shreveportguitarist

I like how there was so much more fanfare for a similar, yet smaller, proposal announced for Lafayette recently. No one comes to this forum anymore... might as well board it up.

Bossier Parish and Desoto Parishes are growing at a very nice pace. Shreveport City and Caddo Parish have been stagnant for decades. I'm not pulling the "my city is better than your city" stuff here, BUT I do have to say that Lafayette doesn't have a "city" vibe to me; it feels like a small, yet fun, college town that suddenly had a growth spurt, and has experienced some major growing pains such as traffic. That's just the feel I always get when I drive through it. That said, I'm not surprised Lafayette will be getting both of those before Shreveport, but Shreveport will have Whole Foods by next year, as the site has been chosen and construction is supposed to start later this year. Bossier City is getting a J. Crew next year as well. And to be honest, for a stagnant city (which I'm not denying it is), Shreveport is growing quite a bit in the retail sector all of a sudden. And if you drove around south Shreveport, you wouldn't think it hadn't experienced any real population growth in decades. I had to chime in, but I don't want to make this a Lafayette vs. Shreveport thread. So I'll check out of this thread before I do... that wasn't my intention.

I've been wondering what they were building right there. It's a bit of an odd location for a chain restaurant, considering all the other chains are a bit further down Youree, but I'm sure it'll work out.

Whole Foods/Fern Marketplace development should begin soon now that the land needed for the Whole Foods store has been purchased. Fern Marketplace development set to begin Posted by David Specht on 02 Apr 2014 / 0 Comment Sealy Real Estate Services, a leading Shreveport based commercial real estate firm, announced Tuesday the successful closing on the sale of 8.623 acres of land for over $2.19 million to RK Commercial Properties of Houston, Texas, project developers for Whole Foods Market. Site preparations of the future Fern Marketplace anchored by Whole Foods are slated to begin. The 8.623-acre site is located within Alexandrine place, near the northeast corner of 70th and Fern Avenue. Previously, there have been multiple offers for the same parcel of land; however the land owners sought a developer with a successful track record who represented a quality end user. “As a premier location in the Shreveport Market, Alexandrine Place is perfect location for the planned development and location for Whole Foods.” said JoAnn Wheless of Sealy Real Estate Services, who was instrumental in negotiating the sale of the property. “Our market knowledge and commercial real estate sales experience helped ensure a favorable outcome and long-term viability for all parties involved.” The RK development project, the future Fern Marketplace, includes a shopping center anchored by Whole Foods. RK plans construction of a 36,000± square foot Whole Foods facility, its first in North Louisiana, as well as additional 32,000 square feet of retail space available for lease. Located on East 70th Street in Shreveport, Alexandrine Place is a mixed use development. Since September 1997, JoAnn has been the representing broker for Alexandrine Place. Beginning with 130 acres of vacant and available land, she has guided the process through master development planning, zoning, contract negotiations, and closings. JoAnn believes Whole Foods will be the catalyst for the development of the remaining acreage in Alexandrine Place.

Thanks, Richy, but you know me (Brian). I lost my old email account because I forgot my login info after not logging in for a long time. Here are a couple of photos that belong to the Shreveport Times. These are of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, where Elvis and many others got their starts. It has undergone a renovation over the past few years and re-opened to the public today.

This is NOT my photo. I do have a similar one, but I couldn't find it. I can't find most of my old photos anymore. This is downtown Shreveport, from a different perspective than we're used to seeing it from. The reference point of this perspective view is on Common Street/Line Avenue, right in front of the now defunct Doctor's Hospital. This view is from the south, looking north.

Also, someone I know who lives in the Blanchard area was telling me recently that not only are they getting a new Wal-Mart out there at I-49/Hwy 1, but a Home Depot as well. I don't put much stock in rumors, but it's something to think about. That would be the 4th Home Depot that I know of in the area: (1) I-49 @ Bert Kouns, (2) Pines @ W. 70th, (3) Airline @ I-220, and (4) I-49 @ Hwy 1 - IF the rumor pans out. I was reading an article that mentioned that we've had FOUR major shopping center announcements just during the winter season this year. Some years, we can go all year without ONE such announcement. This tells me we've finally hit on the radar of a lot of companies, and for whatever reason it seems most of the developers planning these centers are from Houston. But it really seems like once we snagged Whole Foods, this put us on a whole new level. But in addition to shopping centers, the announcement of Computer Sciences Corporation choosing Bossier's National Cyber Research Park was all kinds of major for this area. Like you said, Metlife: "game changer"! No doubt. If it comes about as it was announced, it will no doubt be a game changer.

FYI this has been under construction for a while now, between Ichiban and David's Bridal. Just thought I'd post an update on it.

About. Damn. Time. I wonder how they pulled it off when the Boardwalk couldn't even pull it off, and in my opinion, the Boardwalk is a much better location being down in the touristy area of town.