134 replies to this topic

[SBCmetroguy]

breaux, on Jul 18 2006, 09:06 PM, said:

Well, the roundabouts proposed are mainly for intersections of two lane roads that currently have four way stops.  If they were major thoroughfares I might raise an eyebrow, although the concept of intersections that constantly flow seems to be taking off.  That intersection in Baton Rouge on Airline Hwy. has been a success, I forget what the term for it is.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see how they pan out, if they are ever built in the first place.

That intersection in Baton Rouge was interesting, no doubt. It was definitely unconventional, but it certainly seems to be working.

Anyway, I didn't want you to think I was bashing Lafayette, but just throwing out that I typically try to avoid driving through those things in cities and towns that have them. Alexandria has one in their downtown area.

I do hope they work out in Lafayette, but if not I hope they're at least able to do temporarily.

Edited by SBCmetroguy, 18 July 2006 - 08:55 PM.

[breaux]

Academy bets big on city
Lafayette store will be largest in chain
http://www.theadvert.../608060354/1046

The Academy store on Johnston often posts the highest sales numbers of any location in the 89-store chain, said Carl Main, vice president of marketing and advertising for Academy. The company has stores throughout the Southeast, including Houston, Dallas and New Orleans. The privately-held company would not release sales figures by store, but last year, Academy stores had $1.9 billion in sales, Main said.

Lafayette's new store will be the largest in the chain. The store has hired about 80 more employees, almost doubling the staff.

"I think that is just a testimonial to how much we like Lafayette and how well the store is doing," Main said.


Announcement may mean jobs
Blanco, state officials to be here Monday
http://www.acadianan.../608060333/1002

Gov. Kathleen Blanco and several state officials will be in Lafayette on Monday for an announcement that could signal the creation of a significant number of jobs in the city.
Details of the announcement are being kept closely guarded, but according to a statement from the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Commissioner of Administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Michael Olivier both are expected to be at the announcement.

Roderick Hawkins, Blanco's deputy press secretary, said it would be "a significant economic development for the area."

Edited by breaux, 06 August 2006 - 03:10 PM.

[SBCmetroguy]

breaux, on Aug 6 2006, 04:09 PM, said:

Academy bets big on city
Lafayette store will be largest in chain
http://www.theadvert.../608060354/1046

The Academy store on Johnston often posts the highest sales numbers of any location in the 89-store chain, said Carl Main, vice president of marketing and advertising for Academy. The company has stores throughout the Southeast, including Houston, Dallas and New Orleans. The privately-held company would not release sales figures by store, but last year, Academy stores had $1.9 billion in sales, Main said.

Lafayette's new store will be the largest in the chain. The store has hired about 80 more employees, almost doubling the staff.

"I think that is just a testimonial to how much we like Lafayette and how well the store is doing," Main said.

Might as well. There is no competition in Lafayette from Bass Pro, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, or any other large-scale sporting goods store that I know of. Correct me if I'm wrong there. And with Lafayette being so big on outdoors, this move by Academy doesn't surprise me. I'd like to see the completed store, because until now the largest Academy store I have seen is in Houston, and from the freeway it looks VERY large.

[breaux]

SBCmetroguy, on Aug 6 2006, 05:36 PM, said:

Might as well. There is no competition in Lafayette from Bass Pro, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, or any other large-scale sporting goods store that I know of. Correct me if I'm wrong there. And with Lafayette being so big on outdoors, this move by Academy doesn't surprise me. I'd like to see the completed store, because until now the largest Academy store I have seen is in Houston, and from the freeway it looks VERY large.

You're right.  It does make perfect sense as Academy has no competition outside of a few small, local stores.  Lafayette is a haven for sportsmen, and I do find it a little odd that Academy is the only major retailer that is capitalizing, but I guess they know more than I do.

At any rate, the new Academy is very big.  It's going to slow traffic down on Ambassador Caffery even more (as is the new extremely large Kohl's, whatever Kohl's is).  

And I know that getting a new Academy isn't that big of a deal, but it's been slow on here lately.  

[SBCmetroguy]

breaux, on Aug 6 2006, 06:01 PM, said:

You're right.  It does make perfect sense as Academy has no competition outside of a few small, local stores.  Lafayette is a haven for sportsmen, and I do find it a little odd that Academy is the only major retailer that is capitalizing, but I guess they know more than I do.

At any rate, the new Academy is very big.  It's going to slow traffic down on Ambassador Caffery even more (as is the new extremely large Kohl's, whatever Kohl's is).  

And I know that getting a new Academy isn't that big of a deal, but it's been slow on here lately.  

Kohl's is a very well-known department store. You'll love it. Texarkana and Shreveport both have Kohl's stores coming soon as well, so it's relatively new to the small and mid-size cities in this region.

Great to see the Academy will be so large... I hope to see it next time I'm down in that region. I love Academy, so I'd feel right at home in their largest store!

[breaux]

SBCmetroguy, on Aug 6 2006, 06:26 PM, said:

Kohl's is a very well-known department store. You'll love it. Texarkana and Shreveport both have Kohl's stores coming soon as well, so it's relatively new to the small and mid-size cities in this region.

Great to see the Academy will be so large... I hope to see it next time I'm down in that region. I love Academy, so I'd feel right at home in their largest store!

I'm very leary of stores like Kohl's.  They expand and expand and then fall on hard times and their stores sit vacant on prime real estate, not to mention the obscenely large parking lots which cause so much runoff.

The Super K-Mart in Lafayette sat vacant for what seems like an eternity.  I think they're just now trying to redevelop that site.

If the store doesn't go belly-up it will be outdated in twenty years and they will need to build another one, once again leaving their old site vacant.

Can you tell I'm not a big fan of these box retailers?  No regard for the well being of a community.  Slap up a cinder-block superstore and let the chips fall where they may.  I don't really mind Academy since they have thrived in their old location and are expanding due to our thriving sports culture.   But Kohl's?  There is a Bed Bath and Beyond right down the street, a Ross' Dress for Less across the street, not to mention a Super Target right across the street and a Sam's Club and a Super Wal-Mart not two miles down Amb. Caffery.  There is also a largely vacant shopping center about a half-mile down the street which used to be anchored by a Winn Dixie.  Why couldn't Kohl's retrofit that structure (or Academy for that matter)?

Whew.  Felt good to get that off my chest!  

Edited by breaux, 06 August 2006 - 08:39 PM.

[SBCmetroguy]

breaux, on Aug 6 2006, 09:38 PM, said:

I'm very leary of stores like Kohl's.  They expand and expand and then fall on hard times and their stores sit vacant on prime real estate, not to mention the obscenely large parking lots which cause so much runoff.

The Super K-Mart in Lafayette sat vacant for what seems like an eternity.  I think they're just now trying to redevelop that site.

If the store doesn't go belly-up it will be outdated in twenty years and they will need to build another one, once again leaving their old site vacant.

Can you tell I'm not a big fan of these box retailers?  No regard for the well being of a community.  Slap up a cinder-block superstore and let the chips fall where they may.  I don't really mind Academy since they have thrived in their old location and are expanding due to our thriving sports culture.   But Kohl's?  There is a Bed Bath and Beyond right down the street, a Ross' Dress for Less across the street, not to mention a Super Target right across the street and a Sam's Club and a Super Wal-Mart not two miles down Amb. Caffery.  There is also a largely vacant shopping center about a half-mile down the street which used to be anchored by a Winn Dixie.  Why couldn't Kohl's retrofit that structure (or Academy for that matter)?

Whew.  Felt good to get that off my chest!  

Agreed. Believe me, I know what you mean. One of the biggest problems with retail these days is that when these big chains close stores, they just leave them. All the department stores in the old South Park Mall, South Park Mall itself, numerous old Sam's Club and Wal-Mart locations, old K-Mart locations... the list goes on and on.

I will say, one thing that really surprised me was that Shreveport's Eastgate Shopping Center fell on hard times and lost tenant after tenant until it finally was dead. The main losses were Service Merchandise and K-Mart, and as you know, both of those chains almost went belly-up and closed tons of stores nationwide. However, since that part of Shreveport was revitalized, and all these new shopping centers were built, the retailers began looking for more space. So Eastgate was bought up and remodeled. Now the old K-Mart building houses a Belk, the old Service Merchandise houses a Hobby Lobby, the old Kroger houses a Ross, and the old movie theater houses a Haverty's. This is a good example of what CAN be done. The reality, however, is that this is a rarity in the world of retail today and was only done because the retailers wanted to locate along that stretch of road and had nowhere else to go.

The thing about Kohl's is that they're a department store but they typically seem to like to construct their own buildings. I don't know why, but they seem to be rarely found in shopping malls. They do, however, tend to locate near large shopping malls. I also wonder why Kohl's couldn't renovate something in the area you mentioned and move into something existing.

[richyb83]

Tax eyed to fund Lafayette courthouse

http://www.2theadvoc...ws/3503931.html

[breaux]

richyb83, on Aug 7 2006, 02:31 AM, said:

Tax eyed to fund Lafayette courthouse

http://www.2theadvoc...ws/3503931.html

Current Lafayette Parish courthouse:



Any new courthouse would certainly have a great impact on the Downtown area, and would probably impact the skyline as well.  The current courthouse is seven stories, a new one would probably have to be taller.  I'm not sure about the footprints of the current district court house compared to the old federal court house though.  I also have done work in the courthouse and know people who can attest to it's antiquity.

I will definitely be voting yes for the new courthouse, and the sales tax hike for new roads.

[breaux]

NuComm call center will move to Lafayette
http://www.acadianan...NEWS01/60807010
The call center could have a $115 million impact on the Lafayette economy, according to a study by UL economist Anthony Greco.

Edited by breaux, 07 August 2006 - 01:12 PM.

[richyb83]

More good news for Lafayette !     It's good to see they will get use of the Northgate Mall by renovating the large Service Merchandise Bldg.

[breaux]

richyb83, on Aug 7 2006, 02:46 PM, said:

More good news for Lafayette !     It's good to see they will get use of the Northgate Mall by renovating the large Service Merchandise Bldg.

You're not kidding.  I was just ranting about box retailers who go belly up and their stores remain vacant for extended periods of time.  I'm not quite sure what this means for the Northgate Mall.  I know that their Montgomery Ward was turned into a Home Depot, and there is an Albertson's.  None of those are typical "mall" anchors, so I wouldn't imagine the mall will see a big retail resurgence, but I don't know.  

Certainly it will be a great infusion for a mall that probably could have been listed as "dead".  I'm ashamed to say I haven't been in it that I remember (maybe as a small child), but there was no reason for me to go.  This will also bring a large number of jobs to a lagging part of town, and hopefully the workers will choose to live and play on the northside so that further re-development will ensue.  With the Super Target anchored shopping center at the Louisiana Ave. exit, the Couret Place TND at the I-10/I-49 intersection, and if the O&S lifestyle center gets off the ground, there will be a real northside renaissance.

[richyb83]

That's good to see Northside's resurgence. I remember the area as a little kid, my Grandparents lived off Moss Street on Julian Circle near I-10. Everything moved out to the southwest section of Lafayette( just like BR southeast) near Acadiana Mall and down Pinhook.

[SBCmetroguy]

Looks like this call center will be to Lafayette what US Support's call center is to Shreveport. Do you guys have many call centers down there? That seems to have become kind of a trend here, with the largest being US Support, Alltel, and CenturyTekl. I believe you guys have a Cingular call center if I'm not mistaken. I'm pretty sure I've spoken to someone in the Lafayette Cingular call center.

Also, it really looks like north Lafayette really is in for some growth. Now there will be something to see and do right off I-10. That will be a huge plus for that area.

Edited by SBCmetroguy, 07 August 2006 - 05:00 PM.

[richyb83]

Construction Starts on New Section of Louisiana Avenue

Officials say it passes thru area ripe for development.

http://www.2theadvoc...ws/3547917.html

[breaux]

Developments Downtown

The Juliet

The Juliet, a boutique hotel is currently under construction at the corner of Jefferson and Lee Avenue. An adaptive re-use of the existing building at that location (historically known in Lafayette as the former La Parisienne Store), the facility will include 20 rooms on the second floor with a commercial retail ground floor. Renovations are anticipated to be completed in the next few months with an opening by year-end 2006.

Hilton Homewood Suites and the Pinnacle Condominiums

Representing a major new infill construction, this commercial-residential mixed use project is being planned for a site located on Lafayette Street adjacent to the federal courthouse and across from the Parish library. The facility will be an 8-story building with an active ground floor ancillary to the hotel, 6 floors of rooms and suites, and 2 floors of residential condos. The hotel component will be an upscale Hilton Homewood Suites. The condo component is presented as The Pinnacle. LTPB, LLC is the development group for the project. At this time, plans are complete, site has been cleared and marketing of the Pinnacle Condos is underway, with a construction launch possible before year-end 2006.

Parkview Tower

Plans are currently being developed for a residential condominium project in the 500 block of Jefferson Street, adjacent to the Parc de Lafayette. Another infill, new construction of mixed uses, the project is proposed to include a commercial ground floor food-oriented/retail uses with 5 floors of residential one and two-bedroom units above.

CDT, Cecil D. Trahan, is the owner/developer of the project which is currently in the planning and marketing phase of Parkview Tower.

St. John Street Development

Walls Properties L.L.C. is in the programming stages of a Mixed use Development on the corner of St. John and Convent Streets which includes 10-15 individual Loft-Style living areas for sale, 3-6 Loft-Style living areas for rent, +/- 3000 S.F. building shell 1st floor for lease and +/- 3000 S.F. building shell 2nd floor for lease for commercial use. Design development is scheduled for October 2006. Construction is tentatively scheduled for winter 2007-Spring 2008.



The Parkview Tower has already been mentioned, as has the Hilton Homewood Suites (although it is now three stories taller than before.)  We'll see what the St. John Street development looks like soon.

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting Breaux.

This is nice too see in the heart of urban cajunland. Sounds like some nice projects; mixed-use is where it's at. I will be looking forward to cruising the streets of downtown Lafayette to see all the new development.

[fla_tiger]

LAFAYETTE

Cox breaks ground on new Acadiana office


An artist’s rendering of the $12 million building Cox Communications is building in Lafayette to headquarter its Acadiana operations.
  
Cox Communications broke ground Thursday on a $12 million facility that will serve as the company’s headquarters for its operations in Acadiana. Currently, Cox Communications has four different sites in Lafayette.The new building will consolidate those operations into a 55,000-square-foot building at 1906 Eraste Landry Road. Most of Cox Acadiana’s 325 employees will work out of the new building when complete. The building will include a new call center, Cox Media — the company’s advertiser arm — technical operations, field services, business services, human resources, marketing, governmental and public affairs, and information technology.

[SBCmetroguy]

fla_tiger, on Oct 19 2006, 05:27 AM, said:

LAFAYETTE

Cox breaks ground on new Acadiana office


An artist’s rendering of the $12 million building Cox Communications is building in Lafayette to headquarter its Acadiana operations.
  
Cox Communications broke ground Thursday on a $12 million facility that will serve as the company’s headquarters for its operations in Acadiana. Currently, Cox Communications has four different sites in Lafayette.The new building will consolidate those operations into a 55,000-square-foot building at 1906 Eraste Landry Road. Most of Cox Acadiana’s 325 employees will work out of the new building when complete. The building will include a new call center, Cox Media — the company’s advertiser arm — technical operations, field services, business services, human resources, marketing, governmental and public affairs, and information technology.

I thought SuddenLink bought Cox? Maybe not... but our Cox in Bossier recently became SuddenLink, and Shreveport's Time Warner became Comcast. Nice building, though... very nice. Cox must serve that entire region with no competition, because that's a pretty big building.

[fla_tiger]

SBCmetroguy, on Oct 19 2006, 08:12 AM, said:

I thought SuddenLink bought Cox? Maybe not... but our Cox in Bossier recently became SuddenLink, and Shreveport's Time Warner became Comcast. Nice building, though... very nice. Cox must serve that entire region with no competition, because that's a pretty big building.

Cox is still around in both Lafayette and Baton Rouge.