"We've already got mornings and afternoons a backup from the traffic circle all the way usually around The Best Stop," Caleb Lege, president of the Scott Business Association, told The Advocate this summer. If you're weighing West Village against other suburbs around Lafayette, that line of traffic on La. 93 is the first piece of the Scott market you'll actually feel. It also points to a bigger pattern that the headline growth numbers hide.
Scott is growing. The storefronts that usually follow new rooftops are coming more slowly, and the reason has less to do with demand than with where the exit sits on the map. For a buyer, this changes where your everyday errands actually happen and how long you'll live with the current road before the fix arrives.
The Next Exit Is Close Enough for a Franchise
Destination Pointe is the 44-acre retail development anchored by Super 1 Foods, just north of I-10 at La. 93. Its marketing is handled by Stirling Properties. Ryan Pecot, a senior retail leasing and development adviser there, explained to The Advocate why national brands don't rush in, and his answer had nothing to do with Scott lacking customers.
"Taco Bell and Wendy's are at (the) Ambassador Caffery (exit). They're going to say, 'Look, we're an interchange down. We don't need to do this one.' Scott does well residentially because of the proximity to Lafayette, but I think part of its commercial challenge is it's too close to Lafayette."
When a chain decides where to open, it compares one I-10 exit with the next. It doesn't start from what's missing in Scott. Pecot called the La. 93 interchange "obviously the best going west from Lafayette" and likened it to Hector Connaly Road in Carencro, which also took time to fill. The same short drive to Lafayette that helps Scott's housing market makes a chain less likely to open a second location one exit over.
Twenty Years, Nineteen Lots
You can see that pattern in the lot count. The four property owners bought the Destination Pointe land 20 years ago, and Super 1 arrived nearly a decade ago. Ten of the 19 lots have sold, and construction is underway or expected soon on five of them. Here is where the named projects stood in the most recent local reporting:
| Parcel or project | Where it stood |
|---|---|
| El Paso Mexican Grill & Cantina, 668 I-10 Frontage Road | Grand opening was scheduled for Sept. 21, 2026 |
| Waffle House | Bought the lot next to El Paso in December |
| Convenience store with about 20 fuel pumps, plus a quick-serve restaurant | Under construction in March 2026, main structures targeted for the end of 2026 |
| Golden Chick | No work on its site as of July 2026 |
| Pedro's Tacos & Tequila Bar, 600 block of I-10 North Frontage Road | Announced next to the Our Lady of Lourdes Emergency Center |
| Interior lots and two lots west of the emergency center | Still for sale |
Developing Lafayette reported the fuel-and-food project at roughly 6,000 to 8,000 square feet for the store, with a drive-through tenant bay attached. Neither restaurant tenant had been named. Pecot also suggested the interior lots might suit a multifamily project better than retail. If that happens, the development would be adding more households near the exit rather than more places for households to shop.
A site next to Golden Chick's had been listed as the future home of a CC's Coffee House. The franchisee opened in the former PJ's Coffee space inside West Village instead. According to KPEL, it's at 809 Apollo Road with a drive-thru and indoor seating. The coffee shop West Village gained came from an existing building in the neighborhood, not a new pad at the interchange.
The Tax District Shows Where the Money Already Flows
None of this means business in Scott is flat. Destination Pointe sits in an economic development district created in 2007, and the city expanded it in 2021 to take in areas south along Apollo Road. The district collects a 1-cent sales tax. According to the city's audit, as reported by The Advocate, that tax brought in $1.8 million in 2025, up from $1.47 million in 2024 and $1.31 million in 2023. Lafayette Economic Development Authority figures put total retail sales in Scott up nearly 18% since 2024 and 43% since 2020, before adjusting for inflation.
Much of that spending comes from people passing through. Mayor Jan-Scott Richard pointed to the big four boudin stops: Billy's Boudin and Don's Specialty Meats south of I-10, and The Best Stop and Kartchner's to the north. He said they draw travelers from Texas and beyond, and the commercial frontage south of the interstate adds business of its own. Scott's population rose from 8,170 in July 2020 to 9,635 in 2025, according to Census figures cited by The Advocate. So the exit's economy rests on two groups, interstate travelers and a growing number of residents. Both use the same stretch of La. 93.
Scott Turns Away Some Traffic on Purpose
The city is also selective about what it lets in at the exit. On May 7, 2026, the Scott City Council denied RaceTrac's application to build a fueling station on a 12.53-acre site across from Destination Pointe. The plan included a 6,000-square-foot store and 16 gas pumps, plus four diesel lanes that 18-wheelers could use. The rendering also showed space for a hotel, shops and a restaurant. Council members cited the diesel lanes, as the planning and zoning commission had in November. The Scott Municipal Code doesn't allow truck stops or gas stations that serve 18-wheelers, as reported by The Advocate.
RaceTrac appealed to the 15th Judicial District Court, arguing the council didn't follow its own ordinances. On June 23, the council voted to retain the firm Neuner & Pate to represent the city in the case, according to a Citizen Portal summary of the meeting. For a West Village buyer, the case shows the city drawing a line on truck traffic at an exit that is already crowded, even though the denied plan would have brought a hotel, shops and a restaurant along with the pumps.
The Road Fix Arrives After the Next Wave of Homes
Mayor Richard has described the planned upgrade. It includes roundabouts at the intersection north of I-10 and at Renaud Drive, with the road between them widened to four lanes. He said construction will likely start in late 2027 or early 2028, and that "there will be some inconveniences in the short term." Separately, the Acadiana MPO's Transportation Improvement Program lists project H.012870, "LA93: I-10 Ramp–Renaud." It's a turn-lane project with a total cost of about $5.03 million and construction scheduled for fiscal year 2027.
The last count Richard cited was a 2021 traffic study showing 18,000 cars a day through the southern roundabout. He said he believes today's numbers are "way above that." Meanwhile, the City of Scott's residential development page lists a long run of lots that are in progress:
- West Village Phase 1 is complete with 110 residential lots. Phases 2, 2B and 5 and Estates at West Village Phase 1 have homes under construction, and Phases 2C, 4 and 6 are listed as under construction, with Phase 6 made up of 22 townhome lots.
- Estates at West Village Phase 2 has preliminary plat approval for 26 lots, and West Village Phase 7 has preliminary plat approval for 31 lots.
- Harvest Creek has 147 lots under construction by DSLD Homes.
- The Chateaus, on the 700 block of Malapert Road, is planned for 112 single-family homes.
- The Pines Phase 1 has 40 lots under construction by Manuel Builders, and Phase 2 received preliminary approval for 39 lots in January 2026.
Lege told The Advocate that other subdivisions are going up north of I-10 while West Village keeps building. Many of those homes will likely be finished and occupied before roundabout construction begins, so the La. 93 route between West Village and I-10 will carry more cars before it gets any relief.
What This Changes When You Compare West Village
The regional market gives buyers a little room right now. In September 2026, the REALTOR® Association of Acadiana reported a median sale price of $237,250 across its MLS area, up 3.2% from a year earlier. Homes took 75 days to sell, up from 65, and supply stood at 4.6 months. Those figures cover all of Acadiana, not Scott alone. Still, longer selling times give a buyer more time to test the commute before committing. West Village resales also compete with new construction from the same builders down the street.
A few practical takeaways for a West Village comparison:
- Drive from the house to I-10 at your real commute hours, not on a Sunday afternoon.
- Expect many weekly errands to keep running through the Ambassador Caffery exit, where the national chains are already open.
- Plan for road construction on La. 93 around late 2027 or early 2028, likely a few years into owning a home here.
- If you're choosing between a West Village resale and a new build in Harvest Creek or The Pines, account for the fact that both depend on the same interchange.
If you're comparing West Village with a new build elsewhere in Acadiana, I'll help you look at the lot, the builder and the drive to I-10 before you sign. Jessica Broussard can map your route at rush hour, pull the build timelines for the phases you're considering, and help you plan a home that works for the next few years, construction on La. 93 included. Build With Me.
