The doors are open, lights are on, and residents have started moving in at Mid-City Lofts, marking a major milestone in the Just Imagine SWLA Mid-City Neighborhood Transformation and a new chapter for the heart of Lake Charles. This achievement is the result of a collaborative effort between the City of Lake Charles, the Lake Charles Housing Authority, along with HRI and Urban Strategies Inc. who successfully applied for and won a Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant of $40 Million to redevelop the Housing Authority property at Lake and 18th Streets.
Built on the former Lloyd Oaks site, Mid-City Lofts represents more than the completion of a housing development. It is the first major, visible realization of a long-term community vision shaped in the wake of Hurricanes Laura and Delta and guided by the Just Imagine SWLA 50-Year Resilience Master Plan.
“I've always said it's going to be a game changer and truly is a game changer for the Lake Charles community,” said Raymond McCall, co-owner of Gordon’s Drug Store in Lake Charles. “When we looked at it before no one ever wanted to recognize Lloyd Oaks but then all of a sudden, now we're seeing development, and people are all abuzz.”
The 46-unit mixed-income development brings together affordable and market-rate housing in a walkable, centrally located neighborhood. For McCall, whose pharmacy sits just across the street, the project is already changing how residents can access everyday needs. Prescription delivery, immunizations, and outreach events are now steps away rather than across town.
“Really provide the outreach these people are deserving of,” McCall said.
For Denise Rau, a retired financial planner and longtime Lake Charles resident, Mid-City Lofts represents something deeper. Decades ago, she participated in leadership discussions focused on how to address poverty in the region. The conversations often stalled under the weight of complex, interconnected challenges.
“All of those things are addressed right here in this new development,” Rau said. “It's magnificent. It is going to transform this whole community, not just the people who will live here, but everything around it.”
Leadership from the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana has been central to turning that vision into reality. Jim Rock, chair of the foundation’s board, has been involved since the beginning.
“After the storm, it was completely unlivable, and to see that this building is up now is incredible,” Rock said. “This is really, I think, the beacon of the whole (Just Imagine SWLA Master Plan) project. And people are saying, ‘If they can do that there, no telling what we can do in these other projects.’”
Rock credits visits to successful mixed-income developments in New Orleans for solidifying confidence in the model. “It was nice. It was clean. Everybody was happy there and I was thinking, ‘gosh, if they could do that here, the people and leaders in Lake Charles can make it happen here.’”
For Karen and Ken Chamberlain, both members of the Community Foundation, seeing the project complete has been emotional. Ken Chamberlain described Mid-City Lofts as exceeding expectations and proof that rebuilding differently is possible.
“It starts with housing,” he said. “I think we all like to live in a nice place that you can enjoy being in, and the surroundings are nice, and you've got activities and easy access to things, I think it makes life easier and more enjoyable.”
Karen Chamberlain emphasized the pride residents will feel being part of something larger than a single building. “It's life-changing.”
With residents already moved in and occupancy growing, Mid-City Lofts is no longer just imagined. It is lived in, experienced, and beginning to reshape what is possible for Mid-City and Calcasieu and Cameron parishes as a whole.
For Mid-City Lofts leasing information, visit midcityloftslakecharles.org.
To learn more about the Choice Neighborhood and Mid-City Neighborhood Transformation project, visit lakecharlescni.org
Want to know more about all 11 catalytic projects in the Just Imagine 50-Year Resilience Master Plan? Visit justimagineswla.org and follow us on social media!
