The National Parks Service has designated the Downtown Lafayette Central Business District as a National Register Historic District. While the designation might not make a lot of sense at first blush to those of us who don't live and work in that part of Acadiana, the designation could certainly be a stepping stone to better things for the Downtown Business community. 

The image above gives you an idea of the part of town that we are talking about.

The designation will allow owners of eligible historic buildings the opportunity to apply for tax credits on both the state and federal level. These tax credits could go a long way in helping property owners maintain these properties and initiate repairs.

On the federal level, the tax credit is 20% with an additional 18% available through the state. This is assuming that the work being proposed has been approved by the proper agencies in advance and the work is completed following the standards set by the Secretary of the Interior's guidelines for rehabilitation.

Lafayette Consolidated Government suggests that interested business owners who want to apply for these tax credits reach out to LCG's  Development and Planning Department. You may do that via phone at (337) 291-7193. You may also reach out to Roxana Usner at rmusner@lafayettela.gov via email.

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