METAIRIE, La. — Residents want it gone and so does Jefferson Parish, because of crime. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office reports they've had nearly 700 calls for service to the Evergreen Plaza Inn over the last three years.
The Evergreen Plaza Inn on Veterans Memorial Boulevard has a reputation.
"It's not really a good place," a neighbor told Eyewitness News.
"Really not a whole lot going on there that's good," another said.
The Evergreen Plaza Inn in Metairie, is right down the road from Lafreniere Park, and residents who live nearby say it's a hotspot for crime.
"They got a lot of people selling drugs, they hang out across the street, they got an ice cream parlor right there with kids coming and going, you can see people buying drugs and they got the park right there as well, you got a bunch of kids in there," a neighbor said.
According to Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, since June 6th, 2020 to this week, there've been 637 calls for service to this location, that's calls to sheriff deputies, the fire department and EMS.
In those three years there've been 32 arrests, three of them were drug-related. There was also a fatal shooting there in July of 2020.
Residents who live in the surrounding neighborhood say they feel unsafe going to the gas station because of crime. The owner told Eyewitness News reporter Eleanor Tabone no criminal activity happens here, but the manager contradicted her, telling Eyewitness News the hotel has a long list of people who aren't allowed in.
Councilman Dominick Impastato says the parish wants it gone, saying there are better uses for the site.
"We have a need at Lafreniere Park for additional administrative buildings, additional meeting spaces, areas for storage equipment... the perfect location for that is that site," Impastato said.
He also said data showed the site "averages somewhere in the neighborhood of 24 calls to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office per month."
"I think it's a great idea! They need to put something up there that's nice... something other than what it is, it hasn't been a good situation for years and we've been living here for 20 years," neighbors said.
Till the Parish owns it, the iconic big Evergreen Plaza Inn sign will stay where it is.
Councilman Impastato says the parish offered to buy the site from the owners, but the owners declined the offer. He says now the parish has commissioned attorneys to expropriate the property.
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