The controversial Joie de Vivre housing project in downtown Lafayette took another turn toward reality this week with the announcement that the Lemoine Company has been selected as general contractor for the 72-unit development in the Mills Addition neighborhood across Congress Street from the IberiaBank building and the Lafayette Public Library.
Scheduled to begin construction in September, the project has drawn the ire of some residents of the neighborhood who say the design and scale of the project are incongruent with the existing residential architecture. Citing financial constraints and those neighborhood concerns, Acadiana Outreach, the project coordinator, announced last fall that plans for Joie de Vivre were being scaled back and the design was being modified to comport better with the urban landscape. Last May, Acadiana Outreach announced plans to build a $25 million, 10-building, mixed-use affordable housing development near downtown. The project was to be funded largely through the sale of $20 million in tax credits. At the time, Acadiana Outreach and its main consultant, The Cartesian Company, were still awaiting the Louisiana Housing Finance Authority’s annual Qualified Application Plan, which governs all tax credit applications. When the guidelines were published in August, they included a $1.5 million a year cap for tax credit applicants. That limit, along with neighborhood concerns over the density of the development and some failed property acquisitions, forced Joie De Vivre planners to modify their plans.
AOC re-envisioned Joie De Vivre as a six building, $16.5 million project. The complex went from 118 to 72 rental units, a 39 percent reduction in density. While financing certainly played a role in the changes, planners insist their primary motivation was winning over support from the entire community.
In addition to the Lemoine Company, the project team also includes Angelle Architects, Montagnet & Domingue as civil engineers, Thomassee & Associates as electrical engineers and Quebedeaux Engineering as mechanical enginers.
... written by James Melancon , February 18, 2011 - 09:04 pm
The Joie de Vivre project would do better to improve or replace existing structures. Instead we get just another housing project.
... written by Unempirical Observer , February 19, 2011 - 01:20 am
So much skepticism. I think we have more to worry about with the future I-49 off ramp at Congress that will blow through the area.
... written by Youknow... , February 20, 2011 - 12:07 pm
If you know, who's involved in this? WHO IS CARTESIAN COMPANY? Follow the $$$$ Where is Ac Outreach getting the capital for this? Who's bankrolling this? Were bids required? With all the HUD manure going around, this project stinks to high Heaven too. I'm betting the someone who wants community support is really much more interested in the return on their investment. I don't like the idea of this big "project" downtown either. Its still way too big. Taxpayers have paid millions to revitalize downtown Laf. The library is set for revitalization. Citizens have spent untold hours, and a lot of unappreciated effort, to get downtown in the good shape its in. And some genius wants a "project" downtown??? "Projects" don't have good reputations or histories for IMPROVING the areas they're built in. So its for money. Be honest about it. Someone stands to make millions & millions & its not for the good of the area, the citizens or even, the people who will be housed there. So, I'd like to know WHO'S REALLY GUNNA BENEFIT FROM THIS??? I'd love to know if we'd recognize any names from other housing endeavors....
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The controversial Joie de Vivre housing project in downtown Lafayette took another turn toward reality this week with the announcement that the Lemoine Company has been selected as general contractor for the 72-unit development in the Mills Addition neighborhood across Congress Street from the IberiaBank building and the Lafayette Public Library.
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