Shreveport lawyer Larry English of Gateway Development Consortium and JR Chantengco of Black Pearl Investments talk with 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about the latest developments concerning the proposed 10-year, $1 billion Cross Bayou Pointe project for downtown.

Chantengco tells KEEL listeners that Black Pearl "is an investment bank in New York (representing) investors and institutional clients and our main goal is bringing private sector clients into projects such as Cross Bayou Pointe." He also explains why the plan is appealing to both Black Pearl and its clients: "The key part of this project is the fact that there is land that is available that without the right resources and without the right stimulus in order to effect private sector investment, then it's just any other type of development. What makes this unique...is the natural resources and the public private partnership."

But English points out that time is of the essence, saying that in order to take advantage of federal tax breaks, the first phase of the development, which is expected to be a state office complex, must take place before the end of 2019.

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