An ordinance being introduced to the council on Tuesday asks the city to set aside funds for a comprehensive Downtown-Urban Core Redevelopment Plan.
The plan would be handled through the Downtown Development Authority and the cost would be about a million dollars, said CEO Kevin Blanchard. Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux and Thomas Hooks are introducing an ordinance that would provide $500,000 for the plan, with the bulk of the funding coming from the Downtown capital budget. The remainder of the funding would come through downtown’s taxing district, with $50,000 coming from the DDA.
The redevelopment plan prioritizes several things: putting underutilized spaces back into commerce, parking, parks in the downtown area and transportation and mobility. The goal is to help upgrade properties downtown and create new developments that have long been hindered by infrastructure bottlenecks, such as sewage capacity…