INDEvents -> INDEvents TUE, APR 14 6:00PM by IND Monthly Staff

What Makes Cities Great?

Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley

Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, who is currently serving an unprecedented ninth term in office, is known as one of the most visionary and effective governmental leaders in North America. During his tenure, Charleston developed an impressive record of innovation in public safety, housing, arts and culture, children’s issues, the creation of parks and other public spaces, and economic revitalization and development. The city is now recognized as one of the most livable and progressive cities in the country.

Riley will be the keynote speaker for The Independent Weekly’s 2009 Smart Growth Lecture and INDesign Awards, slated for Thursday, April 30, at 11:45 a.m. at The City Club. Cherry Fisher May, the newspaper’s co-publisher, says this is Riley’s first-ever visit to Lafayette. “It’s taken us four years to find a time that coincides with the mayor’s schedule,” she says. “He is in very high demand as a speaker all across the country.”

This is the fifth annual lecture to address progressive solutions for cities like Lafayette that are dealing with the challenges of growth in population and size. IberiaBank is the sponsor of the Lecture Series, and Van Eaton and Romero Realtors has co-sponsored all five of the Smart Growth Lectures.

Front row: Joel Gooch, Gail Romero, Nancy Van Eaton Broussard and Gene Darnall Back row: Chris Miller, Bill Bacque, Larry Sikes and Clay Allen

Photo by Blane Faul

Pete Yuan, IberiaBank’s Lafayette market president, says Riley’s message will be timely for Lafayette. “Given his track record, Mayor Riley can provide our community tremendous insight into making the right decisions today to positively impact our future,” Yuan says. “We are proud to be part of an innovative and proactive effort, like The Independent’s Lecture Series, which is committed to the continued development of our community. We believe our investment in these prominent and profound guest speakers is simply an investment in the lives of our associates, clients and our community.” The bank has supported the lecture series since its debut event in 2004, which featured Dr. Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class. “Thanks to IberiaBank’s support, we’ve been able to bring cutting-edge thinkers to Lafayette to foster new ideas in our dynamic community,” says May.

Several companies will join Van Eaton and Romero as supporting co-sponsors for the 2009 Smart Growth Lecture, including the law firm of Allen & Gooch and CPAs Darnall, Sikes, Gardes & Frederick; all three companies reside in Camellia Towers II, located at the corner of Camellia Boulevard and Kaliste Saloom Road. River Ranch and Sugar Mill Pond Development corporations will return as co-sponsors for this year’s event.

Pete Yuan of IberiaBank and Ted Beaullieu of Sugar Mill Pond and River Ranch Development

Photo by Robin May

The 2009 INDesign Awards for excellence in architecture, interior design and historic preservation will also be presented during the luncheon. Winners are listed in a sidebar to this story and will be profiled in an April 29 cover story.

Tickets for this event are $35 per person or $295 for a table of eight. For more information, contact Cherry Fisher May by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 337.769.8620. Ticket order forms are available on-line at www.theind.com ; click on INDevents.

The 2009

INDesign Awards

Winning projects will be profiled in an April 29 cover story in The Independent Weekly.

Architecture

Historic Preservation

Gold: Donald Breaux.

Adaptive Re-Use

Gold: Hector Lasala.

Silver: L7 Architects.

Bronze: Angelle Architects.

Commercial Division

Golds: Donald Breaux; Architects Beazley-Moliere.

Silvers: The Sellers Group; Abell+Crozier; David Courville; Sidney Bourgeois; Chenevert Architects.

Bronze: Pécot & Company.

Honorable Mention: NMF Architecture.

Residential Division

Golds: Mark Owen Pritchard; emerymcclure architecture.

Silvers: John Maak; L7 Architects.

Interior Design

Commercial Division

Golds: Marie Oliver Lukaszeski; Angelle Architects-Michelle Thibodeaux.

Silver: L7 Architects-Dionne Bourgeois Sonnier.

Residential Division

Gold: Larayne Ainsworth Guidroz.

Silver: Lissa Schmidt.

The 2009 Smart Growth Lecture and
INDesign Awards Luncheon

Charleston, S.C., Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Keynote Speaker

Thursday, April 30, 2009 – City Club at River Ranch – 11:45 a.m.

Tickets: $35 per person or $295 per table of eight. Ticket order forms available online at www.theind.com ; click on the INDevents button. For more information, contact Cherry Fisher May by e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone: 337-769-8620.

The Smart Growth Lecture is Presented by:

IberiaBank

Van Eaton & Romero

Allen & Gooch

Darnall, Sikes, Gardes & Frederick

River Ranch Development Corp.

Sugar Mill Pond Development Corp.

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written by Jason D. Faulk , April 16, 2009 - 05:33 am

Discovering Urbanism: Two Innovative Policies from Charleston and Savannah.
http://discoveringurbanism.blo...from.html

This weblink sends reader to story about innovative Historic District "Primary Residency Easement" utilized (though sparingly) by City of Charleston to keep their historic neighborhoods vitalized. Perhaps not of direct necessity to Lafayette, though this expresses the kind of thinking Mayor Riley has brought to the policy realm in his city. Such a strategy might be brought to bear against excessive rates of absentee landlordism of single-family homes which are best-suited to be owner-occupied.

Fortunately the second strategy highlighted on the linked blog, presents Charleston's coastal counterpart, Savannah, and their use of Community Development Corporations with churches to infill urban parking lots that the churches rarely use. While I was in Washington DC a month ago, it was uncommon to find parking lots servicing a church (and most other buildings for that matter.)

Lafayette is fortunate to have an historic preservation committee recognized by local government, assisted by a non-profit organization, as well as a number of up and coming land banks and other community alliances within our historic core. I hope for the day when we shall see the evolution of these organizations into vehicles of the delivery of reinvestment funds into the community.

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