Outrage as New Orleans Democrat lawmaker who runs real estate agency sells beloved community garden to developer for same price it fetched in 1963

A beloved New Orleans community garden is facing the wrecking ball after a Democratic lawmaker’s real estate firm arranged its sale for a price critics say belongs in the 1960s.

The controversy has erupted around the Frenchmen Street Community Garden in the city’s 7th Ward, where volunteers say they transformed a neglected post-Katrina property into a thriving neighborhood asset that produces thousands of pounds of fruit, vegetables and eggs each year.

The garden feeds neighbors, houses chickens and serves as a gathering place for locals, but residents are fighting to stop the sale after learning the two lots that make up the haven were placed under contract for $15,000 each by Delisha Boyd Realty, the firm run by Louisiana state Rep. Delisha Boyd.

Property records show one of the parcels of land last sold for roughly the same amount in 1963, according to reporting by Nola.com.

The proposed transaction has sparked outrage among gardeners and neighbors who say they previously offered far more for the land and were never even given an opportunity to compete for the property before the deal was struck.

The dispute has become so heated that Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration is now reviewing whether City Hall has the authority to block the sale altogether.

The garden occupies two lots at the corner of Frenchmen and Marais streets. 

The land was originally transferred through a post-Hurricane Katrina program that sought to put abandoned properties back into productive use.

For years, however, the site sat largely untouched and became overgrown.

That changed in 2019 when neighborhood volunteers cleared trash, removed invasive vegetation and gradually transformed the area into a lush, flourishing community space filled with fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, walking paths and a chicken coop.

According to organizers, the garden now distributes thousands of pounds of produce and eggs to local residents annually.

A Change.org petition launched to save the garden describes it as ‘the lifeline of our community’ and says it provides more than 2,500 pounds of organic produce every year while serving as a gathering place for residents of all ages.

The petition states that the site also provides free-range eggs, supports dozens of community trees, helps absorb stormwater through a bioswale system and hosts recycling drives, cleanup projects and plant exchanges.

Supporters say the garden has become particularly important in a neighborhood facing mounting development pressures, rising insurance costs and gentrification.

The current battle traces back to efforts by volunteers to secure permanent control of the land.

In 2023, organizers approached Neighborhood Housing Services, the nonprofit that owns the property, about purchasing or leasing the lots.

According to reports, the gardeners offered $90,000 for the two garden parcels along with another lot owned by the nonprofit.

At the time, negotiations were handled by Delisha Boyd Realty.

Kristen Boyd, an agent with the firm and daughter of the state representative, reportedly responded that the nonprofit would be reluctant to sell ‘3 (lots) for the price of one.’

But supporters were stunned when eviction notices appeared on the garden’s chain-link fence in May.

Public records later revealed the property had already been placed under contract.

Garden organizers quickly launched a public campaign urging City Hall to intervene.

In a letter to Mayor Moreno, they argued they had previously submitted higher offers and would have done so again had they been informed the property was being sold.

‘Residents had previously made higher offers for these lots and were fully prepared to do so again had they been notified of the sale,’ organizers wrote.

They also warned that transferring land originally intended for public benefit to private interests at what they described as below-market rates raised serious concerns.

‘The transfer of land designated for public good at below market rates to private interests raises serious legal and ethical concerns and represents a profound failure of both fiduciary and civic duty,’ the letter stated.

The controversy has intensified scrutiny of Boyd, a Democrat who represents part of the New Orleans area in the Louisiana Legislature.

Boyd has previously faced questions regarding campaign finances and business dealings. Earlier this year she filed for bankruptcy, reporting more than $1 million in debts.

Lawyers hired to review her campaign finances previously concluded they found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Kristen Boyd has defended the sale and rejected allegations of misconduct.

She said she has represented Neighborhood Housing Services in property transactions for approximately a decade and said the nonprofit’s leadership had directed her to dispose of remaining assets.

According to Boyd, nonprofit CEO Amy Batiste informed her the organization intended to dissolve and wanted its remaining properties sold in what she described as a ‘fire sale’ for between $10,000 and $20,000 each.

Boyd also accused critics of unfairly targeting her mother.

‘The decision to target my mother is transparently retaliatory driven by who she is, not by any genuine belief that she or I engaged in wrongdoing,’ she told NOLA.com.

The dispute has also shone a spotlight on Neighborhood Housing Services itself.

Federal records show the nonprofit lost its tax-exempt status after failing to file required reports. Its website was later taken offline, while a listed business address is now occupied by a salon.

For many residents, the fight is less about politics than preserving a neighborhood institution.

Garden organizer Ashley Schneider said the space has become a place where neighbors connect while sharing food and resources.

‘If you walk up to someone and say, “Hey, I have these plants, would you like some?”,’ Schneider said, ‘It’s extremely rare that you’ll be greeted with anything other than a smile.’

For now, the fate of the Frenchmen Street Community Garden remains uncertain, but there may still be a path to saving it.

Mayor Moreno’s office is examining whether the city retains authority under the post-Katrina property transfer program to reject the transaction. 

City spokesman Jonah Gilmore said: ‘The City is currently reviewing the extent of the mayor’s authority in this matter, but Mayor Moreno’s position is clear: if she has the authority to approve or disapprove this sale, she will not approve it.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Delisha Boyd Realty and the Mayor’s Office for further comment.