10 Projects to “Just Imagine” Southwest Louisiana

by Tori Hebert

Over the past six months, the Community Foundation Southwest Louisiana has asked Calcasieu and Cameron Parish residents to “Just Imagine” what the region can become in the next 50 years.

The phases of the process include Listening, Testing, and Deciding. Nearly 2000 residents have participated in the process, providing over 4000 comments about the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for Southwest Louisiana. Now is the time to learn about the 10 catalytic projects and share your feedback.

“Overwhelmingly, people  have told us they want more activities and experiences for their families as well as new entertainment, shopping, and dining options,” said Community Foundation CEO Sara Judson. “People appreciate our natural resources and want to be more connected in a variety of ways.”

The end result of this process will be a 50-year resilience master plan for both parishes, which include 10 catalytic projects that address the following five project area topics: community planning, economic development, housing, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources.

“This is our chance to create a vibrant, ever-growing sustainable economy to build a region that is attractive for business development as well as recruiting and retaining top talent,” said Glenn Pumpelly, Pumpelly Oil Company, Calcasieu Parish.

“Imagine leaving Southwest Louisiana far better than we found it, for our children and grandchildren,” said Clair Hebert Marceaux, Skeeter Contractors, Cameron Parish.

Moving forward, Calcasieu and Cameron Parish residents are encouraged to provide feedback on the 10 projects which will help prioritize and determine strategic implementation of each one. There are several ways for residents to participate and these can be all be accessed on the Just Imagine website:

Hello Lamp Post: texting platform to Hello Lake Charles, Hello Calcasieu, and Hello Cameron (you can also find signs around town with QR code access)

Interactive Map: share project feedback on locations across both parishes

Survey: give your feedback on each project

• Project 01 – Coastal Risk Reduction
• Project 02 – Waterfront Development
• Project 03 – Mixed-Income Housing
• Project 04 – Nellie Lutcher District
• Project 05 – McNeese Resilience District
• Project 06 – Chennault & Swell Resilience District
• Project 07 – Strong Downtowns
• Project 08 – Community Resilience Hubs
• Project 09 – Resilient Housing Toolkit
• Project 10 – Redevelopment Authority

All these opportunities to interact can be found at justimagineswla.org. Follow Just Imagine SWLA on Facebook and Instragram for updates.