New commercial project coming to Opelousas

Gateway to Acadiana project near Evangeline Downs to include hotels, stores, more; see design The Gateway to Acadiana commercial project planned for the area near Evangeline Downs in Opelousas will feature stores, hotels, an RV resort, a multi-use facility and cultural community center, officials announced this morning. Working in tandem with Boyd Gaming, the company that owns Evangeline Downs, the development will have also have a new building for the St. Landry Chamber of Commerce and a multi-use expo and event center along the eastern Interstate 49 frontage road and an RV resort next door to the casino along Creswell Lane, said Bill Rodier, executive director of the St. Landry Economic Development office. Funding for the project will include a mix of public and private money, officials said. Once they break ground, the the project will take 18 months to complete. It will have over 207,750 square feet for commercial development, which will feature a general store and food hall, a boardwalk along the a marshland retention lake and a pedestrian plaza. Market feasibility studies show that developing only one-third of the property for commercial use would be viable. Officials with St. Landry Economic Development say they are negotiating with a national retail developer who is interested in building the retail center. The project will include a large area open space, and much of the forested area that acts as a buffer between the land and residential areas will remain mostly undeveloped and be designated as a recreational area with walking trails. It will also include retention ponds and a large lake near the RV resort. Officials say they hope the expo center, which will allow for rodeo and other equine events on 52.5 acres of land, will bring people to the retail stores, restaurants and hotels that will be built as well. The RV resort will have 315 state-of-the-art RV pads and will have a pool, kayak and boat rentals at the retention lake, an amphitheater and tennis and volleyball courts next to a playground. It will also have a connecting path to the walking trails. Both market feasibility consultants for the project said the RV resort was one of the most economically viable additions to the project. A developer is already interested in building and managing the RV resort. The historic silos along the frontage road will be preserved with a cultural center to be built next door.