Game Changer

Lighthouse Bend Resort Will Attract Visitors, New Businesses To Cameron Parish 

By Karla Wall

By this time next year, Cameron Parish will be home to a recreation destination that will draw fishermen, boaters, families and adventurers and will hopefully attract an influx of new business to SWLA. 

Lighthouse Bend will be built on a 58.8-acre site on Davis Road., off of Hwy. 82, along the banks of “the loop,” the section of the Calcasieu River that runs from the ship channel and encircles Monkey Island. The land for the facility was donated by Venture Global LNG. (The project site is just north of Venture Global’s facility.)

Construction should begin in January or February, says project manager Robert Kidder, and the facility should be complete by the end of 2021. The 4,800-square-foot upper floor of the main building will house a 100-seat restaurant, which will offer open-air seating overlooking the river, ship channel and Gulf. There will also be a 2,000-square-foot market, a marina and an RV resort. The ground floor of the main building will include a 4,500-square-foot open-air space for entertainment events. The marina will offer slips for a wide variety of boat sizes, as well as fuel and supplies. There will be a boat launch with plenty of parking, as well as a boardwalk.

While the resort is designed to appeal to visitors, it should also quickly become a favorite hangout for local residents.

It’s hoped that Lighthouse Bend will not only bring visitors to experience and enjoy Cameron Parish’s natural beauty and outdoor sports opportunities, but also attract more businesses to the parish.

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury parish administrator Katie Armentor recently put it this way to local media: “This destination development is a game changer for Cameron Parish.”

That’s because, as Kidder puts it, the resort will be the catalyst for an economic boom for the area. 

“Destinations like Lighthouse Bend work by creating a ‘sense of place’ that attracts visitors, to be sure, but also attracts job-creating businesses,” says Kidder. “We’ll build the signature attractions that create demand — the marina, restaurant, RV resort and boat launch. Then smaller businesses will be drawn in to take advantage of the traffic that Lighthouse Bend will create.”

Bids are being accepted for a tenant for the restaurant as well as a destination administrator. The restaurant tenant chosen will have the opportunity to help design the restaurant’s interior. The project has been marketed to prospects from Houston to Mobile, says Kidder, but the developers want to make sure local businesses are considered first.

“So far, 50 to 60 businesses and individuals have registered their information with us,” says Kidder. To submit a proposal, visit lighthousebend.com.