Caddo Court Order Stops Build On Weird Downtown Building

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One of the weirdest stories currently going on in Shreveport took another turn this past week.

If you've driven through the Downtown Shreveport area on I-20 over the last few months, you've likely noticed an odd structure off the edge of the road. The perpetually under-construction building has had bronze-like siding, banners decrying community leaders, and advertising posters added to it over and over for weeks.

Many have noticed the structure, but few have answers.

But according to KTBS, a Caddo District Judge is trying to get this thing under control. The report says the owner of the building is a man named Olanza Sanders, and he's the one who's been putting in the work on the structure. Friday, a Caddo Court warned him to stop, after granting the City of Shreveport's request for a temporary restraining order on his construction.

Originally Sanders was told to stop work in July of last year, when he violated his building permits by adding a fourth floor to the structure. By doing so, he made the building a "commercial" property according to Shreveport City rules. However, Sanders reportedly never made clear what his intent on the property was.

Further in the KTBS report, they point out that Sanders had previously filed against the City of Shreveport and the Metropolitan Planning Commission, alleging that they have delayed granting him permits to rezone the building as commercial. However a District Court Judge dismissed that claim in October of last year.

Sanders and the City of Shreveport will now faceoff in court over the project on April 7th, 2021 in District Court.