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Morgan City RDA plans $1.5 million alleyway and plaza to spur downtown development; commissioners back $250,000 for project
Summary
Morgan City’s Redevelopment Agency rolled out a plan to build an alleyway, parking and plaza behind Commercial Street to spur private redevelopment. The project budget rose from $800,000 to about $1.5 million; commissioners later approved $250,000 from county funds to support the effort.
Morgan City and the Morgan Redevelopment Agency (RDA) presented a plan Sept. 2 to build an alleyway, parking and small plaza behind Commercial Street that city officials say will unlock adjacent parcels for development and improve pedestrian flow.
Ty Bailey, Morgan City manager and executive director of the Morgan RDA, told the county commission the project will include a new alley drive with wishbone parking, stormwater infrastructure, underground power and decorative street lighting. "The idea is that that reinvestment will help spur future growth," Bailey said, describing the RDA’s long-running goal to rehabilitate Commercial Street properties so they become viable commercial spaces.
Project scope and financing Bailey said the project once estimated at approximately $800,000 has grown to roughly $1.5 million as design and infrastructure needs were refined. The RDA has secured a $458,000 grant and plans to match it with local funds; Bailey said the RDA will overextend and repay itself from RDA receipts through 2028, when the agency’s current term expires unless renewed.
County action At the same meeting the Morgan County Commission approved a separate request to allocate $250,000 from Fund 17 (local option-related funds) to the alley/plaza project after the RDA and the County’s Council of Governments (COG) recommended that contribution. The motion passed with a roll call vote.
Why it matters City officials said the project will provide public infrastructure — parking, stormwater capture and a small plaza with space for a food truck and a mobile stage — that can make adjoining vacant properties developable and improve downtown economic activity. Bailey noted infrastructure upgrades include new sewer main work and planned removal of overhead power lines to reduce maintenance risks.
Filming and tourism Bailey also said the Commercial Street corridor has attracted film production interest; he told commissioners that a production related to the television series Yellowstone will begin filming on Commercial Street next week and is expected to return for several years.
Ending City and RDA leaders said work is underway; Bailey estimated construction would be underway this autumn and that the overall timeline aims for substantial completion in 2025. The county’s $250,000 contribution was approved at the Sept. 2 meeting and will be reflected in Fund 17’s appropriations.
