YMCA Announces Plan for New Complex in Shreveport

The YMCA is set to begin construction on a new complex at Camp Forbing near the intersection of Flournoy Lucas and Ellerbe Road in southeast Shreveport.

An anonymous donor provided the funding for this 30,000-45,000 square foot facility.

Back in 2014 the YMCA sold 30 acres of its Camp Forbing property to
Houston-based NewQuest. That company began the process of developing the retail complex that now includes a Kroger grocery store.

It was always the plan to return to the area with a new Y facility. “We decided to give up something good to get something great,” explains YMCA of Northwest Louisiana CEO Gary Lash. “We kept about 20 acres as a placeholder for this part of town. The
time has now come to return a Y facility to Forbing.”

This new complex will include two sports fields, a swimming pool and 30,000-45,000 square feet of programmable space. For the current tenants of Camp Forbing Marketplace, the announcement of the new Y facility is great news. “We are excited to have the new Forbing YMCA join our neighborhood,” says David Alvis, Silver Star Grille. “It will bring so much good family enjoyment to our area for many years to come.”

For those who remember the old Camp Forbing, the YMCA is in the process of building a 130-acre outdoor education center adjacent to the BHP YMCA, at Knight and Preston Streets in Shreveport. This educational urban park, accessible to the public, will continue the Y traditions that began at Camp Forbing, such as day camps, after school programs, fishing, kayaking, hiking, and ropes courses.