Boom Coming Soon in Louisiana

16 December 2008 - 7:00am

With a new four-lane highway and bridge, West Feliciana Parish in Louisiana is preparing for growth -- despite the economic downturn.

"West Feliciana officials took a lesson from communities in the region that had experienced rapid residential growth that outpaced infrastructure development—Ascension Parish, for instance.

The comprehensive plan attempts to implement a vision of growth gleaned from community workshops. The consensus was that the parish ought to maintain its scenic, laid-back flavor while embracing the economic and population changes that Jones believes are inevitable.

'How do you balance Mayberry and growth in the 21st century? We don’t know, but that’s what we are trying to do,' Jones says.

Between 10,000 to 16,000 residents could be added to the parish by the time the dust settles, Jones says."

Full Story: Expecting to fly
Source: Baton Rouge Business Report, December 16, 2008
Bookmark and Share
Even if the report overestimates the costs by a factor of two and underestimates the tax-benefit by a similar amount, the conclusion would be pretty much the same: destination resorts cost local government and taxpayers money.