Local Developer Reveals Plan to Build Extravagant 20-Story High Rise in Downtown Lafayette

If all goes to plan, it would be the tallest building in the city of Lafayette.

That's what local developer Cliff Guidry with Guidry Land Development is aiming for as he unveiled plans for the Seven16 Lafayette Tower. According to The Advocate, Guidry revealed his plan to a group of local commercial real estate agents earlier today.

The proposed 20-story high-rise would be located at 716 Lafayette St. across from the Lafayette Public Library and next to the federal courthouse.

Plans for the $140 million building measure in at 240,000 square feet and feature two 20-story high-rise towers that would definitely stand out in the downtown Lafayette area.

As a matter of fact, at a proposed 260 feet high, Guidry's plan for Seven16 Lafayette Tower would stand out above all of Lafayette where structures like the DoubleTree by Hilton Lafayette and the Chase Bank building are currently two of the tallest buildings in town. each clocking in under 200 feet.

The Advocate report notes that if the planned buildings "get more interest than anticipated" we could see Seven16 go as high as 360 feet.

Currently, Guidry has drawn up the project to feature parking garages that will take up the first seven floors of each building. The eighth floor of the building would feature a patio area which will serve somewhat as a divider from that point up to the 16th floor where commercial office space will fill each floor in between.

The final floors could feature a hotel or condominiums with the possibility of a rooftop patio on the 20th floor that would surely provide some amazing views.

You can actually check out more renderings, plans, pricing, and even views from the proposed tower here in the Advocate report or on the official Seven16 website.

If all goes as planned, this type of building would bring the type of excitement to downtown Lafayette that would surely permeate throughout the city and beyond, but what are folks saying about the proposed double towers?

Reactions have been mixed on social media with some people wondering just how a spectacular structure like this could possibly work in Lafayette. Other residents, including those who commented on the Developing Lafayette story, ranged from locals who were excited about the opportunities the development could bring to the area to others who felt like it was "priced too high" and the "aesthetic" wasn't a "good fit" for Lafayette.

Commenters on the original Advocate story included those who called the idea "awesome" to some who predicted this would be "vacant like all the other stuff" within five years.

I'm fairly certain that Guidry expects criticism, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't think that Lafayette can be a "tough crowd" at times—especially when it comes to change or new ideas that are this radical. But whatever this concept ends up looking like will certainly be a step in the right direction of building and developing a better future for our city.

I encourage you to continue leaving feedback (even if you insist on being negative 😅) because I can guarantee you that Guidry and other local developers like him are using constructive feedback to fuel their vision for growth and an overall better Lafayette community.