Plans for River District to be unveiled Monday

Plans for the River District, a proposed 40-acre mixed-use development along Nicholson Drive that has been in the works for six years, will be unveiled to the public at a community meeting Monday, giving neighborhood residents an opportunity to see renderings for the project before they are submitted to the Planning Commission in early February. Steve Oubre, the Lafayette architect on the project, who is working with developer Dalis Waguespack and her brother, Lafayette businessman Michael Moreno, has been finalizing plans over the past few weeks for the project. He met Tuesday with district Councilwoman Tara Wicker to bring her up to speed on the development, which, with its residential, retail and entertainment components, is expected to help the revitalization of the corridor connecting LSU to downtown. “There has been a lot of anticipation about this,” says Wicker, who asked that the community meeting be called before plans are submitted to the Planning Commission. “I believe this will be a great opportunity to help the area.” Oubre, best known for bringing the TND concept to Louisiana with River Ranch in Lafayette, won’t divulge just yet what the plans entail, but Moreno has previously said it would include multifamily residences along with retail, office and civic space. The River District is one of several big projects planned for Nicholson Drive. In December, state and local officials unveiled plans for the Water Campus, a research park devoted to coastal studies. LSU also has plans for a 28-acre mixed-use development on Nicholson adjacent to its campus. Oubre intends to submit a concept plan to the Planning Commission by Feb. 6, the deadline for items that can be heard at the March meeting. Monday’s community meeting will be held at 4 p.m. at the Dr. Leo S. Butler Community Center, 950 East Washington St. —Stephanie Riegel