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Redevelopment of Central LA State Hospital

Located in Pineville, Louisiana—right along the major U.S. Highway 165 corridor near the Curtis-Coleman Bridge entrance to the city—the former Central Louisiana State Hospital (CLSH) campus spans over 300 acres. Originally opened in 1906, the historical mental health facility once housed thousands of patients across hundreds of acres.

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As modern behavioral healthcare shifted away from sprawling institutional campuses, the state relocated CLSH operations to a modern, 10-acre site off Esler Field Road near Camp Beauregard. This transition left the original, prime real estate largely unused. The state began selling surplus parcels on the property to eliminate blight, return valuable real estate to local tax rolls, and create an economic gateway for commercial and office growth in Pineville.

The Statutory RFP Process

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Because the former CLSH campus was state-owned real estate, standard private property transaction laws do not apply. Specific state legislation established a formal disposition structure managed by the Pineville Downtown Development District (PDDD) in coordination with the City of Pineville.

 

  • Surplus Declaration & Surveying: The state formally declares specific interior or frontage acreage as surplus and divides the land into designated development parcels.

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  • Public RFP Issuance: Rather than listing parcels on a commercial board, the PDDD issues a public Request for Proposals (RFP) for specific tracts.

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  • Structured Proposal Evaluation: Interested buyers must submit competitive proposals detailing their financial capability, proposed land use, economic impact, projected job creation, and development timeline.

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  • Award & Final Transfer: Bids are evaluated on overall value and fit for the city’s gateway corridor, after which the state executes the legal property transfer to the buyer.

 

 

Protected Historic Sites

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As part of the legislation governing the disposition of the CLSH grounds, specific historical assets and sacred footprints were explicitly carved out to prevent their sale, commercial exploitation, or demolition:


 

  • The Hospital Cemetery: The historical burial grounds on the campus property contain thousands of graves of former patients dating back to the facility's early operating years. Special legislative provisions permanently exempt the cemetery footprint from commercial development or sale.

 

  • The 1917 Rose Cottage: Built as a laboratory and morgue, this building is the oldest surviving structure on the property. Statutory provisions exclude the building and its surrounding footprint from commercial RFP offerings, preserving it as a historic repository and museum.

 

  • The 1923 Dairy Barn: Recognized on the National Register of Historic Places for its unique Gothic gambrel-roof architecture, the Dairy Barn is protected under the same legislative mandate, removing it from the pool of sellable acreage.

 

 

Parcels Sold to Date

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Through the statutory RFP process, three primary pieces of property have been sold:


 

  • Y-Not Stop Travel Center: The initial parcel awarded and sold along the U.S. Highway 165 frontage. Developed by St. Romain Oil, it established the commercial precedent for converting surplus state hospital land into a tax-generating retail location.

 

  • Giles Hyundai: A major commercial parcel sold along the highway corridor. The transaction enabled the dealership to relocate across the Red River to Pineville, establishing a primary retail anchor at the campus entrance.

 

  • Central Management Company (CMC): A property tract purchased by CMC on the CLSH grounds. The company acquired the piece of land with plans to construct its corporate offices on the site, though the parcel remains unbuilt at this time.

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