LAFAYETTE, La. — The Lafayette Parish City Council has voted to deny a proposal to open a new daiquiri shop in downtown Lafayette, following weeks of debate and resistance from local leaders concerned about ongoing permit violations and public safety.
"What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and thinking you're going to get different results, right?" said Kevin Blanchard, CEO of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The DDA highlighted that under the city's conditional use permit process, accumulating three violations could put a business's permit — and its liquor license — at risk. The daiquiri shop’s applicant, Marlon Haynes, is also the operator of Rooftop 116 and has reached that threshold within the last nine months, with violations related to security and noise ordinance issues.
"Since this group has struggled to follow their permit to date, we want everybody to stop and say, ‘Are we really thinking about this ahead of time, or are we just creating tomorrow's problems today?’" Blanchard said.
Haynes is also associated with other downtown businesses, including Ashes II Ashes and The Alley, though the DDA emphasized those operate under different permit conditions and do not present the same licensing concerns.
During Tuesday night’s public meeting, supporters of the proposed daiquiri shop spoke about the economic importance of the business. Haynes’ wife addressed the council, citing its impact on staff and the local economy. “That is 70 families supported. That is 70 people spending money locally,” she said.
Local club promoter Shallon Dean, who has worked with Rooftop 116, voiced support during the meeting, stating, “God gave me too big of a voice to not speak.” However, he declined to comment further after the meeting.
Repeated attempts by KATC to reach Haynes for further comment were unsuccessful.
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