Shreveport Apartment Complex Announces $38M Renovations, Louisiana Leaders Praise Investment

Several Shreveport leaders posed for photos on Dec. 18 in celebration of the planned renovations at the 55-year-old apartment complex.

After Shreveport’s Lakeside Gardens apartment complex, the brainchild of Rev. Amos Terrell in 1969, announced $38.1 million in renovations, Louisiana political figures celebrated the much-needed investment into Shreveport’s Black community.

According to the Shreveport Times, several Shreveport leaders posed for photos on Dec. 18 to celebrate the planned renovations at the 55-year-old apartment complex.

Louisiana State Sen. Sam Jenkins praised the investment, telling the outlet, “This is a welcome change. I am extremely pleased that we are continuing to invest in the urban core, the inner-city areas. We know this is an area that won’t be abandoned. Families will live here, be safe and have a nice environment.”

Jasmine Winston-Wilson, a developer, was more frank about the necessity of the renovations.

“Given the age of the property and lack of upgrades, it was becoming increasingly difficult to provide quality affordable housing,” Winston-Wilson said. “Without these renovations, Lakeside Gardens would cease to exist. These renovations allow us to continue to serve generations to come.”

During the renovations, 22 units will be added to the complex, bringing the total number of units on the property to 110.

Recently, the city has experienced a rash of fires at abandoned apartment complexes, a fate that the investment will help Lakeside Gardens avoid.

According to KEEL, several apartment complexes in Shreveport are scheduled for demolition by Shreveport Property Standards due to failure to meet standards for continued occupancy by residents.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arcenaux told KTAL News that these fires are a byproduct of landlords not caring for their property properly.

“The security for private property lies with private property owners. We are continuing to patrol, but when you have abandoned structures, sometimes you have problems with this. And we are trying to provide as much security as we can, but we don’t provide 24-hour security for apartment complexes,” Arcenaux said.

Arcenaux continued, briefly discussing the improbability that fining the landlords would fix the problem.

“[They’re] behind on mortgages. So collecting fines is really very, very doubtful. Most of this is at the city’s expense. And we have to keep in mind that we have other properties standards enforcement that we have to undertake. So, at some point, we have to engage in some triage.”

According to Vox, one way to avoid situations like Shreveport’s dilapidated apartment complexes could be social housing programs similar to those in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Massachusetts State Rep. Mike Connolly told Vox that the Montgomery County program inspired his own state’s housing bond bill that sponsored a social housing pilot plan.

“We got a lot of enthusiasm and support around us now doing the work of mapping out what these initial projects will look like. It could result in perhaps one or two local, mixed-income social housing-type projects in the coming years,” Connolly said. “If we can develop something and build it, people can see it, and then we can point to it and look to expand it. And, of course, Montgomery County, Maryland, has been the contemporary national leader here.”

According to Chelsea Andrews, the executive director of Montgomery County’s Housing Opportunities Commission, the HOC’s blend of public housing authority, housing finance agency, and public developer allows it to aggressively subsidize housing.

“We have these three different components that ultimately work together to help us really advance a very aggressive development strategy that we have deployed over 50 years. Mixed income accomplishes so many goals. It allows housing authorities to ensure that they are creating inclusive communities. It takes away the concentration of poverty.”