New Orleans Council rescinds interim zoning rules affecting adult live-performance venues after heated public comment

The New Orleans City Council voted to rescind an interim zoning restriction affecting adult live-performance venues, a measure that drew prolonged public comment from entertainers, researchers and neighborhood business owners.

Council President McCarron moved to adopt the rescission following a large public-comment segment that included testimony from performers and advocates who warned that limiting new clubs would concentrate the industry and reduce worker safety. Mark Shetler of Shift Change described performers as “culture bearers” and urged the Council to ensure policy decisions benefit the workforce. Emily Nestor, speaking for herself and colleagues, said capping clubs had previously “harmed workers” and asked for “provable clarification” about claimed secondary effects cited by proponents of restrictions.

Speakers said restrictive zoning has historically pushed clubs into a small number of venues, reducing workers’ ability to change employers and report unsafe or exploitative conditions. Devin Ladner, a researcher at Loyola, said past enforcement actions and zoning restrictions removed job opportunities without producing clear trafficking outcomes. Margaret Bondi, a local business owner, argued that limiting venues “concentrates risk” and harms small-business competition.

Council members acknowledged the testimony and the history of state and local regulation. Council President Morrell referenced his experience during state-level legislation and said the Council would try to improve communication with the industry before moving forward with future rules. After debate and procedural steps to add the item to the agenda, the rescission motion was adopted (recorded votes noted in the meeting record). The council’s action rescinds the interim restriction but does not itself adopt a replacement regulatory framework; council members said staff and the City Planning Commission will take additional steps, including public hearings, to consider zoning language going forward.

The vote ended a session of sustained public comment in which performers repeatedly asked to be included in rule-making. Council members directed staff to carry the matter to the appropriate post-adoption processes, including public hearings at the City Planning Commission.