Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux promised to attack blighted properties in his successful mayoral campaign in 2022.
In February of last year, the mayor signed 35 demolition letters. And since then, he has not stopped. A total of 189 structures throughout the city were demolished in 2023.
A lien was placed on each of these properties for the demolition costs incurred by the city.
The city's 2024 demolition budget is $800,000. Of that sum over $400,000 has been spent/committed to existing demolition orders.
Now, the city will soon be demolishing several large buildings and apartment complexes. The list includes the following:
1. Villa Norte on Fullerton Street--partial demolition to be scheduled and entire property to be eventually demolished
2. Woodlawn Terrace on W. 68th Street--partial demolition to be scheduled
3. The Pines on Line Avenue--entire demolition anticipated
4. Forest Oak on David Raines--partial demolition completed and entire property to be eventually demolished
5. Jolie on Qual Creek--entire demolition anticipated
6. Linwood Homes on Bernstein Avenue--partial demolition to be scheduled
Other complexes that may face demolition in near future include:
a. Oak Meadows on Centenary Boulevard
b. Cooper Road Place on MLK Boulevard
The aggressive enforcement efforts of Shreveport's Property Standards Office will no doubt result in more demolitions this year, both of residential, commercial and apartment complexes.
Here is the "good" of this effort--reduction of blight in the city.
The "bad" is that more empty lots in the city with reduction of ad valorem tax base and less housing for residents.
The "ugly" is the cost to the city which in many instances will be very difficult to recover. And to top it off, additional monies may need to be appropriated for the Property Standards demolition budget.
Blight in Shreveport represents complex problems for the mayor, the council, and Shreveport residents. It’s a major problem that has existed for many years. It cannot be solved easily without substantial moneys from the private sector. state and federal government entities and the City of Shreveport.