Sucette Harbor Comes to Mandeville Lakefront

 The LSU Health Foundation wants to build an age-restricted community along the Mandeville Lakefront. Sucette Harbor would be located on land that was donated by Al Copeland’s family. Many residents are not thrilled about the proposed development because they feel it will create traffic problems.

Although the development is planned to be for tenants 55 and over, it has to be 80% filled with tenants that are 55 and older in order for the age restriction to be enforced. Many Mandeville leaders and residents are afraid they will not be able to draw in that many tenants that are 55 and older. If this happens, then the development will go back to a regular multi-family complex.

Woodward Interest, the developer that will be leasing the land from LSU Health Foundation, believes that traffic will not be an issue. If the development did lose its age restriction, and younger people were to live in the complex, Mandeville’s land use regulations will still hold for the traffic standards.

The chair of the planning commission, Brian Rhinehart, still feels this could be a problem because older tenants are expected to have fewer vehicles but they still might not draw enough older tenants. Rhinehart wants Woodward Interest to do a study showing traffic that would be generated by a non-age-restricted multi-family complex.

“There’s always a level of mistrust when the developer hires a consultant. Citizens need that to have confidence that this isn’t a big snow job,” says Kevin Vogeltanz.

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Madisonville Subdivision Gets Support From St. Tammany Zoning Commission

 Will a new subdivision, proposed to be built along Interstate 12 and Jessikat Lane, be accepted by local residents?

A new subdivision of close to one hundred homes is set to be built in Madisonville and will be part of a development of 450 existing homes. Although there has been some opposition from residents in the area, the St. Tammany Parish Zoning Commission approved the groundwork with a vote 6-4 to rezone a part of the land from commercial to residential.

 

A new subdivision of close to one hundred homes is set to be built in Madisonville and will be part of a development of 450 existing homes. Although there has been some opposition from residents in the area, the St. Tammany Parish Zoning Commission approved the groundwork with a vote 6-4 to rezone a part of the land from commercial to residential.

The new homes will be built on 19 acres of undeveloped land close to Interstate 12 and Jessikat Lane that recently changed from being zone commercial to residential and 33 acres that are already zone residential. The land is owned by local home developer Paul LaGrange and is under contract to be purchased by Andrew Cahanin with DSLD Homes.

"Had the zoning not changed, the amount of traffic could have been extremely detrimental to the surrounding area. Generally, residential uses generate much less traffic than commercial in a more predictable pattern,” according to commissioner Patrick Fitzmorris.

Residents in the area are concerned because fifty of the existing homes and the new development will share a single access road to get in and out.

"When I look at this piece of property, it needs new access. It’s one way in and out. It’s completely unsatisfactory,” said commissioner Kenneth Ress.

DSDL says this will not be the case. The new home development will not be as dense as the other developments surrounding it. There will be only two homes per acre. There will be a plan to improve Jessikat Lane which is currently a gravel road that runs along the edge of what will be the new development and make it an access point to the new homes.

Residents do not agree because of the traffic backups already that are a hassle on a daily basis. The backups are caused by the narrow roads. Along with the bad traffic flow, flooding and drainage issues are also a battle. The boost in population will just add to both of these issues.

“This area is basically land-locked. Rex (Avenue) is maxxed out. I’ve been on it. And I dodged the kids and the very deep ditches on both sides. It’s a difficult decision at this point, because the access is just not appropriate for any development at this time,” replies commissioner Nelwyn McInnis.

DSLD's attorney Paul Mayronne says that the rezoning is just the first step in the process. There will be a traffic study and a hydrological analysis.

“You don't build a project until you can demonstrate the traffic and drainage will be appropriately handled," he said. "We believe we can do that, but we can’t prove it until the zoning change.

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A New Post-Production Unit Now on the Northshore

New Orleans has a great film production industry so it is no wonder People Who Think, a Mandeville-based advertising agency, is creating a new post-production company. The agency is headed by Republican strategist Jay Connaughton and will call the spin-off production company Cadence Post.

Cadence Post, the new company, has four employees and expects the number to double over the next year. The company is currently run by Rick Nelson.

"The sheer amount of work that has come back to the city in the last two years is outstanding," Nelson said. "But there hasn't been a lot of growth on the post-production side of things so we need to respond by building out that infrastructure."

Currently, Film New Orleans has 11 television and movie productions that will be filmed now through mid-September. This number includes "Queen Sugar" and "Heart of a Lion." Right now, the film promotion agency will send their raw footage back to Los Angeles or Atlanta to a more traditional filmmaking center. Nelson wants to fill this gap. These can include daily management and "sling shot" services, partnering with Los Angeles or New York as their on-the-ground entity while they're shooting locally.

Their advertising agency has worked with big brand name campaigns for Coca-Cola, Mellow Mushroom, Welch's Snack Foods and Chevron. Currently, they are working on an advertising campaign for Rev Broadband and have worked on programs for Outdoor Channel and Lifetime in the past.

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Part of Wadsworth Property Rezoned By St. Tammany Parish Council

 

When residents of any community hear that there will be a manufacturing and logistics project close to home, they often fear what it will do to the environment around them. St. Tammany Parish residents are questioning the rezoning of a part of the Wadsworth property at the intersection of La. 1088 and Interstate 12 close to Mandeville.

John Crosby, a developer, wants to build an 800-plus acre industrial corridor on the site. He assures the St. Tammany Parish that the project will bring good jobs to the area and will not harm the environment. Residents spoke their concerns at the Parish Council at a town hall meeting about the impact on traffic and drainage.

Currently, the land is zoned for a mixture of different residential zones and a planned business campus zoning. Crosby is no stranger to these kinds of projects. His company developed The Sanctuary in Mandeville and has a good reputation for being environmentally friendly.

The plan for the site is to have 15 to 20 sites with the smallest being 25 acres. The buildings will be large and look like office buildings.
He also promised to use surfaces that allow rainwater to reach the underlying soil, such as crushed limestone or pavers with plantings in them, sometimes known as living concrete. Other features will include large swales covered in vegetation. With these steps in place, there will be less runoff and better water quality that does run downstream.

"It will not be a wasteland. It is something you are going to be proud of," he said.

Target or Office Depot, Amazon, FedEx, or UPS are some of the businesses looking to locate distribution centers at the proposed project. He explains that what they will be using the land for will not be noxious or offensive and will not pollute the air or water.

This is not enough for Nancy Wagner, who fought a high-profile and successful battle against the proposed Medline medical equipment distribution center that was planned to be built near Covington. She does not see how they will keep from destroying the environment such as plastics and paint manufacturing. Deed restrictions can only go so far, and she believes they cannot be relied on to enforce zoning matters.

Residents still questioned the project even with the jobs that could potentially be generated there. Crosby does point out that more people who grew up in the area, will stay in the area if they have jobs to go to. The kind of companies that are in discussion to be part of the project will be companies that will attract and hire college graduates.

"Where are we going to put all those people," David Jones, a member of Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany asked. "Apartments," someone in the audience replied.

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Mandeville Development May Soon Be Used for New Homes

 

The housing market is booming and inventory is still low. Developers want to take advantage of this on some wetlands just west of Lewisburg Estates close to Mandeville. The wetlands are located at the mouth of the Chinchuba Bayou flood plan that is made up of marsh grasses and cypress trees.

The current landowners have applied for a coastal use permit through St. Tammany parish. This coast permit would allow them to fill in the wetland site and lake bottom. Their plan is to add a bulkhead and a private road. This would be the first step in developing the land for future homesites.

Many in the community are distraught about the thought of future development on the wetlands. Filling the lake in would lead to flooding and change the ecological landscape that could hurt the community.

According to John Lopez, a coastal scientist who reviewed the permit for the development for the Lewisburg Civic Association, says that it could cause flooding in the Mandeville area. He confirmed that the wetlands are healthy enough to allow cypress trees to grow but should not be developed.

He reported that if the wetland is developed, the filled land would slow down the water’s exit from the Bayou Chinchuba watershed into Lake Pontchartrain. A bulkhead could also exacerbate erosion in adjacent areas.

State environmental agencies also report a negative impact. The filled land would replace 2.5 acres of shallow intertidal habitat that is home to submerged aquatic vegetation and where Indian manatees also call home. The Indian manatee is a threatened species already.

The state Department of Natural Resources did a biological investigation report for the project. Their findings indicated that there are plenty of other lakefront properties that are available to develop in the same area.

“Each little slice of shoreline, marsh and productive waters taken away hurts the lake, the aquatic culture, and the birds and animals whose lives depend on this type of habitat," David Lawton, a Lewisburg resident communicated.

This piece of wetland has been in discussion for decades. Many developers have wanted to develop the property but have not gone through the plans due to opposition from residents, environmental groups and local and state officials.

“Everybody wants a piece of paradise. There ain’t enough paradise to go around anymore so you got to create paradise out of the wetlands and the marsh,” Ted Ralph, a nearby resident and retired federal engineer, said as he pointed out the site of the proposed development from his fishing boat.

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Mandeville Will See the Girod Street Stroll This Fall

Typically held in the spring, the Girod Street Stroll has been postponed due to COVID-19 and will now be held in the fall. The event is held annually by the Old Mandeville Business Association.

This year the Girod Street Stroll is presented by Resource Bank and will take place on September 25, 2021 from 5pm - 9pm in Old Mandeville. The activities take place starting at Girod Street at the Mandeville Trailhead and following along to the Lakefront. Live music and entertainment will be by 10th Street Brass.

Patrons will be able to stroll to over twenty stops and enjoy small bite plates by local Mandeville chefs and cocktails. Participants of the event can vote for the best small plate and cocktail. There will also be a raffle of a live painting that will be created by artist Andrew Wilkie.

"It is one of Mandeville's most popular annual events, as it showcases our local businesses and restaurants, our artists community, and our vibrant culture," OMBA Board Member Andre Judice said.

The Old Mandeville Business Association (OMBA) is a non-profit that is made up of both businesses and residences of Old Mandeville. The goal is to serve and support the local commerce while preserving and promoting the charm and beauty of the community.

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New $150 Million Retirement Community To Be Built in Mandeville

 

Al Copeland Sr. who is famous for starting Popeyes Chicken and is native to Louisiana is a big part of a new retirement community coming to Mandeville. Copeland Sr, who passed away in 2008 owned a 29-acre tract of land in Mandeville that the family recently donated to LSU Health Foundation.

Al Copeland Jr. said the family was honored to donate the land in his father's name. The land, worth $7 million is the largest donation LSU Health Foundation has ever received. The site, across from Mariners Village, will house the $150 million mixed-used development which specializes in retirees. This will make the project the first retirement community that is connected to a university in Louisiana.

The multi-use restricted retirement community will feature restaurants, a marina, a hotel and apartments along with health care services. The health care services will be serviced through LSU Health Sciences Center and the center's students. The development will not only aid in training future medical professionals but will also provide revenue for cancer research.

“The partnership, growth and symmetry between the LSU Health Sciences Center and the LSU Health Foundation absolutely shines through this project,” LSU Health Sciences Center Chancellor Larry Hollier said in a prepared statement. "Having the ability to help train students in geriatric health care while providing new funding for faculty research in fighting cancer, not to mention building a beautiful place for LSU alum (and the public) to retire and enjoy life in a wonderful community is the best of every world."

The project will bring training opportunities and jobs to the Northshore. The revenue earned will go towards cancer research in honor of Al Copeland who died of a rare form of cancer. All in all, over $20 million from the land lease will be dedicated to cancer research funding for the next 40 years.

"While the project is only at the conceptual stage, we look forward to working with the LSU Health Foundation through our planning and zoning process once a formal application has been made,” Mandeville Mayor Clay Madden said.

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Pat's Rest A While a New Restaurant in Mandeville

 Chef Pat Gallagher is one of the most accomplished restauranteurs on the north shore. He is known for Gallagher's Grill with the original location in Covington and two additional locations in Slidell and Mandeville and Band's Grocery, a sandwich shop in Mandeville. Now he has opened Pat's Rest A While in Mandeville.

This unique spot opened its doors in January 2021 and has different buildings and interconnected areas — from the cypress-lined main dining room, across the broad open-air
deck, into one cottage turned into a private dining area and to another turned into a cozy, club-like bar. The view from each area of the restaurant is a picturesque scene of Lake Pontchartrain. The lake is definitely the unifying characteristic of this restaurant that serves dishes that you can find at a laid-back beachfront hut to a refined white tablecloth restaurant.

The restaurant is housed in several 19th-century buildings that have been refurbished. Originally the Frapart Hotel, the property became known as the Rest A While when it turned into a summer camp for needy families and orphans.

Unfortunately, when Hurricane Katrina hit, the property was severely damaged. Jill and Barrett McGuire, local real estate developers, purchased the property and raised the elevation on the buildings. When they purchased the property, they pictured it as a restaurant and this came to fruition with the help of Pat.

This unique restaurant has many personal touches and intimate spaces. In the main dining room, there is a beautiful tapestry of local cypress and oak. The bar has a clubhouse feel under open rafters and there are room numbers along the walls throughout that show where the structure was once divided into different rooms. An old toboggan-like sled that used to be on the lake is displayed as well as a photo of a group of women who used to work at the Rest A While.

Patrons and pets alike can enjoy this Mandeville spot. This July an open-air bar opened with water bowls for visiting pets. Come by 2129 Lakeshore Drive in Mandeville and enjoy some local seafood and drinks.

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Companies Choose the Northshore For New Headquarters

Two major companies have announced plans to locate headquarters on the Northshore. Ampirical Solutions and Medline are slated to build two new headquarters in the area.

Ampirical Solutions LLC based out of Mandeville is an electrical infrastructure firm that specializes

in design and construction of electrical substations and switchyards, protective relays and controls, transmission lines, distributions lines and related infrastructure. Customers include investor-owned utilities, municipalities, industrial plants, electrical cooperatives and independent power producers.

The company wants to take the existing St. Tammany Parish locations and combine them into the new 78,000-square foot corporate headquarters on a 5.5-acre site. The new building, located near Covington, will create 400 direct jobs over the next 10 years. The average salary will be more than $85,000 and will include the existing 120 current Ampirical employees. Indirect jobs are expected to be around 350 construction jobs that will result in a $20 million capital investment. The project is projected to be completed by the end of 2020 and would not be taking place without the help from the Louisiana Economic Development, Greater New Orleans Inc. and St. Tammany Corporation.

Medline Industries is the largest privately held company that is both a manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies and clinical programs. The company, based out of Illinois, wants to build a medical distribution center near Covington. The new center will manage packaging and shipment of all medical supplies ordered by the individual health care providers of the Southeast U.S. region, including items such as exam and surgical gloves, face masks, isolation gowns, reusable textiles, incontinence products, electrosurgical products and housekeeping supplies, according to the Louisiana Economic Development press release.

The 53-million dollar distribution center will be located north of I-12 and LA 21. The new building will replace the existing distribution center between Covington and Goodbee. The 800,000 square foot facility will create over 460 new jobs and retain the existing 36 jobs.

“As a member of the Louisiana community for more than a decade, we are very pleased to continue to grow as an employer and investor in the state,” said Bill Abington, executive vice president of global operations for Medline. “With health care growing so rapidly in the region, the location is ideal for easy access to health care providers while also letting us maintain and grow our current team. We are grateful to the state, Louisiana Economic Development and officials in St. Tammany Parish who have recognized the potential of the project and worked to bring it to fruition.”


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Mandeville to Get a Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar

Felix’s is a staple on the French Quarter for those who are craving oysters and has been since the

1940’s. In 2012, Danny Conwill purchased the restaurant and has since franchised. Along with the original French Quarter restaurant there are currently two more locations, one in Gulfport, Mississippi and one on the New Orleans lakefront.

The new location in Mandeville plans to open in November 2019 in the Village Shopping Center (the old N’tini’s location). Robbie Orgeron, manager of Felix’s Restaurant Group is already staffing the new location.

While many characteristics in the old N’tini’s are still present, the interior of the restaurant was completely renovated. Orgeron said with this location they wanted to create a more open space for family and group dining.

“It’s the same Felix’s, but we’re designing it for the business we know is big here,” he said.
Dividing walls were taken down and replaced with a long banquette and bar and oyster counter. The dining room has a view to the grills where patrons can watch the cooks prepare their meals. Large

TVs have been placed in the bar and dining room which will show games and other sporting events.

Mandeville residents can look forward to the bigger menu which is served in their lakefront location. There will be more entrees, and a range of seasonal boiled seafood such as shrimp, crawfish, blue crabs and crab legs(also steamed).

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A Mandeville Favorite Dining Spot Is Not Gone Forever

Liz’s Where Y’ at Diner in Mandeville was tragically burned in a fire June 11, 2019. The closing of this landmark at 2500 Florida Street was sad for everyone. Liz is not letting the fire detour her business. She plans to reopen.

Tuesday morning, June 11, 2019, a fire broke out during a busy morning rush. The fire began in the dry goods storage area and spread from there causing major damage to the building. The restaurant’s 10 year anniversary is today and will be celebrated when the restoration is complete.

Liz praised the community for their love and support, “The love we’re getting … the wonderful things people are saying and doing for us. The free meals (from neighboring restaurants). It’s amazing. It’s truly amazing.

“I’ll tell you: It’s overwhelming.”

Liz Munson opened “the laid-back diner” ten years ago in Mandeville on Florida Street. This had been her dream after waitressing for fifteen years. The New Orleans native wanted to celebrate the New Orleans’ classic Creole food in the tranquil setting of the Northshore. 
     
The fire hasn’t stopped her from working nor her employees. She will keep paying her employees even though the restaurant is closed. Liz has created a make shift office out of a picnic table next door. She and her 33 employees are working on getting the restaurant restored and reopened.
Luckily the damage was mostly in the kitchen area, however everything will have to be replaced.

Munson explains that, “The smoke (damage) is everywhere. Little things like the pencils and the pens. Every sheet of paper. Everything smells like smoke.”

Patrons will still enjoy the same food, and same atmosphere as before. Liz shoots for a Labor Day reopening. There is a GoFundMe page that has been set up to help cover cost.
Click here to contribute to the GoFundMe account for Liz’s Where Y’ at Diner.

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Local Mandeville Artist Exhibits Artwork at Diboll Gallery

Diboll Gallery, located at Loyola University in New Orleans, is currently housing an exhibit that features a local Mandeville Artist. Luba Zygarewicz, a Mandeville resident, is part of the HIVE MIND exhibit which continues until March 17, 2019.

Luba was born in Chile, and came to the United States, San Francisco, when she was 15 years old. She began her formal study of art at Loyola University and earned a Bachelor of Art in Sculpture.San Francisco Art Institute.

She then went on to obtain a Master of Fine Art from

Motherhood took over for awhile, but she still was able to create and discover her talent while rearing and schooling 4 children. Many of her pieces reflect her stages in life and the story of her family. Her mediums include used tea bags from her cups of tea, discarded twigs, lint from her dryer and even clusters of hair.

“Finding myself doing piles of laundry,” she said in the show’s statement. “I often thought of fellow artists I knew…they were probably in their studios making ‘art,’ while I was doing yet another load of laundry. This is where my time is going! ‘Petrified Time: 13 years of my life folded and neatly stacked’ grew out of this inner struggle between domestic obligations and my creative practice.”

“For a while motherhood defined a lot of my work and the process. I think that’s why I worked in little things because they would accumulate into big things,” she said, adding that her long-running

project – collecting her fallen hair for over 25 years– was important because “it was a reminder that I am an artist.”

“My work investigates implied presence in light of absence. I collect moments that together create an experience as a way of holding memories. Memories often drift into the present and are woven into my practice.” she said in a proposal for The Wild: Artist in Residence on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. She was one of five international artists awarded a spot in the November 2018 residency, entitled “Wonder Up a World.”


“The whole point was being more aware of how I move through the world, in a sense of just being present,” Zygarewicz said of LED-lit shoes she created as a representation of a mindful walking practice for an interactive performance during the seven-day residency abroad.

Her installations and sculptures have been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally including Agora Gallery in New York City, Acadiana Center for the Arts in Lafayette, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art in Sonoma, California, Ogden Museum Of Southern Art and the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, among others.

Luba Zygarewicz’s work can be viewed at HIVE MIND continues until March 17 at Loyola University’s Collins C. Diboll Art Gallery, 4th Floor of the Monroe Library, 6363 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans at the HIVE MIND from now until March 17, 2019.

Follow Luba’s process on Instagram at @lubazygarewicz



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Pelican Park to Redevelop Old Baseball Field

Trying to keep it “in house,” Pelican Park is looking to redevelop an unused baseball field called Green 5 into something else either recreation or fitness that might target adults. The budget for this redevelopment will come from the operating budget of Pelican Park, and will be an investment of $500,000 – $800,000.

Comments were solicited from the public, and recommendations included an indoor Olympic-size swimming pool, complete with diving.  However, the estimated cost of that type of project could be

upwards of $25 million, and that would not work within the park’s budget.

Green 5 is a 4-acre area which used to be used for baseball, but with over 30 athletc fields, it now stands “idle.”  It is situated around the center of the complex, and the lights that used to light the field no longer meet the safety requirements, and the cost of bringing them up to standard would be too expensive.  Also, baseball programs for older kids are no longer offered at Pelican Park.

A study to determine the best use of the 4-acre plot was awarded to Neel-Schaffer, Inc., an engineering, planning and construction management firm, at the cost of $20,540. Ideas of what might replace the field included pickleball outdoor courts, bocce, horseshoes or shuffleboard, outdoor fitness area with exercise equipment, a shaded picnic area, or a walking track.

A board of directors meeting held February 28th took the recommendations of Neel-Schaffer, Inc., and decided to use the space for an exercise / activity area with walking trail, outdoor fitness equipment, a 3/4 acre pond and six pickleball courts.

“Other elements of the project include areas for bocce, horseshoes, shuffleboard and a small section where poles will be erected for ‘hammocking.’ The plan also involves razing one maintenance barn near the ball field and converting a second barn into a pavilion,” park director Kathy Foley said.
“We’re moving forward with it,” Foley said. “We think it will offer something for people who might otherwise not use the park.”

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New Restaurant in Old Mandeville Has New Orleans Roots

A sous chef with seven years’ experience working at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans will be opening a new restaurant in Old Mandeville, just 5 blocks off of Lake Pontchartrain.  The restaurant building which used to house Vianne’s Tea House and very briefly the Ugly Duckling Cafe will take on the new name of Hambone and will server breakfast, lunch, coffee and brunch on the weekends.

The fare will include traditional southern and Louisiana food like red beans and rice.  According to the new owner and chef, Luke Hidalgo, the menu will feature southern comfort food and include

specialty sandwiches and small plate meals.

“It’s that little bit of a turn that you put into your food on the front end that makes all the difference in the world,” Hidalgo said of his approach in designing his menu. “It takes a little bit of an extra effort, but it’s worth it.”

The endeavor is being taken up by Luke Hidalgo and his wife Marci, who he met at Commander’s Palace and who also has restaurant experience. The location of the new restaurant is 544 Girod Street.  In addition to working at Commander’s Palace, Hidalgo also has experience working as executive chef at Palmetto’s Restaurant in Slidell.  The new restaurant will have approximately 145 seats – 85 inside and 60 outside.

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Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) Port Marigny in Mandeville

They say that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and that is the plan Steve Oubre, Project Designer at Architects Southwest, says about the lakefront traditional neighborhood development (TND) Port Marigny on the Mandeville lakefront. Port Marginy will be patterned after the “historic character” of Old Mandeville. The 78-acre project site is located on the former Pre-Stressed Concrete

Products plant just east of Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.

The waterfront development’s updated figures and renderings were presented to the Mandeville Planning and Zoning Commission July 28, 2015, and the project will only be allowed to proceed with the City Council’s approval. The City Council will hold several more meetings to allow Mandeville’s resident’s opinions to be heard before voting their final approval.
Mandeville’s residents, who attended the standing-room-only, meeting July 28, 2015, were able to ask important questions about the project’s density and potential traffic problems the new development could create. Many believe the developers of Port Marigny plan to build too many housing units which will cause traffic congestion in the area. The proposed development plans include building 429 “New Urbanism” new

homes for sale which include apartments (multi-family housing), condominiums and single-family homes on large home sites. In addition to the new construction housing units there will also be 60,000 square feet of commercial space, a 150-slip marina, a 120-room boutique hotel, a park and a town center that would feature a statue of city founder Bernard de Marigny. Traffic Consultant Rich Hall will address these concerns and has already taken preliminary traffic counts. He plans to take additional counts once school begins in August.

Richard Muller’s, attorney for Marcus Pittman owner of the property which the abandoned concrete plant sits on and who is providing guidance for the proposed project, described the focus of the project is to “facilitate the development of a vibrant, walkable, mixed-use, waterfront development that provides strong fiscal benefits for the city.” Residents who will own a new construction unit in the residential community will have narrow setbacks, large lots, sidewalks, service alleys with back access garages, streets no longer than 650 feet, and the multi-family homes will be four stories high including commercial space on the first floor.

Oubre is confident in the project. Oubre stated that his goal was to “build to the historic character” of neighboring Old Mandeville. “Old Mandeville was done right,” Oubre said. “We’re trying to replicate it.”

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