The City of Opelousas is requesting proposals for the redevelopment of the New Life Center building and its associated land in Downtown Opelouas.
The Request for Proposals were issued in partnership with St. Landry Economic Development (SLED), The Acadiana Planning Commission (APC), and the Opelousas Downtown Development District (ODDD).
SLED says the RFP is to select a redeveloper "who can leverage the expertise of the real estate industry to reposition the New Life Center as a viable asset in Downtown Opelousas," and "brining this historic building to its highest and best use that serves as a catalyst for future redevelopment."
"We have been working on this opportunity with the support of local, regional, state and federal partners to enhance this neighborhood asset. We are pleased to be taking this next step to explore options for this site and investment in the heart of our downtown business district," said Opelousas Mayor Julius Alsandor.
The City of Opelousas says it has taken the following steps to facilitate the redevelopment process:
- Received technical assistance through the Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program offered by EPA partner Kansas State University (KSU) to conduct community-based reuse planning and visioning and stakeholder focus groups to determine the level of support for different reuse options
- conducted a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment through EPA Region VI's Targeted Brownfield Assessment (TBA) Program
- Conducted a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment through LaDEQ's Targeted Brownfield Assessment (TBA) Program
- Received Local Foods Local Places Technical Assistance through EPA's community revitalization program
- Completed a Downtown Master Plan
- Invest Opelousas Opportunity Zone Prospectus. A copy of these documents can be found at www.opportunitystlandry.com/NewLifeCenterRFP.
"The repurposing of the historic New Life Center is an opportunity to re-engage and revitalize this important section of the Downtown Opelousas business district and complement the existing anchor businesses," said Bill Rodier, CEO of St. Landry Economic Development. "I strongly encourage creative and motivated entrepreneurs to submit a proposal. This is a unique space and I'm really looking forward to seeing the results of this RFP."
Redevelopers interested in responding to the RFP should contact Bill Rodier at billr@stlandryed.com.
A site tour will be held on February 9, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. SLED says redevelopers are encouraged to bring their architect, engineer, or any other applicable team members for the tour.
Responses are due March 18, 2022 at 5:00 pm.
The full RFP can be found here.
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