Southwest Louisiana offers more than a list of infrastructure-improved sites ready for development. On Wednesday, Louisiana Economic Development Senior Director Stacey Duvic confirmed just how ready. Duvic  presented Mayor Nic Hunter with the Louisiana Development Ready Community Designation. Only 27 cities in the state have it.

“When I have visited with local industry who are thinking about making Lake Charles home, it’s not questions about taxes or fiscal policies that come up,” the mayor said. “It’s quality of life. Do our employees want to live in Lake Charles?”

Hunter said his recent announcement about the new amphitheater to be built near the Lake Charles Event Center is an example of a  “quality of life” investment. It’s not only for residents who live here now, but can help attract new businesses.

“The Development Ready Community Designation reaffirms that this is a wonderful place to work and live,” he said. “It also reaffirms to developers and investors that we are open for business as we look forward to new opportunities for economic development and growth as the result of this esteemed designation.”

Hunter credited assistant city administrator Kim Delafosse with the idea of pursuing the designation and running with it, beginning at the first of this year.

Communities in the LDRC program are guided through the process of creating and implementing a strategic economic development plan. The program helps communities become more competitive for new investment and jobs as participants leverage local assets and address unique challenges to empower business growth in their communities over multiple years.

In plain English, Lake Charles now has a complete slate of information and plans in place when its next prospect arrives, down to the smallest detail.

Duvic congratulated the city on how much of the work was already done and mentioned its website and the Just Imagine Plan. Believing there is always room for improvement, some honest conversations took place, she said, “because if it’s not honest, nothing ever gets any better.”

“LED recognizes that economic development begins at the local level, and we are proud to welcome Lake Charles as our newest Louisiana Development Ready Community,” LED Chief Economic Competitiveness Officer Ileana Ledet said in an email. “When we empower individual communities through programs like LDRC, we are not only strengthening local economies, but enhancing competitiveness statewide. Congratulations to Lake Charles on this achievement.”