Panel suggests focus on growing business, recreation around waterways

Consultants have recommended that the Morgan City and Berwick communities focus on growing their marine business sector, better promote recreational activities and downtown, and include more people in decision-making processes.

An Advisory Services panel from Urban Land Institute provided its economic development and diversification recommendations for Morgan City, Berwick and St. Mary Parish on Friday morning during a public presentation at Morgan City Municipal Auditorium.

Local community organization, St. Mary Excel, commissioned the economic study after raising over $135,000 from public and private entities.

Urban Land Institute is a global, non-profit education and research organization with a mission to “provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities.”

The seven-person panel of consultants with expertise on different subjects visited the area during this past week, met with officials and interviewed people in the community. Panelists were tasked with addressing the need for diversification of business and industry, public-private partnerships and infrastructure.

Alrich Lynch, partner and senior managing director at LDG Consulting in Atlanta, chaired the panel. He has experience in real estate in his business, mainly focusing on multi-family housing units and mixed use development.

Panelists emphasized the importance of establishing a brand for the area, capitalizing on its uniqueness with its waterways and differentiating the community from other places.

Community leaders “need to position the Tri-City area as a marine servicing hub,” Lynch said. The panel recognized the significant number of people who come into the area to work despite its residential population loss.

“I believe there are a number of entrepreneurs out there that are doing things that the broader community doesn’t know about,” Lynch said.

Some opportunities exist with the undeveloped Hellenic property in Morgan City. But panelists suggested that money on residential development would be better spent elsewhere to support a broader community possibly along the riverfronts.

The area should focus on ecotourism, particularly hunting and fishing, and not take for granted the tourism potential of those activities.

Growing and supporting existing businesses in the community was another key point of emphasis for the panel.

“You need the support of people who are here out there day-in, day-out, bringing in those dollars so that they can help to bring in more dollars,” Lynch said.

The community should also understand its social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities.

“Know your weaknesses. Be cognizant of them, and then, therefore, you know how to save your resources to help shore those up,” he said.

The Morgan City area’s levee system separates it from the rest of the nation, “but you’ve got to fill in that last piece,” Lynch said, referring to the ongoing Morgan City Levee Improvements Project.

With completion of that flood protection work, “you can promote this area as a safe haven,” Lynch said.

Another highlight from the presentation was to support consolidation of taxing entities in St. Mary Parish wherever possible and encourage more efficient government.

Members of the panel recommended renovation and re-use of many under-used properties.

“There are a lot of opportunities sitting right here in your existing grid that you don’t need to spend public resources to go out into new areas and spend on infrastructure where you have it already,” Lynch said.

Officials should enforce existing code and ensure properties are in good condition. Improving downtown infrastructure could support and renew the downtown wharf and waterfront.

Leaders should also include new, diverse voices in the community’s decision-making process.

Finally, the panel concluded that “there is a cost of doing nothing” to improve the community, Lynch said.

“We’re in an area where you have gone through many ups and downs. We know you know how to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. We know you can do this. And we’re here to help,” he said.

Urban Land Institute will provide a full report detailing the panel’s recommendations within the next three to four months.

Other panelists represented areas across the country and Canada. Those panelists were Garrett Avery, senior designer at AECOM in New York City; John Goss, Asian carp project staff Indiana Wildlife Federation in Indianapolis; Clifford Graves, planning and partnerships consultant in Culver City, California; David Greensfelder, managing principal of Greensfelder Commercial Real Estate in Albany, California; Brad Power, director of the Community Development Department in Englewood, Colorado; and Nitasha Rajora, general manager of developments and investments at Atelier Capital Partners in Vancouver, Canada.