Two new tracts of land make room for additional services

Think of the things you do on your lunch hour besides eating lunch.

Withdraw cash at the bank drive-thru.

Ship off an Amazon return. Pick up a prescription. All of that is easy to do when you work in town. For those who don’t, running errands is more difficult.

The Port of Caddo-Bossier, located south of Shreveport with 2,500 people working for 20 companies, has plans to change that.

The Port spent approximately $23 million to purchase two tracts of land, one 650 acres and one 350 acres. Added to the Port’s existing 4,000 acres, the Port now has room for retail development, including service industries (such as banks, post offices and drugstores) and restaurants.

“If an employee at one of our companies wants to apply for a mortgage in person, they’re going to have to take time off from work, because they will have an hour of driving time to and from a bank,” explained Eric England, the Port’s executive director. ‘We need these types of facilities closer to the Port.”

The land purchases and designs for development came together in the last quarter of 2024.

“In that short period of time, 1,000 acres boarded by Flournoy-Lucas Road, Highway 1, Leonard Road, and Bayou Pierre and Sand Beach bayous, was made available,” England said. “We examined it and realized we could fulfill not only our immediate goals, but also our long-term goals of providing a development that would be unlike any type we had pursued in our history, which has namely been heavy industrial. This development would allow us to pursue potentially other types of development, namely commercial, retail and light industrial.”

The Port is home to mostly, if not exclusively, heavy industrial activity. While a retail development may seem outside its area of expertise, it aligns with the Port’s mission.

“The Port is an economic development agency for Caddo and Bossier parishes,” England said. “Our mission is not limited to river-borne and heavy industrial activity. We have this ability, and we have the ideal site, and frankly, we have a driving need for it. The driving need stems from the companies that are at the Port, and the employees who are at the Port who have expressed a strong desire for these types of businesses close to the Port.

The land comes with more than dirt. “We have a site that is extraordinarily feasible for this type of development. It’s a great site. In addition to it being perfect for the type development that has been proposed, its natural attributes are perfect for the alternative type of development we are used to, in terms of heavy industrial. For example, the property features the confluence of two bayous. It will lend to the attractiveness of the site, which will obviously be a draw for potential companies that locate there.”

When asked how he visualizes the development once it’s finished, England didn’t undersell his hopes.

“An iconic development unlike any in the area that will bridge the development at The Port of Caddo-Bossier with its neighboring properties. In addition, it will provide a landing, or sense of arrival, to our area once the Tim James group completes the (proposed) toll bridge. The Tim James toll bridge traverses through the property. The bridge lands on our property. So, for those coming into the area, this will give an opportunity for us to have a sense of arrival into the community with visual landmarks and iconic structures that will be appealing to the folks who visit the property, as well as those who do business on the property.”

England insists the Port will not take a bully approach and build without regard for the interests of people nearby, especially those living in the Twelve Oaks and Esplanade subdivisions, as well as business owners.

“What we really need to do now is receive more public input, namely from the neighbors of the property. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

Companies that would serve the companies, as well as the employees at the Port, are inquiring about the details of how they can be the first to be contacted about being a part of the development. Those types of conversations have been held in the time since we posted the plans on the website.”

But no one should expect dirt to be turned any time soon.

“I think it can be easily measured in years. It’s not going to be in the next few month. As a developer would, we will build preliminary infrastructure to access the site. Coinciding with that activity, you will have construction of the toll bridge and the connector road through the property, which will also help provide accessibility to more of the sites.” To learn more about the development, you may visit portcb.com.