Street corridor.
See the “request” for Docket Item BZA 076-25 below.
The hearing was attended by about fifteen neighbors protesting the certain advent of noise, trash, traffic, and parking trouble—and the erosion of the values of a residential neighborhood that is a generational home to New Orleans families.
The hearing was interrupted for an hour; and neighbors did not return for the Board’s deliberation and unanimous vote (7-0) to uphold the issuance of #25-02176-POOL by Safety and Permits.
Zoning consultant Zach Smith: “I’m kinda happy that not everybody returned [after the break].”
(03:09:01)
See video here:
https://cityofno.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=5208&meta_id=759664
(Starts at timestamp 02:24:35. Final vote shown at 03:29:39.)
Supported only by Smith, Kupperman insisted that Sunnies was following the law “in the way that the city guided us to do it”; and further that the establishment will not be a bar alone.
“We are a standard restaurant—period.”
Responsible media coverage is requested.
Commentary, links, and contact info below.
Best regards,
Susan Johnson
Historic New Orleans Neighborhoods, LLC (HNON)
sjohnson@hnon.org
OUR TAKE AT HNON:
Zach Kupperman was the developer of the new Trader Joe’s a few blocks away at Napoleon and Freret, which he called the new “gateway to Freret” at city meetings facilitating the demolition of the old Our Lady of Lourdes School.
With Sunnies, Kupperman pokes another hole in the historic fabric of the Freret community.
Kupperman is best known for his development of the St. Vincent’s Hotel—and the Drifter Hotel on Tulane Avenue. Of the Drifter (now the Maidstone) he said: “The Drifter Hotel exists as an action & reaction to our culture to harbor the contemporary traveler and the disruptive innovator.” (Source: LinkedIn)
“Disruptive” is an aging epithet used by tech entrepreneurs to describe themselves and justify their expansive uses in historic zoning and bad behavior in corporate activity generally. (Kupperman is also founder of Silicon Bayou Media, LLC.)
The Drifter was famous for its topless swimming pool on the one hand and also, reportedly, for unsanitary conditions in the hotel rooms, including mold and mildew.
Sunnies didn’t wait for the BZA appeal to advertise the pool as a fait accompli:
“Pool passes are available for visitors 21 and older” (Oct 2, 2025)
https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2025/10/02/sunnies-freret-street-pool-bar
Principal contacts from appeal application:
FRERET ALLSTARS, LLC
504-439-2481
APPLICANT:
Thomas McEachin, Esq.
504-680-6055
thomas@semmlaw.com
https://www.semmlaw.com/attorneys/thomas-m-mceachin/
LLC Registrations:
https://coraweb.sos.la.gov/CommercialSearch/CommercialSearchDetails.aspx?CharterID=1813990_572F8A8474
https://coraweb.sos.la.gov/CommercialSearch/CommercialSearchDetails.aspx?CharterID=1739347_BD66CDCED2
https://nola.gov/getattachment/NEXT/City-Planning/Meetings/Current-Year/2025-Year/October/Board-of-Zoning-Adjustments/10-6-2025-10-00-00-AM/Final-Agenda.pdf/
F. Director of Safety and Permits Decision Appeals – Unfinished Business
Item 13 – Docket Number: BZA076-25
Property Location: 4917 Freret Street
Zoning District: HU-MU Historic Urban Neighborhood Mixed-Use District
Existing Use: Nail Salon
Proposed Use: Standard Restaurant
Applicant or Agent: Robert Cyphert, Thomas McEachin, Esq.
BZA Contact: Valerie Goines (Valerie.Goines@nola.gov)Request: This is an appeal of the June 18, 2025, decision of the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits, as per Article 4, Section 4.8 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, regarding the issuance of permit no. 25-02176-POOL, allowing for the construction of a swimming pool for a standard restaurant, alleging that the swimming pool is not a permitted or conditional use in the HU-MU or HU-RD2 Districts, nor is it a permitted accessory use for standard restaurants; the swimming pool violates the prohibition requiring that all activities shall be conducted entirely within an enclosed structure; and resubdivision of the site is needed.RELATEDNEW ORLEANS DEVELOPER ZACH KUPPERMAN TAKES A BIG LEAP WITH $150M ASPEN CHALET REVAMP: THE MOUNTAIN CHALET, WHICH REOPENS AS THE ASPEN CHALET IN 2027, IS THREE TIMES AS BIG A PROJECT AS KUPPERMAN’S HOTEL ST. VINCENT.
[Kuppmerman as lionized by nola.com business reporter Tony McAuley]
Sept. 2, 2025
https://www.nola.com/news/business/new-orleans-developer-kupperman-starts-100m-aspen-project/article_635ecea4-9e37-4e9a-97a8-0c5f3395a545.html
Freret Street gets a pool bar with Sunnies
Oct 2, 2025 – Food and Drink
https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2025/10/02/sunnies-freret-street-pool-bar
MEDIA CONTACT:
Please contact applicant above.
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