In August of this year, the Port of Caddo-Bossier purchased two tracts of land at a cost of . $23,581,000. One tract was approximately 650 acres, and the other was 350 acres.
The boundaries of the 1000 acres are Flournoy-Lucas Road, Highway 1, Leonard Road and Bayou Pierre and Sand Beach Bayou. The Port plans to expand its operations from heavy industrial to commercial, retail and light industrial in this area.
This purchase will, in effect, put the Port in competition with private development that does not have the tax advantages of the Port. In addition to retail development, the Port hopes to bring in service industries such as banks, a post office, drugstores, and restaurants.
This area abuts the high end Twelve Oaks and Esplanade subdivisions along with the Oaks and other development on Flournoy Lucas Road. This is also the area for the purposed Tim James proposed toll bridge, which has drawn opposition from some of the residents in this area.,
Many have questioned this purchase, and the expressed development plans for this tract. The Port has over 4000 acres for industrial development which has in effect stagnated since the opening of the Benteler Steel plant. Couple this with the out-of-world salaries paid to the Port staff, many taxpayers question the need for the yellow brick road at the Port.