Construction will begin on the Mid-City Lofts on Aug. 15. The 46-unit, three-story mid-rise in Lake Charles will be located directly adjacent to Lloyd Oaks public housing site and will serve as the first phase of the Mid-City Choice Neighborhoods Transformation.

Mid-City Lofts is a mixed-income development designed with a community space, fitness center and computer room. It meets industry-leading sustainability and disaster resilience certifications of Enterprise Green Communities and Fortified Multifamily Gold.

The developer, HRI, was the recipient of a $3.5 million grant administered by Louisiana Housing Corporation recently. LHC, in conjunction with the Louisiana Office of Community Development awarded monies via Community Development Block Grant Funds through the PRIME 3 program.

“We’ve been teeing up for the project for quite a while hoping to be funded,” PRIME 3 or otherwise and moving along as if funding was in hand,” said Chris Clement, senior vice president of HRI Communities. “As soon as the environmental review is completed, we can move on to the building permit.”

The builder selected for the project is RNGD.

The Mid-City Choice Neighborhoods Transformation is the 37-acre area which includes Barbe Elementary School, the Lloyd Oaks public housing community and residential properties by Dixie Drive and Creole, Lake and West 18th Streets. This separate project will offer over 500 units in a mixed-use setting. Current distressed housing will be demolished later this year. Construction will begin in 2026.

A mixed-use community is a development that has more than just housing units, for instance residential, commercial, retail, cultural, institutional or entertainment.

A mixed-income community offers a mix of market-priced, affordable and low income housing in the same complex.

The Mid-City Transformation is one of 11 catalytic projects of the Just Imagine SWLA 50-Year Resilience Master Plan facilitated by the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana after the 2020 hurricanes, and it was funded with a $2.5 million donation from David and Angela Filo.

Last year, the Lake Charles Housing Authority was named the recipient of a $40 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation HUD Grant toward the building of the next phase of the Mid-City Choice Neighborhoods Transformation.  Only 43 cities in the country have received CNI funding since 2010.