The city of Broussard is hoping its designation as a development-ready city and the upcoming arrival of the SafeSource Direct locations will help diversify its economy.

City officials along with the Broussard Chamber of Commerce marked the designation as a Louisiana Development Ready Community, the first municipality in Lafayette Parish to earn the certification, from the Louisiana Office of Economic Development during a Monday luncheon.

The designation, much like LED’s certified sites program, labels the city as development ready from the state’s perspective. It comes just after the SafeSource Direct announcement, which will house one of its two buildings on a site that earned development-ready status from LED.

In Broussard, historically a home to oil and gas companies, the moves will help the city diversify and overcome jobs losses and a sluggish economy of late.

Retail sales in the city over the last two years have been the flattest among the six municipalities in Lafayette Parish, data from the Lafayette Economic Development Authority shows. Between April 2021 and April 2019, sales have grown just under 10% when every other municipality has had double-digit growth.

“There has been job loss in Broussard, and it has affected our economy,” Mayor Ray Bourque said. “The oil field has been wonderful to Broussard over the years, and we support it completely. But having a more diversified economy is an important step to help us protect our economy for the city and protect jobs that will be here for our residents.”

The designation puts Broussard among 46 others cities and towns in Louisiana — including Crowley, Eunice, St. Martinville and New Iberia — that have completed the intense certification process, LED officials said. It goes along with the estimated 125 certified sites in Louisiana that are also ready for industrial development.

The last five major economic announcements have come on sites that were certified, LED secretary Don Pierson said.

“There’s a lot of struggles across America in smaller communities, in rural communities today,” Pierson said. “There’s a big pull in larger, urban areas. The things that rural communities are going to struggle with are their economy. They’ve got to be supported.”

The committee of city, chamber and members of the Broussard Economic Development Corporation began working on the certification earlier this year. The city, chamber director Stacy Romero noted, now has a strategic community and economic development plan, which will enable it to be “open for business.”

Visit theadvocate.com for the full article.