Hotel Project Gets $1.5 Million Loan
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
Architect Stephen Ortego left the Opelousas Downtown Development District meeting Friday morning with a proposed $1.5 million in ODD financial backing for his rehabilitation project that intends to convert a former federal post office into a boutique hotel.
Ortego said following the meeting that the agreement with the District provides him with a five-year loan through a cooperative endeavor agreement, which he said will be repaid to ODD along with interest.
The eventual total cost of the project, Ortego told District members, could exceed $6 million, as he plans to create a hotel venue that also includes a second-floor ballroom, bar, restaurant and an outdoor swimming pool.
“This will be the domino needed to start the efforts to restart the (Opelousas) downtown area,” Ortego told the ODD members.
ODD board member Sarah Branton said the project Ortego described at the meeting Friday fits the concept of the type of downtown catalyst projects that ODD was created to support.
“What we’re doing with this project is what we have wanted to do all along,” Branton said.
The public finding obtained through the ODD, Ortego said, will allow him to make a “big push” in order to seek other areas of financing to complete the financial venture.
There was no disagreement among the ODD Board, who unanimously approved the financial arrangement, pending final negotiations.
First constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, the three-story red brick building on the corner of Landry and South Court streets, has been unoccupied for at least 15 years.
Ortego appeared before the ODD several months ago to inform them of the purchase, but at that meeting Ortego did not request any money from the District, which is supported by an additional 1-cent sales tax collected primarily from of the larger retail stores located on the southside of Opelousas.
At this point Ortego said he has paid about $75,000 to clean and secure the building in addition to sealing the windows in order to prevent the return of a large pigeon population that due to openings in some windows, had sequestered on the upper floors for nearly a decade.
On Friday Ortego augmented his presentation with several architectural sketches and a breakdown of how he plans to fund the project.
In 2024 Ortego completed the reconstruction of the Klaus building in downtown Washington and turned the two-story structure into a small hotel, which now includes a downstairs bar and restaurant.
Ortego has also directed the rehabilitation of the former Sunset High School, which when completed, will serve as the main campus for Ecole St. Landry, a French immersion charter school.
