Naming products – and children – can have some obvious long-lasting consequences. Names can make an impression or even communicate certain characteristics. Think Johnny Cash, “My name is Sue” and the Sears Die-Hard battery.

But in the world of commercial real estate development and marketing, where the biggest factor is undeniably location, location, location, how much weight does a name really carry?

According to local Realtor Mary Kay Hopkins, when one of Lake Charles’pioneer families decided to put some land on the market that had been in that family for three generations, they continued to use the same name they had used for all those years to refer to the land.

One 50+-acre tract along Sallier is known as Old Barbe Woods, though it is a residential/mixed use area now with considerably fewer trees.

The recently cleared 150-acre parcel near L’Auberge and Golden Nugget casinos and Target shopping center on W. Prien Lake Rd was always known by the legal description: Block 18.

Hopkins wasn’t wild about the name. “Its been called that for years, but it really didn’t communicate the idea of the potential for a first-class, mixed-use community that includes commercial, lifestyle, entertainment and residential.” It is also a name that could be confused with a standard city block, rather than the 150-acre tract of prime real estate.

When it came time to submit the paperwork involved in applying for a subdivision with the city, Hopkins was required to indicate a name, offering the perfect window for change. The name she and the owners came up with was Contraband Pointe.

“Approximately a mile of the land fronts Contraband Bayou. With all the water and the natural beauty that is Southwest Louisiana, this could turn into an area with a first-class marina and a marina hotel, waterfront dining, shopping, homes on the water and boardwalks. That waterway, Contraband Bayou, plays a significant role with this property,” Hopkins said. Using the French spelling of “pointe” pays homage to the Lake Area’s French heritage and to an extent to the exploits of Jean LaFitte.

“Contraband Pointe is technically the working name,” Hopkins pointed out. Should a buyer purchase the entire property, they are certainly free to change the name. In fact, one prospect already has another idea about a name. ”

This property will likely be impacted in a positive manner by the construction projects designed to improve traffic flow. “The proposed Nelson Road Extension Bridge connecting West Sallier to Nelson Road will position Nelson Road as the next major north/south corridor connecting downtown and south Lake Charles,” Hopkins said.

Design plans are underway for a road that is tentatively called Contraband Pointe Parkway. This DOTD project should help alleviate traffic at Nelson and Prien Lake Road by connecting Prien Lake Road and Nelson via a road through Contraband Pointe starting at the Holly Hill Roundabout. More on the Nelson Road Extension Bridge and the proposed road connecting Prien Lake Road to Nelson can be found on the DOTD website.This 43.26 acres