LAFAYETTE PARISH — The former La Quinta Inn property along Evangeline Thruway is coming down as Lafayette Consolidated Government works to address blighted properties across Lafayette Parish.
The property was condemned in January after sitting vacant for years and drawing concerns over safety, trespassing and illegal activity. Mayor-President Monique Boulet said addressing properties like the former hotel is critical to preventing blight from spreading.
“So what blight does, blight is really contagious. It drops property values. It does that for the blight itself, but then also for the neighboring properties and the neighboring properties and you really can very quickly end up with a blighted corridor,” Boulet said.
The demolition marks the latest step in a long-standing effort. Lafayette City Council Chair Kenneth Boudreaux, who represents District 5, said officials have worked for years to address concerns surrounding the property.
“I’m just grateful, thankful, appreciative. I will tell you this— these things take time. This isn’t a 60 day, this isn’t a 1-year project. I could tell you we have been addressing issues at this specific location well over six to seven years,” Boudreaux said.
LCG revised its condemnation and demolition process in 2025, creating a new path for cases to move through an administrative Adjudication Bureau. The city-parish says the changes have helped it process more cases as it works through a backlog of 1,200 blighted, abandoned and dangerous property cases dating back to 2016.
Boulet said the ultimate goal is to return properties like the former La Quinta Inn to productive use.
“Hopefully we turn it back into the private sector. That is the best resolution you can have is to take down a blighted property, get the property rehabbed, and get it turned back into commerce. We don’t have that exact business owner lined up, but that is our ultimate goal with all blighted properties,” Boulet said.
The vacant hotel also became a source of safety concerns in the years before its demolition. KATC reported on the property as far back as 2024, when business owners and police raised concerns about trespassing, illegal activity and unhoused people using the vacant building for shelter.
Boudreaux said the property’s condition created risks for those entering the building and the surrounding community.
“Some folks have some concerns about where does the unhoused go. Well, this was not the place for them— with the dangerous situations that are created, potential for fires and things. So taking this down brings forth safety measures, taking this down brings forth opportunity to redevelop, and it also directs them to better services,” Boudreaux said.
Now that the building is coming down, local leaders are turning their attention to what could replace it and how the property could contribute to the future of the Evangeline Thruway corridor. Boulet said addressing vacant properties remains a key part of LCG’s broader effort to tackle blight.
“It breeds a lot of issues when it becomes vacant and just empty like this, and so really managing those properties and trying to get them either back in commerce or clearing out is really critical,” Boulet said.
