Certified Industrial Sites

Size: At least 25 contiguous, buildable acres, free of impediments to development such as existing structures not appropriate for future commerce, soil contaminants, wetlands, flood plain, protected species and/or cultural resources.

Price per Acre: A fixed purchase price or a fixed leasing price per acre for a specified time period is required to certify and publish a site.

Property Control/Ownership: Control of the site through option, purchase or other legally binding agreement must be obtained and maintained as a condition of certification. It is required that the property can be obtained free and clear of encumbrances.

Zoning/Land Use: The site must be zoned or otherwise approved for industrial applications. If zoned, a zoning district description and map are required. Only sites suitable for industrial use will be considered. Sites adjacent to significant residential development or other land uses incompatible with industrial activities will not be considered.

Flood Plain: At least 25 contiguous, buildable acres must be above the 100-year flood plain. Alternatively, the applicant may provide a formal cost estimate, construction plan and funding source by which construction footprints can be elevated above the plain and meet FEMA standards.

Water Supply: For sites under 250 acres, delivery prior to any potential project start-up either by line or by well, a minimum of 50,000 gallons of potable or process water per day. Sites 250 acres or over must have a water supply equal to 200 times their acreage rounded to the nearest 10,000 gallons. Thus, a 500-acre site must have a water supply of 100,000 gpd.

If an existing source of water supply is not available, certification will require submission of

1. Order-of-magnitude cost estimate
2. Conceptual design
3. Funding source to meet the minimum level of service within a reasonable timetable, typically considered to be 12-18 months. Typically, a 4” water distribution line is the minimum size (6” or larger preferred) that can deliver the required dynamic pressure at industrial sites.

Furthermore, there must be adequate pressure and flow at the site to combat fires. If this is not available, the applicant must provide documentation from an engineering firm about how sufficient water will be made available to fight fires. Note: A widespread fire at a 100,000 square foot manufacturing building will require 1.2 million gallons for a one-hour fire.

Sanitary Sewer: For sites under 250 acres, provide a minimum of 50,000 gallons of sanitary sewer capacity in a reasonable time period upon project start-up notification. Sites 250 acres or over must have a sanitary sewer service equal to 200 times their acreage rounded to the nearest 10,000 gallons. Thus, a 500-acre site must have a sanitary sewer supply of 100,000 gpd. If existing sewer capacity is not available to the property boundary, certification will require submission of:

1. an order-of-magnitude cost estimate,
2. a conceptual design, and
3.  a funding source to meet the minimum level of service within a reasonable timetable, typically considered to be 12-18 months.

General Road Access: The roads accessing the site must be able to support vehicles with a maximum gross weight of 83,400 pounds, such as semi-trucks and trailers. If an access road does not exist, certification will require submission of an order-of-magnitude cost estimate, conceptual design and funding source to meet the required access within a reasonable timetable.

Electricity: Identify service provider or providers that can deliver reliable 3-Phase power service to the site prior to any potential project startup. If existing capacity is not available at the site, certification will require submission of an order-of-magnitude cost estimate, conceptual design and funding source to meet the minimum level of service within a reasonable timetable.

Natural Gas: Natural gas must be available to the property boundary or available prior to any potential project startup. Typically, a minimum of a 4-inch distribution line is required with an 8-inch line preferred. If natural gas is not available, certification will require submission of an order-of-magnitude cost estimate, conceptual design and funding source to meet the minimum level of service within a reasonable timetable.

Listing: The property owner must agree to have the site published by Louisiana Economic Development on its interactive sites and building website.

Phase I Environmental Assessment: The site must have undergone a Phase I environmental assessment as a prerequisite for being considered for participation in the certification process. The Phase 1 environmental assessment must be less than 5 years old from the date of submission.

Remediated Sites: If there are unresolved environmental issues, the site cannot be certified until a No Further Action letter or its equivalent from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is provided.

Re-Certification: LED Certified Sites must be re-certified every five years by documenting changes in adjacent land use, right-of-ways, existing structures, zoning, transportation infrastructure, utilities, total available acreage, environmental and cultural conditions, ownership, topography, and any other pertinent changes that impact the marketability of the site. A new application and due diligence will not be required.

Phase I Environmental Assessment: The site must have undergone a Phase I Environmental Assessment as a prerequisite for being considered for participation in the certification process. The Phase 1 Environmental Assessment must be less than 5 years old from the date of submission. LED will accept two types of Environmental Site Assessments: E1527-13 or later for all sites, rural, urban and forested, of any size, and E2247-16 or later for forestlands and rural properties. All older standards will be rejected.

Wetland and Stream Delineation: Applicants must have a wetland and stream field survey conducted to delineate all wetlands and “waters of the U.S.” on the site. If wetlands and waters of the U.S. will likely be impacted by planned development of the site (i.e., wetlands are in the middle of the site or in areas likely to undergo construction), the applicant must submit the wetlands delineation to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a formal Jurisdictional Determination. This formalizes the wetlands delineation and provides some assurance from the Corps that wetlands are no more extensive than the delineation purports.

Note: Wetlands mitigation is NOT required of an applicant, but applicants with wetlands in the prime areas of their site are encouraged to mitigate those wetlands.

Topographic Survey and 100/500-year Floodplain Designation: Obtain a suitable interval aerial topographic survey of the site. Demonstrate that the site is either above the 100/500-year floodplain or a site manufacturing pad can be cost effectively constructed to raise the site above the floodplain.

Preliminary Geotechnical Investigation: Obtain a preliminary geotechnical investigation of the site generally characterizing the site’s soil, rock and groundwater conditions. Substantiate that unfavorable geotechnical conditions do not exist at the site. The geotechnical investigation required for certification should involve no less than two and no more than five borings spread evenly across the site. More than five borings is generally not required, regardless of the size of the site, since the goal here is to establish general soil bearing pressures/characteristics. The narrative in the geotechnical report should clearly state the approximate load bearing capacity of a 14-inch concrete or pipe pile or other similar, commonly used geotechnical support structures used in a major petrochemical plant. It should also estimate the approximate size of spread footings for two to three types of industrial structures (tanks, pipe racks, etc.).

Here is LED’s guidance for the required number of borings and depth of borings.
25-50 acres: two borings, one to 50 feet and one to at least 30 feet
50-250 acres: three borings, on to 100 feet, at least one of the other to 50 feet, and the remaining boring can be drilled to 30 feet
250+ acres: five borings, at least one to 100 feet, at least two others to at least 50 feet, and the remaining borings can be drilled to 30 feet

As stated above, more than five borings for a preliminary geotechnical investigation is generally not advised.

Note: If the applicant has recent geotechnical data from a project in the immediate vicinity of the site, that data may be deemed acceptable to LED.

Cultural Resources Investigation: Obtain a database research level cultural and archeological investigation of the site from a qualified third-party archeologist to document that there are no known cultural resource sites existing on the site. Provide the results of this third-party investigation to the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) and request a letter from SHPO indicating whether the site is cleared for development or if the site requires a Phase 1 Cultural Resources Assessment. If a clearance letter cannot be obtained from SHPO, then a Phase I cultural resources survey must be performed.

Endangered Species Investigation: Secure a letter from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries indicating that development on the site will not impact any protected or endangered species on or near the site.

Railroad Accessibility: If the site can be served by railroad, provide a brief narrative describing how rail access will be provided. Be sure to indicate if roads, highways, streams, bayous or other water bodies must be crossed. Please include a map as an additional exhibit if the suggested route for access crosses any of the previously mentioned obstacles.

Utility, Oil/Gas Well and Pipeline Easements and Rights-of-Way: Identify any and all existing easements, utility rights-of-way, well heads, pipelines, etc. on the site that may be potential impediments to fully utilizing the site. Determine if the identified impediments can be cost effectively relocated.

Roadway Accessibility: A four-lane major highway within close proximity of the site is preferred. Determine if there is a cost-effective means to obtain right-of-way and construct an access road from the site to the four-lane highway. Obtain an order-of-magnitude cost estimate for the access road construction, if needed. The roads accessing the site must be able to support vehicles with a maximum gross weight of 83,400 pounds, such as semi-trucks and trailers.

Acadiana Region 
Emile Lege, OneAcadiana

Bayou Region 
Vic Lafont, South Louisiana Economic Council

Capital Region 
Russell Richardson, Baton Rouge Area Chamber

Central Region 
Dan Purvis, Louisiana Central

Northeast Region
TBD

Northwest Region
Sheena Bryant, North Louisiana Economic Partnership

Southeast Region
Gary Silbert, Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Southwest Region
Gus Fontenot, SWLA Economic Development Alliance

Verification of Site Availability

Site Zoning, Tax Assessment, and Special Economic Development Districts

• Tax millages can be found at the Louisiana Tax Commission.
• Parish assessors can provide information on parcel sizes and current property tax millages applied to the parcel. A list of assessors can be found at the Louisiana Assessors’ Association.

Utilities and Infrastructure

Applicants will need assistance from their local offices and providers. You can also download a printable Resource Guide.

• Potable Water Infrastructure
• Wastewater Infrastructure
• Electricity Infrastructure
• Natural Gas Infrastructure
• Pipelines Maps
• Telecommunications Infrastructure
• Roadway Transportation
• Air Transportation Infrastructure
• Rail Infrastructure
• Water Transportation Infrastructure
• Geography and Geological Assessment
  – U.S. Geological Survey Quad Map
  – Soils Conservation Service (SCS) Map
  – National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) Map

• FEMA 100-year Floodplain Map
  – LSU AgCenter’s Flood Map Portal
  – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Environmental Assessment
  – Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
  Carolyn Michon, Biologist
  337.735.8734
  – State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) 
  Rachel Watson, Section 106 Review & Compliance, Division of Archaeology
  225.342.8165
  – Wetlands Delineation/Determination
  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  Team New Orleans
  504.862.2201
  – Vicksburg District
  601.631.5000