UL District

[Boomer]

I was talking to Dr. Cajun Fun a lil about improvements that could be made in the district--tram from parking to campus or around the area---what if Lafayette Motors was torn down and a huge living and mall area would take its place--The area of Laf. motors could all be top notch living area and the walk to campus could be all new college shopping type areas!!!!!! Cajun Fun reply!!!!!

[trd1282]

I think that is a great idea, as long as the construction is not as cheesy as mainstream apartment complexes. If it could fit in with downtown, awesome, but huge parking lots with "Holiday Inn" architecture, no thank you...

[DaddyCajun]

_ I was talking to Dr. Cajun Fun a lil about improvements that could be made in the district--tram from parking to campus or around the area---what if Lafayette Motors was torn down and a huge living and mall area would take its place--The area of Laf. motors could all be top notch living area and the walk to campus could be all new college shopping type areas!!!!!! Cajun Fun reply!!!!! _

What a great donation for the Trahan family to make in the donation of the property Lafayette Motors sits on. It would be a great location for UL housing and with the quarters behind it having newly been built this would be a great start to revitalizing this strip area!!!

[ULtimateCajun]

I think the McKinley street strip hampers any Beautification project for that area. That Strip from University to Jefferson ie Mckinley, taft, etc. is a very very rundown area. Just my opinion. As far as shopping, I like the idea, but if that would be done, they would have to make it affordalbe, when you get tenants in a shopping center that are small regional shops, they tend to get pricey (example River Ranch shops), college kids that are paying rent every month can't afford to shop at pricey boutiques. I'm interested to see what is done with that area. It's got gigantic potential being that close to Downtown and the University.

[ulforlife]

wait... property was donated to UL?

[Boomer]

No Zan I am thinking about buying it and donating it to UL ---right---I don't know that anything has been donated yet---where in the hell is Fun????

[USLJim]

OH, guys listen up and I will tell you a story of when I was in college in the 60's before you guys were even thought about.
Once upon a time,there was a developer, whom I can't remember, who came up with the idea of buying up all the property from Comeaux's Old Grocery , General Mouton area, Mckinley Street area, all the blocks around and was gonna build nice apartments and retail, catering to the UL Students. What a coincidence that 2008, this idea came up again but in a slight different area.
Needless to say, it did not develop.
SO, it has been thought of and in my opinion is an excellent idea, Clean all that area up( not suggesting Laf. Motors do anything) and make it a nice gated type living and retail area.
Have a nice
Geaux Cajuns

[HelmutVII]

the problem is Zoning. I will have to check this out but I thing the area is zoned residential. The reason there is commercial there now is because it was there prior to zoning or the tract it was on was rezoned. Then you will have to fight the Freetown organization. Remember them, they thought a drug infested trailer park was preferable to the nice apartments that are there now. The area in question is part of the Freetown LINC planning district.

Before Lafayette Motors was located on their current site there was a place there called the "Roof Garden". It was an "establishment" that had an out door bar on the roof. I don't remember too much about it but I understand there were some pretty wild times there. It was the precursor to "the strip".