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On April 14, the Southwest Louisiana Task Force for Growth and Opportunity (GO Group) held a public meeting to update the community on GO Group efforts, to allow for local industry to provide updates with regard to their respective projects, to release a report on temporary housing, and to review IMCAL’s Long Range Transportation Plan.

GO Group Housing Committee Chairman David Conner presented findings of the Temporary Housing component of the Five Parish Regional Housing Study, Strategic Plan and Implementation Strategy conducted by the SWLA Economic Alliance.

"We have completed the Temporary Housing component and have chosen to release it at the GO Group public meeting because of the time sensitivity of the issue," said Conner, VP of Economic Development with the Alliance SWLA.

“With the magnitude of the construction workforce that will be needed to make this economic boom a reality, temporary housing is one of the critical issues that this community must address. The decisions are upon us now and the decisions we make will affect us for many years to come."

Highlights of the study include:

• Unmet demand for housing for temporary construction workers is currently projected to be above 10,000 units and peaking in 2017/2018.
• Well managed Temporary Worker Villages is the recommended option for the bulk of these workers.
• The consequences and impact to the community is of great concern if managed temporary housing is not available.

Also at the GO Group event, IMCAL representatives presented the findings of the Long Range Transportation Plan for the Calcasieu Parish Area, with a special focus on the Lake Charles Urbanized area. That report was released earlier this year.

The Plan:

• Encompasses the entire Calcasieu Parish area unlike previous plans for just the Metropolitan area;
• Identifies projects to improve within the next five years and projects for the next 10 to 20 years to plan and search for funding;
• Identifies deficiencies in roadways, needed areas for transit, and outlines projected needs for future announcements.

Also at this meeting, representatives from SASOL and Cameron LNG provided the GO Group and the community with updates on the progress of their announced expansion projects.

The GO Group, formed in early 2013, is focused on developing strategies to ensure the successful implementation of planned economic development projects for Southwest Louisiana. It was formed by local community leaders, stakeholders, and elected officials to identify the various socioeconomic issues involved with such projects. For more information on the GO Group, visit www.gogroupswla.com.


Click here to see the Housing Study.


Click here to see the Transportation Plan