The Capital Area Transit System is once again looking for a location for a new downtown hub. A previously chosen site—the intersection of Third and Lafayette streets in front of the Capitol Park Welcome Center—is no longer a viable option for reasons that are not entirely clear. What is certain is that CATS is going back to the drawing board.
“We aren’t sure, based on the feedback we received, that is the best location for a hub, so we have been working with the Planning Commission and the city-parish to find another site,” says CATS CEO Bob Mirabito. “We want to make sure we are in the right spot.”
Mirabito will not identify the source of the negative feedback. However, he insists no particular agency or individual in city or state government quashed CATS’ plans to relocate the downtown hub from its current location on North Boulevard near the Old State Capitol to the site near the Welcome Center.
‘We just want to make sure we’re doing the right thing,” he says. “This move will cost $500,000 so we only want to do it once.”
The downtown hub’s existing location has been a problem since CATS began using it in 2014, after implementing a series of route changes. Having a hub in the heart of downtown on busy North Boulevard creates too much congestion in the area. Besides, that site will not be available after March, when construction begins on the second phase of Town Square.
Over the past 18 months, CATS has considered several possible sites for the hub but none has been suitable for one reason or another. In April, the agency came up with the plan to relocate to the Welcome Center site. The building there is owned by the state and the streets in front of it are owned by the city.
A spokesman for the Louisiana Division of Administration says the state did not tell CATS it could not locate its hub in front of the Welcome Center. However, the state did change its plans to sell the Welcome Center building, which was among state property listed for sale earlier this year. It is unclear whether the state’s change of plans factored into CATS’ decision.
Chief Administrative Officer William Daniel says the city-parish didn’t tell CATS to go elsewhere either. However, he concedes “there were some issues with the site.” He declines to elaborate but says the city-parish is working with CATS to find another location.
“There are plenty of sites but do they make sense for CATS and the city parish?” Daniel says. “We try to be mindful of the other businesses and state function.”
Assistant Planning Director Ryan Holcomb says his office has also started working with CATS though it has yet to identify any sites.
—Stephanie Riegel
