A (New) New Iberia

As far as places go, New Iberia is certainly an older one. Established in 1839, the Iberia Parish seat is home to a nationally recognized Main Street and the National Bayou Teche Scenic Byway. But change is on the horizon for this historic bayou community. Mayor Freddie DeCourt has undertaken an ambitious multi-year endeavor to revitalize and beautify the city's historic district with his new Master Plan. The mayor's lengthy list of innovative capital projects includes several short-term ventures (about one hundred shovel-ready projects), in addition to plenty more planned for the city's downtown district.

The urban development master plan features the Fulton Street Shoreline Park, which will have a boat dock and updated city layout, connecting downtown New Iberia to the Bayou Teche and providing boating traffic direct access to downtown. Other infrastructure improvements outlined in the Master Plan include installing an amphitheater and stage at Bouligny Plaza to encourage more outdoor entertainment along Fulton Street, Market Row in the plaza parking lot to hold a local farmer's market and other events (think similar to New Orleans' French Market), and a Veterans War Memorial at Bouligny Plaza to honor the city’s veterans.

Waterfront development is one of the main elements of the mayor's vision for New Iberia, because to him, the story of the city and that of the bayou are one and the same. “The bayou was the source of our commerce and the fabric of our livelihood, until trade became more industrialized around the turn of the century," said DeCourt, who is a commercial contractor and designer in addition to being a lifelong New Iberia resident, elected to the office in late 2016. "Then it seemed like we left the bayou behind, but the present and future of New Iberia is intertwined with the Teche, and always has been. I want to see us return to our history where the bayou has more of a presence in our daily lives.”

DeCourt's plans also include new signage, streetscaping, a citywide bike lane initiative, and parallel parking improvements along St. Peter Street. There's more. To promote ecotourism and attract more boating events downtown, there are also plans for a civic center marina, a pocket park at Duperier Avenue across the bayou with a new floating dock for paddlers along the Bayou Teche, and a city slips park. 

On the side of cultural enrichment, the expansion of the award-winning Bayou Teche Museum is already in progress with the construction of the new Donald "Doc" Voorhies Wing, named after the local philanthropist and longtime museum benefactor, as well as refurbishing the marquee of the Sliman Theatre for the Performing Arts—better known as the storied, art deco-style Evangeline Theater on Main Street—and enhancements to Church Alley. DeCourt's administration is View the full Master Plan document here, or to watch DeCourt himself present it, head to iberiatravel.com.