How Much Money Is Going Into Lafayette’s North Side?
LAFAYETTE, La. — The City Council, sitting as the board of the Northway Economic Development District, agreed in principle Tuesday to put up to $1.25 million toward redeveloping the former Northgate Mall on the Evangeline Thruway. The money would reimburse the owner for work he pays for, if it gets final approval.
That vote is part of a bigger push across the north side of Lafayette. Add the new school, the new library, the mall and a handful of street projects, and the announced work runs well past $100 million in public and private money, depending on which figures you use.
Some of it is already under construction. One long-promised project, a rebuilt Northside High School, has no funded construction plan.
What is being built at the new north side school?
The school board broke ground June 24 on a new Paul Breaux K-8 campus next to J.W. Faulk Elementary on Willow Street. It will serve up to 1,200 students from Faulk, Dr. Raphael Baranco Elementary and Paul Breaux Middle. The district is aiming for a January 2028 opening.
Reported costs vary. The project has been put at $62 million, and the district closed on a bond sale of nearly $50 million to help pay for it. The board has also locked in a guaranteed maximum price of $37,664,042 for the construction itself.
How much money is going into Northgate Mall?
Breaux Bridge businessman Jacoby Landry bought the 20.8-acre mall in a credit sale in June 2025 for $2.8 million and renamed it The Hub. He has planned about $50.9 million in total investment, split into eight phases.
The building is filling up. As of July, monthly rent collected from tenants had grown from $15,000 to $60,000, and the tenant count had gone from 14 to 36. A health club anchors the property and had 950 members. The council also approved a restorative tax abatement earlier this year that freezes the property tax bill for five years.
The Northway district around the mall held about $2.29 million as of May 31. It is funded by a 1% sales tax and a 2% hotel occupancy tax collected inside the district.
When will the northeast library open at Holy Rosary?
The Norman C. Francis Library, first called the Northeast Regional Library, will be a roughly 20,500-square-foot branch on the former Holy Rosary Institute campus along Louisiana Avenue. The Parish Council voted unanimously Dec. 2, 2025, to approve leasing the land for $1 a year for 99 years. The library system keeps a project page for updates.
The branch could open by 2028. The former city-parish council set aside $8 million, and at least $7 million more is needed from the library’s fund balance. The mayor-president’s proposed budget includes money to hire 17 employees once it opens.
The Parish Council approved the name in July to honor Dr. Norman C. Francis, the late longtime president of Xavier University of Louisiana and a former Holy Rosary student.
Holy Rosary itself is changing. Prime Time Head Start has added four classrooms serving about 60 children. As of late 2024, the restoration effort had drawn roughly $4.5 million in funding, starting with a $500,000 state grant. The Holy Rosary Economic Development District showed a $137,099 balance as of May 31.
What other north side projects have dedicated money?
Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux says nearly $3 million in funded work is planned along Jefferson Street from the Evangeline Thruway to Pontiac Point, including the Jefferson Market and Deli for an area with little access to fresh food. North Orange Street has secured $300,000 for a first phase of walkability upgrades. Two new businesses, an event venue and a cigar lounge, also held grand openings within two blocks of each other.
A $5 million streetscape project at 12th and Surrey streets is under construction as part of the Evangeline Corridor plan. That plan aims to prepare neighborhoods along the Evangeline Thruway for the proposed I-49 Lafayette Connector.
SUN Community Housing Development Organization bought the former Truman Early Education Center from the school board. It is gathering resident input on turning the five-acre site into a community space.
What happened to the plan to rebuild Northside High?
In 2020, the school board approved roughly $5.9 million toward a future Northside High rebuild. District staff estimated a full rebuild on the existing campus would cost about $50 million. Board member Tehmi Chassion, a Northside graduate, brought the proposal.
A year later, the board voted 6-2 to take $2.65 million from that fund to buy 37.7 acres on the north side for a possible sports complex or future school site. In 2024, consultants hired by the district recommended new middle and high school buildings on the Northside campus. No funding followed. In September 2025, the board unanimously approved the separate K-8 campus near Faulk.
Northside High still has no funded construction project. On Oct. 8, the board voted 6-2 to make up to $14 million available from its reserve fund to start work on a workforce academy at the former Comeaux High campus. The district says the money goes back into the fund once bonds are issued. Board member Amy Trahan, who represents Northside High, voted no and asked, “When will it be the time for Northside [High]?”
What should north side residents watch next?
Final approval of the $1.25 million for Northgate is next. Also keep an eye out for construction updates on the K-8 school and the library, which will show whether the 2028 target is doable.
You May Also Like...
- Local Developer Buys Northgate Mall With Plans to Revitalize Site
- Push for Lafayette North Side Library Faces Critical Vote Tuesday
Historic Lafayette Photos You've Probably Never Seen
Gallery Credit: TSM Lafayette
