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Vacant houses in New Iberia to be boarded up or demolished

Posted at 11:04 PM, Mar 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-09 01:17:09-05

Thirty-four houses in New Iberia are set to be demolished or boarded up in the near future.

Wednesday night, Mayor Freddie DeCourt laid out the plans for how the process would work in phases.

Some of the houses have been vacant for years.

Now, those who live in the neighborhoods say they’re beyond ready for action to be taken.

“It’s not safe for the kids. You’ve got drug dealers and all sorts of things going on here,” Rose Rochelle said.

Rochelle says she has lived on Emery Lewis Avenue for years. She says a house on her street needs to be demolished because of the illegal activity that goes on inside the vacant property.

Her councilman, Marlon Lewis, says he couldn’t agree more.

“For one, public safety. If I live here, I’m a homeowner, or I’m a good tenant, and I go to work from nine to five, and I come home that they don’t have people hanging in the yard at the next house. They don’t have vagrants in and out the house, animals,” Lewis said.

There are fourteen houses set to be demolished and twenty houses set to be boarded up in hopes that illegal activity will end.

Councilwoman Sherry Guidry says she also has homes in her district on the list, and she cannot wait to get the process started.

“When we board up these particular dwellings, it helps reduce crime. It also shows the citizens that we are doing something about the properties, and it shows that we care about public safety for our citizens,” Guidry said.

“Get rid of it. Tear it down. Let’s go,” Rochelle said. “It’s time for it to be safe like it used to be years ago.”

Possible demolitions:

  1. 806 Buckeye Street
  2. 807 Bush Alley
  3. 505 Dore Alley
  4. 625 Emery Lewis
  5. 1405 Iberia Street
  6. 221 Johnson Street
  7. 720 Mary Street
  8. 107 Monterey Street
  9. 133 Reynolds Street
  10. 604 Rosalie Street
  11. 711 Rosalie Street
  12. 218 Rosier Street
  13. 203 School Alley
  14. 312 Wayne Street

Properties to be boarded:

  1. 1306 Corinne Street
  2. 626 E. St. Peter Street
  3. 525 Silver Street
  4. 105 Field Street
  5. 709 Ann Street
  6. 826 Bank Avenue
  7. 506 Silver Street
  8. 1505 Howard Street
  9. 644 E. Pershing Street
  10. 111 Robertson Street
  11. 678 Malain Street
  12. 103 Doris Street
  13. 726 Rosalie Street
  14. 723 Cherokee Street
  15. 705 ½ Courrege Street
  16. 508 Julia Street
  17. 206 Henry Street
  18. 534 Lafayette Street
  19. 221 Johnson Alley
  20. 634 Hebert Street