50 Cent considers Shreveport’s Red River District, mayor reports

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS)- Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux says 50 Cent has expressed some interest in the Red River District, and the city is exploring that possibility.

Another possibility that has been introduced at the Shreveport City Council is the Film and Entertainment Gateway Economic Development District. If it passes, it would form an economic district that would cover parts of downtown, including the Red River District.

An extra 2% tax would be charged on top of state and local taxes, and the money generated would go to improve or maintain the development district.

Arceneaux said, “We hope that it would be encouraging for locals to come down there and also be a tourist attraction so that we would be bringing new people down there, creating a new market for services and goods in that district.”

The mayor also addressed some people’s frustration with the slow pace of progress from the investments 50 Cent has made downtown.

“The whole deal with Mr. Jackson has grown and when you grow a deal you grow the complexity of the deal and so now more properties are involved not from the city but from his stand point and so there are more things to consider and more I’s to dot and more T’s to cross and so we’re making sure we do all of that.”