The Louisiana Housing Finance Agency wants to replace the boarded-up Capital City South Apartments on North Boulevard, at the foot of the overpass near 17th Street, into a new residential development with a community center that will “turn heads” of motorists on their way into downtown, Lisa Nice of Post Architects says. Public meetings seeking input on the project will be held Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. in the McKinley Alumni Center. Post Architects and EOA Architects of Nashville, Tenn., are involved. The project budget is about $11 million. The existing structure would be demolished, although some of it might be recycled or reused in an effort to achieve Leadership in Environmental Design certification.
In other downtown-related news, First United Methodist Church has broken ground for a $6 million youth building and conference center at the corner of East Boulevard and America Street. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months. Rev. Chris Andrews, senior pastor at First United Methodist, says the building will provide space for a youth ministry and a 300-seat conference center. Cangelosi Ward is the general contractor. —David Jacobs
