Urban sprawl is starting to show evidence in Houma. As people choose to continue moving to the outskirts of town to build homes, we re seeing a shift in the retail center of our city. For years, West Park Avenue was a long retail strip, with large discount stores as well as small retailers lining both sides of the roadway. But now, we have a few buildings vacated by companies that have gone out of business or packed up and moved to a new location either to better capitalize on the traffic flow or to expand their available wares.
Empty buildings are eyesores in the community, regardless of the reason for the vacancy.
But Lafourche Parish has found a use for these types of buildings that will improve the community s quality of life. The buildings will replace existing branches, and at least in Thibodaux, the parish government will make use of the vacated library space. In a forward-thinking moment, the parish has made a decision that is expected to allow quicker construction of satellite libraries in Chackbay and Bayou Blue. So Lafourche Parish officials are not only enhancing the quality of life in the towns which feature those vacant retail stores, but also in two other communities. Granted, libraries are not going to increase the tax base, but improving the quality of life and saving taxpayer dollars over the long run are positive steps.