The next couple of decades are going to be defined by the rise of Big Towns. Of communities no longer striving to be the next Austin but instead to be the next Chattanooga, Tennessee, the next Greenville, South Carolina, the next Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or maybe even the next Lafayette, Louisiana.
The district will be able to buy property, build facilities, issue revenue bonds, incur debt and levy taxes without a vote of the public, according to the legislation, to develop public improvement projects for the university directly or through private foundations or nonprofit organizations affiliated with the university.
Source: The Advocate
Operators will need to apply for permits by April 1. A ban in single family neighborhoods takes effect in October.
Lafayette Parish is growing faster than the national average, becoming more diverse and producing more jobs. We should tap into that strength, whatever its sources.
The precipitous loss of residents that Louisiana has seen over the last three years has been spread across nearly every parish, with urban and rural areas alike seeing large decreases.
Source: The Advocate
Lafayette used to be a high flier on the Milken Institute’s Best Performing Cities report. Now we’re the fourth worst performing city in America.
The drought in 2023 was one of the most severe droughts in the history of Louisiana and caused significant damage to the sustainability of the crawfish industry. Lack of water and, in some cases, saltwater intrusion decimated the seed stock and has limited the ability to catch crawfish.
Source: The Advertiser
The restaurant business has always been notoriously tough. Even more so in a place like Lafayette, where the bar has been set so high by so many establishments for so many years.
Developers and residents alike say Lafayette’s codes let down both groups by causing heartburn for residents and giving false hope to builders.
In town halls held this week, economic development emerged as the central tenet of incoming M-P Boulet’s vision for Lafayette.
Incoming M-P Boulet is holding three town hall meetings next week to gather input from the public on a trio of key local issues.
Federal data shows Lafayette’s economy is behind a billion dollars. We can’t afford to be complacent.
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