FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Potential funding sources will be researched during the development phase.
• Public and private partnerships at all levels will bring projects to fruition.

• The Community Foundation is here for the long term. As the steward of the Plan (Just Imagine SWLA) the Foundation will hold our communities accountable for its implementation.
• Some projects will be implemented in the short term as well as longer term transformational projects.
• An example of successful planning lead by a community foundation is downtown Baton Rouge.
  The area was facilitated by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, a partner of our Community Foundation SWLA.

• The purpose of planning is to ensure that Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes will have a strong economy, housing, infrastructure, and excellent quality of life.
• Through the planning process, residents, business owners, and community organizations will help shape Southwest Louisiana for the next 50 years.
• Planning today can diversify the economy, develop housing, and invest in parks, trails, and drainage.
• This plan will help protect our environmental and heritage resources and ensure that our community continues to be attractive, safe, and prosperous.

• Just Imagine SWLA: a 50-Year Resilience Master Plan for Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes (the Plan) will be used as a guide to decision-making about the natural and built environment and future investments.
• Resilience means being prepared for and able to recover from disaster events and persistent stress.
• The Resilience Master Plan will provide resilient policy guidance on community planning, housing, economy, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources.

• The Calcasieu Parish Hurricanes Laura and Delta Long-Term Community Recovery Plan (LTCRP) is a community-driven approach that laid out strategies for long-term recovery.
• The Just Imagine SWLA plan will build on the LTCRP, however, it will expand the geography and the timespan.
  • First, the LTCRP only applies to Calcasieu Parish. Cameron Parish was deeply impacted by the 2020 and 2021 storms, and the economic and environmental health of the two parishes is linked.
  • Secondly, the Resilience Master Plan will expand the timeframe to explore a 50-year horizon. In doing so, Just Imagine SWLA will explore both projects that can be done in the short-term as well as long-term transformational projects.

• Just Imagine SWLA is a collaborative process led by the Community Foundation Southwest Louisiana in close cooperation with the regional, parish, municipal, business, and community leadership.
• The Foundation has hired Urban Design Associates, a nationally renowned firm with highly experienced planning staff, to lead this process.
• The Calcasieu and Cameron police juries, city and parish planning officials, public agencies, and area residents and business owners are all key stakeholders in this project and partners who will help implement the plan’s priorities.
• This planning effort will include an intensive public participation process. Stakeholders and the general public can participate in community meetings throughout the parish in 2021 and 2022, watch meetings virtually, engage on the website, engage in text chats, receive email and text notifications, and sign up to act as ambassadors to colleagues and friends.

Key projects will be matched to specific funding sources. Additional research related to funding will be happening in conjunction with the planning process to support the implementation of Just Imagine SWLA in the following ways:

• Prioritization of projects recommended in the plan in the parishes’ annual Capital Improvement Plans/Programs and funding allocations.
• Federal, state, and other agency coordination and collaboration to implement projects as per the plan’s vision.
• Promotion of public/private partnership projects for physical improvements, and/or program improvements based on the recommendations in the plan implement.
• Partnerships with private developers to realize the goals and policies and or specific development or redevelopment projects outlined in the plan.
• Zoning code, regulatory and policy changes that reflect the concepts outlined in the plan’s

FEMA is changing the way it rates flood insurance, through its new Risk Rating 2.0 program. The new approach maps the Special Flood Hazard Area boundaries and the 1% annual chance flood. It also looks at the unique flood risk of each structure by considering:

• the proximity of a structure from the nearest flood source
• the types and frequency of flood events that have affected the structure
• the construction attributes of the structure, such as foundation type and height above grade, to determine the cost of repair after a flood event.

The Resilience Master Plan will consider how flood insurance impacts housing affordability and where growth should happen.

• Prioritization of projects recommended in the plan in the parishes’ annual Capital Improvement Plans/Programs and funding allocations.
• Federal, state, and other agency coordination and collaboration to implement projects as per the plan’s vision.
• Promotion of public/private partnership projects for physical improvements, and/or program improvements based on the recommendations in the plan implement.
• Partnerships with private developers to realize the goals and policies and or specific development or redevelopment projects outlined in the plan.
• Zoning code, regulatory and policy changes that reflect the concepts outlined in the plan’s