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Tim Skinner has been a business owner in Downtown Lafayette for almost 30 years.
While he has made an investment in the area, Skinner said he is thrilled to see other taking a vested interest as well.
“This is the first big project that we see coming that will enhance east of Main,” Skinner said. “When the streets are improved and sidewalks are improved, the more accessible they are it’ll encourage people to invest money in new properties and renovating older properties. ”
This will make the area more inviting and safer for those who want to venture downtown.
“It’s going to improve lighting, anywhere from trip hazards to impressions that it’s a safer place to walk,” Skinner said. “This is one of the main areas for downtown and we’ll finally have the sidewalks to improve it.”
Anita Begnaud, CEO of Downtown Development Authority, has worked on this project since 2012. She said, while they are well on their way to making this dream a reality, there are still many moving parts.
Divided into four phases, the first phase from the corner of Main by St. John’s Cathedral to the courthouse.
“The cathedral, right behind you, brings thousands of people to downtown every week to attend church,” Begnaud said. “We want people to keep their cars in the parking lot of the church and walk down to lunch on a Sunday. Right now, the environment doesn’t create desire to do so. If we can make this fill more like a part of downtown, walkable, shade, good lighting, hopefully they’ll feel more comfortable going into the CBD of the district and supporting the local business when they’re here attending church. Just really incorporating this area more into where more of the restaurants and retail are as well.”
Not only will you see the sidewalks become more walkable, the area inviting, but they will finally be ADA compliant.
“So, where we’re standing right now is some of the challenging sidewalk infrastructure in Downtown because of the carriage curbs that exist here,” Begnaud said. “From an ADA compliant standpoint this is not great sidewalk infrastructure. So, you will see the sidewalk sloping down and widening.”
Begnaud hopes, once all is complete, these new sidewalks will help to pull the downtown area together, connected by paths easier to navigate.
Construction could start at the end of the year, but that is all dependent on what they find once the process is started.
The design phase is happening right now and could take a few months to complete.
Read the rest of Katie Lopez’s article for KATC
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Drainage construction will begin in downtown Lafayette at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Lee Avenue in front of the old city hall building, according to a spokesperson Lafayette Consolidated Government’s (LCG) Public Works Department.
Read Clair Taylor’s article for The Acadiana Advocate here.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricanes Laura and Delta impacted the construction, the developers behind the old federal courthouse redevelopment in Downtown Lafayette knew the project would take a lot of work. J. Dyke Nelson, the architect behind the project, said he had to wear a hazmat suit the first time he came out and saw the property.
SchoolMint will move into a temporary space in downtown Lafayette and could soon land a permanent home possibly later this month. Company CEO Bryan MacDonald said the company will move into the first floor of the Lemoine building, 214 Jefferson St., and hopes to have employees working there on Feb. 1.
The Downtown Development Authority is proposing construction of a performing arts center in downtown Lafayette to replace the 61-year-old Heymann Performing Arts Center, which landlocked Ochsner Lafayette General wants to buy. Referring to the idea as “the type of investment that tips the scale,” DDA CEO Anita Begnaud introduced the proposal at the board’s monthly meeting Thursday morning.
Parc San Souci has been the go-to place for people living in Lafayette for nearly twenty years. It has served as a place to host events, play and listen to live music, as well as take an iconic photo, but the Downtown Development Authority believes that it’s missing something.
Since the iconic Don’s Seafood in Downtown Lafayette closed in 2020, there has been a lot of curiosity about what would happen to the building. Since the 1930s, the restaurant was a staple of the district and a favorite dining destination for locals and visitors. Wonder no more.
Adam Daigle, Business Editor of the Acadiana Advocate joined Jan Swift to discuss the biggest business news of 2020 and the Advocate’s upcoming Economic Summit to be held virtually on January 13, 2021.
Construction officially began for a new sewer lift station for Downtown Lafayette on Wednesday, which is set to expand the district’s residential capacity. The new lift station will cost $840,000, and the money is being fronted by the Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority, but 90% will be reimbursed by the Lafayette Utility System. The project is expected to be completed by the end of March 2021.