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Site certifications exciting for St. Landry, Port Barre Photo

Site certifications exciting for St. Landry, Port Barre

Certification of two large industrial sites in the Port Barre area as “shovel ready” will raise the visibility and attractiveness of the town and all of St. Landry’s Highway 190 corridor for businesses looking for a place to relocate or expand, developers say. Port Barre Mayor Johnny Ardoin thinks the certification will provide a much-needed economic boost to his town.

Two sites totaling about 124 acres have been declared Louisiana Economic Development Certified Sites after going through a rigorous process to show that they can be ready for full development within 180 days.

One of the certified sites contains 86.8 acres, the other is about 37 acres. Both of them, in Ardoin’s view, are “perfect” for industrial development.

“The Highway 190 Corridor between Port Barre and Krotz Springs is well aligned to grow significantly as an industrial corridor,” according to Bill Rodier, St. Landry Economic Development director. “The certification of these sites for the Port Barre Industrial Park should greatly accelerate the investment and job creation process along this important corridor.”

Development specialists with the nine-parish One Acadiana agency helped to guide the process for St. Landry’s third and fourth certified properties. Troy Wayman, One Acadiana’s president and CEO, said these certified sites “represent what site selectors are looking for in marketable, shovel-ready land.”

He said Acadiana now has 14 certified sites encompassing more than 1,700 acres, and that having an inventory of such sites “helps tremendously when we are communicating to decision makers.”  The two other sites in St. Landry are in thr I-49 corridor.

In addition to creating the physical amenities needed for development of a parcel of land, the certification program requires that “due diligence” information is gathered, including such things as zoning restrictions, title work, environmental studies, soil analysis, land surveys, and more. The documentation ensures that “there are no surprises when an investor is making a location decision,” Rodier said. “This certification not only assures a prospective investor in St. Landry that the necessary infrastructure is in place, but offers the additional advantage of ensuring that construction is likely to remain on schedule.”

The industrial park at Port Barre is another in a series of recent industrial development announcements in eastern St. Landry Parish. Delek Inc. has announced its intention to invest $150 million over the next five years in its refinery on the Atchafalaya River at Krotz Springs, and work is in progress on an oil blending facility midway between Port Barre and Krotz Springs.

Rodier notes that the corridor has some significant attractions for investors. U. S. Highway 190 is a four-lane east-west artery that intersects with the north-south Interstate 49 at Opelousas; an intrastate rail line runs alongside the highway, importantly connecting with the deep water ports of New Orleans, Lake Charles, and Houston; and the Port of Krotz Springs on the Atchafalaya provides a terminal for barge traffic and smaller vessels.

These factors, plus the newly certified sites make the corridor very competitive when site selectors look at Louisisna, Rodier said.

The latest announcement represents “a huge opportunity for Port Barre,” Ardoin said. “I think our small community has something to be excited about.”

Three things to know about this story:

  1. Two sites totaling about 124 acres have been declared Louisiana Economic Development Certified Sites
  2. These certified sites “represent what site selectors are looking for in marketable, shovel-ready land.”
  3. The industrial park at Port Barre is another in a series of recent industrial development announcements in eastern St. Landry Parish.

Photo by Freddie Herpin/Daily World.

               

           

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