Savoie, UL seek authorization for 2nd acquisition to link main campus, athletic complex

[HoustonCajun]

In today's Acadiana Advocate:

A property deal involving the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette and Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center is edging toward completion, involved parties suggest, apparently at its own measured pace.

Once the agreements are completed, the diocese would hold property — a parking lot — on which it can build a new Our Lady of Wisdom church across the street from its present location on East St. Mary Boulevard.

Meanwhile, UL Lafayette would gain land on the opposite end of campus, in the Saints Streets area, which would put UL Lafayette significantly closer to uniting its main campus property to its athletic facilities and its research centers, objectives expressed in the institution’s 2012 master plan.

The University of Louisiana System board in its scheduled meeting Thursday will weigh a request from UL Lafayette President E. Joseph Savoie for authorization to enter into a purchase agreement to acquire Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital land, most of it vacant. UL System spokesperson Cami Geisman said the land that Savoie and UL Lafayette are seeking is a OLOL parcel located adjacent to land owned — but soon to be swapped with UL Lafayette — by the diocese.


The dividing line between OLOL property and diocesan property runs through a parking garage on St. Landry Street, a UL Lafayette spokesman said Tuesday. If UL Lafayette acquires the OLOL land, it will be within a couple of blocks of extending UL Lafayette property holdings to the athletic facilities side of campus.

A spokesperson for the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette said it was her understanding that the land deals won’t be complete this week but will be nearer to completion. An executive summary of what UL is seeking from the system board says the institution “is negotiating the acquisition of the remaining portion of the former Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital property … from Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center Inc.

“The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has requested and been appropriated a total $4.5 million through the Board of Regents in Capital Outlay Funds for this Land Acquisition, as well as the acquisition of the former Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital property, Society of the Roman Catholic Church of the Diocese of Lafayette, previously approved by the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System on Oct. 28, 2021,” according to advance material related to the UL System board meeting, which will be held at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.

[Scott Malkinson]

Lafayette is going to be the medical hub of SWLA.... A medical college is only a political favor away

[RedBug58]

Does anyone have a picture of what the new Wisdom Church will look like? (I was an alter boy there in the late 60’s)

[Scott Malkinson]

Does anyone have a picture of what the new Wisdom Church will look like? (I was an alter boy there in the late 60’s)

https://www.ourladyofwisdom.org/our-new-home

[HoustonCajun]

Lafayette is going to be the medical hub of SWLA.... A medical college is only a political favor away

How does this acquisition connect the main campus to the athletic complex? It appears to be surrounded by several blocks of residential homes.

[Scott Malkinson]

How does this acquisition connect the main campus to the athletic complex? It appears to be surrounded by several blocks of residential homes.

The club sports fields are close by ... I guess

[KajunKrazy]

How does this acquisition connect the main campus to the athletic complex? It appears to be surrounded by several blocks of residential homes.

It doesn't. The article says has a few blocks between them. Lourdes to Blackham entrance on St Landry.

[STPacronym]

How does this acquisition connect the main campus to the athletic complex? It appears to be surrounded by several blocks of residential homes.

The article does not state that this acquisition connects the main campus to the athletic complex.

"Meanwhile, UL Lafayette would gain land on the opposite end of campus, in the Saints Streets area, which would put UL Lafayette significantly closer to uniting its main campus property to its athletic facilities and its research centers, objectives expressed in the institution’s 2012 master plan."

"If UL Lafayette acquires the OLOL land, it will be within a couple of blocks of extending UL Lafayette property holdings to the athletic facilities side of campus."

[HelmutVII]

There will be three gaps.


First Gap is on St. Mary between the Burger King and the Parking lot in front of the bus parking facility. (although there are a couple of tracts owned by the university) Most is owned by the person that owns Old Tyme Grocery.

Second gap is a large tract owned by Affiliated Blind of Acadiana (It used to be a Monastery.)

Then there is the property owned by Lourdes and the diocese which is a large tract of land that has frontage on St. Mary to St. Landry and then down St. Landry to St. Julien.

Then the third gap Cross St. Julien and there are three blocks of private residential lots. That gets you to the property by Blackham which is considered the atheletic center tract. The Athletic center tract is a huge tract of land that extends from Johnston Street to Congress then up to Bertrand Drive. It crosses Congress and stops at Eraste Landry Road. It used to be a farm operated by the agriculture dept.

Go here for the Lafayette Parish assessors web site

http://www.lafayetteassessor.com/

click on "property/map search" and click on "Assessor Map"

If you don't know how to read a map then you will just have to take my word for it.

There still is a vacant parking garage across St. Mary From Martin And Castille Funeral home that is owned by Lourdes. I wonder if that is included?

[ZoomZoom]

There will be three gaps.

First Gap is on St. Mary between the Burger King and the Parking lot in front of the bus parking facility (although there are a couple of tracts owned by the university). Most is owned by the person that owns Old Tyme Grocery.

Second gap is a large tract owned by Affiliated Blind of Acadiana (It used to be a Monastery.)

Then there is the property owned by Lourdes and the diocese which is a large tract of land that has frontage on St. Mary to St. Landry and then down St. Landry to St. Julien.

Then the third gap. Cross St. Julien and there are three blocks of private residential lots. That gets you to the property by Blackham which is considered the atheletic center tract. The Athletic center tract is a huge tract of land that extends from Johnston Street to Congress then up to Bertrand Drive. It crosses Congress and stops at Eraste Landry Road. It used to be a farm operated by the agriculture dept.

Go here for the Lafayette Parish assessors web site

http://www.lafayetteassessor.com/

click on "property/map search" and click on "Assessor Map"

If you don't know how to read a map then you will just have to take my word for it.

There still is a vacant parking garage across St. Mary From Martin And Castille Funeral home that is owned by Lourdes. I wonder if that is included?

Thanks for abstracting this.

I would hope the parking garage across the street would be included. May need some work, but could be a source of revenue. I would think OLOL wants to off load the whole area off the books since nobody has offered them a dime for it.

I don't agree 100% with everything the administration does, but they are proactive in thinking of the future. What to build there, who knows? In this time of more and more on line classes, banking on the future of brick and mortar better have a plan.

At least it keeps something possibly undesirable from being located there.

[HelmutVII]

Thanks for abstracting this.

I would hope the parking garage across the street would be included. May need some work, but could be a source of revenue. I would think OLOL wants to off load the whole area off the books since nobody has offered them a dime for it.

I don't agree 100% with everything the administration does, but they are proactive in thinking of the future. What to build there, who knows? In this time of more and more on line classes, banking on the future of brick and mortar better have a plan.

At least it keeps something possibly undesirable from being located there.

A great place for the new Hamilton Laboratory School. The existing buildings would be a great place for the Nursing School. A bit off campus but not too bad. Eventually they could build a building at the new quad but for now it would immediately solve the space problem they have now and give them room to grow.

[ZoomZoom]

A great place for the new Hamilton Laboratory School. The existing buildings would be a great place for the Nursing School. A bit off campus but not too bad. Eventually they could build a building at the new quad but for now it would immediately solve the space problem they have now and give them room to grow.

I forgot about Hamilton.

I think the bold move for the nursing school is to build it next to the hospital. I know it is out of the way, but it would be a step towards showing the powers that be we're serious on the medical front and have zero interest in being a landlord. Know it is a hugh uphill battle, but we need to pull the trigger first in the medical gunfight. Either we start the discussion or get slapped down like the mutts did trying to take over LSU-S. Work shows more committment than a laughable attempted political coup.

The north end of Cajundome has bore fruit, but not like many envisioned. Time to start working the area. Don't waste the R-1 status. Does anyone know what goes on at the farm in Cade, if anything?