NEW ROADS — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards joined the Louisiana Office of Community Development (OCD), elected officials and new homeowners to celebrate the completion of Audubon Estates, a newly built community for residents of the flood-prone Pecan Acres subdivision in Pointe Coupee Parish. Most homes in Pecan Acres have flooded more than 17 times in the past 30 years.
“This celebration is a momentous occasion in Louisiana’s journey to adapt to a changing climate,” Gov. Edwards said. “Audubon Estates demonstrates how federal, state and local governments can work together to provide repetitive flood-loss communities with positive outcomes. Today’s event marked a joyous outcome for a resilient group of people now living in a newly constructed, resilient community.”
Funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the relocation is part of the state’s Sustainable Resettlement Program for residents of Pecan Acres, which is located just outside New Roads. OCD collaborated with Pointe Coupee Parish officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to purchase the flooded properties in Pecan Acres and help homeowners move out of the area into safer homes in the new community.
OCD worked with the residents to select the site for Audubon Estates and to design and name the new community, which is located north of Nelson Lane on La. Hwy. 10. The 22-acre site is large enough for all eligible Pecan Acres households and is located outside of the 100-year flood zone.
Audubon Estates consists of 20 homes for former Pecan Acres residents. Soon, the state will construct an additional 20 homes in Audubon Estates as affordable housing for low-to-moderate income residents of Point Coupee. The NRCS will preserve the land of the former Pecan Acres as wetlands in perpetuity to restore and conserve natural floodplain functions. Click here for photos from today’s event.
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