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Vacant property proposed as the building site for the Northeast Regional branch of the Lafayette Public Library on h avenue near the Holy Rosary Institute building, which is currently undergoing major repair and renovation, and the Holy Family Apartments, is pictured Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Lafayette, La.

 STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK

Lafayette could be celebrating the opening of the new Northeast Regional Library in 2028.

Rachel Godeaux, CAO of Lafayette Consolidated Government, on Monday updated the Lafayette Public Library Board on the status of plans to build a 20,500-square-foot library near the campus of Holy Rosary Institute, a former school for Black students that closed in 1993 and is undergoing restoration.

The Lafayette Parish Council in December gave Mayor-President Monique Blanco’s administration permission to move forward with plans to lease several acres of land along h Avenue near Carmel Avenue owned by a non-profit corporation owned and operated by Catholic nuns.

An agreement with the nuns, Godeaux said, should be signed in the next few weeks.

Design and site planning is expected to begin this spring, Godeaux said. Construction is expected to go out for bid in early 2027, she said, and construction should begin in the second quarter of 2027.

Lafayette Parish will be responsible for building, operating and maintaining the library, which it would own. Design and construction will be led by 720design, a Dallas-based firm specializing in library architecture.

While LCG is in charge of overseeing construction, Godeaux said the library’s administrative staff will be involved with decisions such as selecting furniture for the new library.

Construction of a new library in the northeast section of the city has been discussed for years. The area is socio-economically challenged with high poverty rates the average annual household income is $30,000) and with many residents relying on public transportation or walking to move around.

Lafayette Parish would lease the property for 99 years at a cost of $1, with the option to renew the lease for another 99 years.

Contact Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com

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