Over 120 investors signed up for 2023 Lake Charles Investors’ Day held here Thursday. Kim Delafosse, Lake Charles assistant administrator, said representatives from architectural, commercial real estate development, restaurant and large-scale retail firms showed up to find out about “unique investment opportunities here, and as Crystal Scott, American Jobs Center, put it, “to find out what’s in it for them.”

Incentives are available, according to Delafosse, Lake Charles Assistant city administrator. Mayor Nic Hunter highlighted some of those in the general session: sales and property tax incentives for doing business in one of the city’s economic development districts, one-time construction fee waivers, favorable ground lease terms, including across the city’s 120-plus acres of lakefront property, City general funds and State Tax Increment Financing (TIFs).

Delafosse said Melody Lockwood with Louisiana Economic Development told about tax credits, training, loans, property tax abatement and other incentives for doing business in the State.

Breakout sessions allowed investors to see the benefits of locating near an international airport and business park, regional airport, deep water port and tourism destination.

“The sessions curated for this event are a great indicator of the ease of doing business with the City of Lake Charles,” said Lori Marinovich, Lake Charles Assistant Planning Director.

Green Coast Enterprises, a New Orleans-based real estate development and services group, was among attendees for the business, finance and thought leadership forum. Green Coast attended the first Investors’ Day. That was two years ago.

“We came then because the company had been doing some initial research based on the latest census data,” said Jackie Dadakis, Green Coast Enterprises. “Calcasieu Parish was the fifth fastest growing parish in the State and Lake Charles’ growth outpaced even that,  those are strong economic indicators.”

Green Coast is redeveloping the 40,000-square-foot building at 710 Ryan St. in Downtown Lake Charles, a decision based in part, to the thought the City was putting into recovery plans and progress on plans in place before the storm – despite the storm.

“We’re marching toward a close and I can now announce a plan that’s more baked. We will have a coworking anchor tenant,” she said. (Coworking space is a flexible work space that offers shared facilities, services and tools.) A food and beverage enterprise remains the goal for the ground floor. Dadakis said an announcement regarding who that might be will be a while in coming.

“We’re here today because we want to do more projects in Lake Charles,” she added.

Megan O’Hara, Principal at Urban Design Associates shared Just Imagine SWLA catalytic projects that received multi jurisdictional buy-in: coastal flood risk reduction, waterfront development, mid-city neighborhood transformation, cultural and resilience districts, resilient housing; strong downtowns, preservation and development of underutilized property and the Bayou Greenbelt, an interconnected network of blue and green trails.

Jorge Ayala, U.S. Department of Commerce Regional Director Economic Development Administration, was keynote speaker.  He outlined federal funding approved for future projects here:  $2.8 million, McNeese LNG Center of Excellence, $1.6 million, Mardi Gras Museum; $400,000,  business innovation center; $2.5 million, Jennings high speed internet; and $4.2 million, bulkhead improvements at Calcasieu ports.