Covington's Southern Hotel to Expand

 The place residents and tourists go in downtown Covington is North New Hampshire Street where the Southern Hotel is located.  The Southern Hotel not only is a place for visitors but also holds several movie houses that show all genres of films.  Within the next couple of years, The Southern Hotel will see another expansion. The project will take The Southern Hotel and expand it to cover the entire block.

Along with the expansion, there will be a new restaurant by BRG Hospitality and a renovated Star Theater. The Star Theater will offer a boutique bowling alley, upscale lounge and music stages.  The expansion has around $17 million in new investments and will be considered the largest transformation of the historic district since the renovation of The Southern Hotel in 2014.

The Southern Hotel boasts 48 rooms and is a boutique-style hotel in the heart of downtown Covington.  With the expansion, it is planned to add additional rooms, condos and retail space.  The retail space will be modeled after the 1940s-era storefronts and there will be an additional 43,000 square-foot Mission-style building built on land.  The new building will be named the Summer House and have retail space on the first floor,  hotel rooms on the second floor, a full-service spa on the third floor and four condos on the fourth floor.  The total new building will cost around $11 million.

The Star Theater, a 1942 movie house, will be renovated and will be the largest of the downtown Covington Theaters.  The theater has been vacant since Katrina and before was split into two theaters in the 1970s. The $3 million to $5 million project will include a six-lane boutique bowling alley, and an upscale lounge.  Eventually there will be plans for a roof-top lounge with stages for small acoustic bands.

“We had gone past it so many times, I tried for six months to negotiate a purchase,” said Warren Salles referring to the Star.

The new restaurant by BRG Hospitality will be called TAVI and will be housed in a former barbershop and law office.  TAVI will be under Fariz Choumali, who has been leading the kitchen at Shaya, and will offer a Israeli-Lebanese inspired menu.

“Downtown is becoming a night-time destination, and we have to embrace that,” says Covington Mayor Mark Johnson.  The area has already begun to see an increase in activity since the restrictions from the pandemic were lifted.  “We’re not Mayberry anymore. We’re Mayberry on steroids,” says Johnson.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.

The Gloriette a New Restaurant in the Southern Hotel

The Gloriette, the new restaurant in the Southern Hotel in Covington, opened just after Mardi Gras. Amy and Jeffrey Hansell, who owns the Thorny Oyster, in Mississippi, opened the Gloriette which takes the place of Oxlot 9. The restaurant glorifies local Louisiana cuisine and offers drinks at the bar, Cypress Bar which is connected to the restaurant.

The new restaurant has a "theme of garden verdure" which compliments the old oaks outside of the hotel. Hence the name the Gloriette which means a garden pavilion in French. Patrons can view these oaks through the dining room that is lined with windows. The restaurant has white tile floors with baby blue walls and lattices. Among the walls are murals of blooms and garden scenes.

A veteran of the local culinary scene, executive chef Steven Marsella has an amazing way of creating dishes from local French cuisine. Marsella is from Providence, Rhode Island where he completed culinary school and began his career "at one of the city's most ambitious seafood restaurants." In New Orleans, he helped open Emeril's Restaurant and recently was the corporate chef for Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts.

The French-inspired menu has many dishes that the chef himself created. Dishes include pork and clams Alentejana, crab gumbo, oyster stew, steak tartare and steamed mussels with Calvados, fried oysters with brie fondue, and a crawfish tagliatelle and lank of flounder thickly encrusted with crab and torn morsels of brioche. There are also fabulous desserts at the St. Tammany restaurant. These include apple galette and strawberry trifle.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.

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.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.

The Celebration Must Go On... Mardi Gras During COVID 19

 St.Tammany is keeping Mardi Gras 2021 alive this year in a special kind of way. Two Northshore krewes spread the "house float" idea that a New Orleans resident originated. Megan Boudreaux, an insurance agent in New Orleans, came up with the idea to keep Mardi Gras going through decorating her house as a float. She posted on social media to share her idea with a few friends and the idea spread from local New Orleans up to the Northshore and now has made its way to parts of Alabama and Mississippi.

“Everyone loved the idea and wanted to jump in to make their own house floats,” she said. “A shop owner decided to call her theme Yardi Gras, and it just exploded from there.”

The idea has been making its way through neighbors and friends who have been decorating their homes and office buildings to resemble floats. Many residents are also decorating their yards calling it Yardi Gras and for animal lovers, Mardi Paws is decorating doghouses and will have an animal costume competition.

Covington residence Gina and Buddy Campo decided to decorate their house as a part of the "Northshore House Floats" and Covington-centric "Rollin' on the Three Rivers" krewes. The Northshore House Floats theme is special vacation spots so the Campo's decked their home with a Jamaican flare calling it "Jamaican Me Crazy."

To keep with their Jamaican theme, they created a thatched roof dog hut in honor of their three doodles Bourré, Dani and Gabbie Roux. The three were dressed up and photographed for the Mardi Paws' Mardi Gras Costume Competition.

The community wants to lift Carnival spirits and is doing a great job of keep Mardi Gras alive this year.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.

A New and Unique Playground For Covington’s Bogue Falaya Park

 Bogue Falaya Park in Covington will get an ADA-compliant playground this winter. Last week David LeBreton of Digital Engineering, city councilman Mark Verret, mayor Mark Johnson, city engineer Callie Baker and Hunt Ragusa of Brunt Construction let a groundbreaking ceremony for the new playground.

Bogue Fayala Park is located on the south end of New Hampshire Street and Park Drive. The park holds many community events and has a pavilion available for rent. Residents can enjoy the playground and the

new boat launch where they can canoe, kayak and stand-up paddle along the Bogue Falaya River which winds through the park.

Plans for the ADA-compliant playground will include ramps that will lead up to the structure along with rubber surfacing around the structure which will make the playground wheelchair-accessible. There will be shade provided by shade canopies and play structures that incorporate core strength. The walking path that circles the interior perimeter of the park will also be paved.

The new handicapped-accessible playground and paved walking path are slated to be done in early February. Covington is funding half of the project while the other half will come from a Land Water Conservation Fund grant. The total project will cost $443,026 and will be constructed by Brunt Construction.

Click Here For the Source of the Information.

Old Covington Courthouse to Go Up For Auction

On a location which was always considered the town center of Covington, there have been 3 courthouse buildings which have stood since 1837 when the St. Tammany Parish Police Jury bought 4 lots for the purpose of “planting” the Covington courthouse.  The original courthouse was demolished in 1884, and in 1886, a new courthouse was built which stood until 1957.  Then, the courthouse that now stands at the location was completed in 1959.  This courthouse is being considered city surplus and will be auctioned to the highest bidder towards the beginning of 2019.

The current building houses the 911 center for St. Tammany Parish.  It has been rented out for this purpose for approximately 10 years. A new 911 facility is being construction north of Lacombe and will be a 16,000 square foot building once it is completed.

Public preference in Covington has been that the current courthouse stay in the purvue of the city and

be converted to a museum or public park space, however, with the budget shortfall coming up for the next fiscal year, an auction will be necessary.  To that end, the Covington City Council appointed a nine-member panel to do a study as to the uses for the building.

The building is 31,000 square feet and it also has a plaza in the front which is home to ancient oak trees, which are part of the charm of many public places on the Northshore. It is located at the corner of Boston and New Hampshire Streets and is currently owned by the St. Tammany Parish government.

Click Here for the Source of the Information.

Reduced Crime in Covington for the 4th Year in a Row

For the fourth consecutive year, the crime in Covington, Louisiana, is down compared to previous years.  Covington, Mandeville, and Madisonville, Louisiana, all have very low crime numbers in St. Tammany Parish.  St. Tammany Parish is considered a very safe place to live and to move to according to people who currently live in this area.

However, the good news about crime being even lower this year in Covington, is excellent news for homeowners.  This news means that their homes will continue to appreciate in value as St. Tammany Parish remains a sought after place to live and move.

Major crime in Covington went down by 22% in 2017, and these decreases were in the categories of

rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and assault and theft.  There were increases in just 2 categories – burglary and vehicle theft.  Just one murder was recorded in Covington in both 2017 and 2016, which kept that category number the same.

“While the importance of crime statistics cannot be understated, and we are ecstatic about the fourth consecutive year of reduced numbers of crimes reported, the real success of our agency lies in the relationships we have built with our citizens in the community,” Police Chief Tim Lentz said in the release. “We are truly blessed to live and work in a community that cares.”

Community communication and outreach programs can be credited for the low crime rate in this area.  Community members have a good relationship with law enforcement which helps to keep information flowing and reduces or stops crime before it happens.  Several outreach programs have been put in place to help with the drug abuse epidemic, which seems to be a nationwide problem as well.

Click Here for the Source of the Information.

Fireworks Have Been Made Legal for New Year’s Eve

For those diehard celebrants of national holidays who love their fireworks, there is good news to celebrate in Covington, Louisiana, this year. Fireworks have been made legal in Covington for the major holidays of the 4th of July and New Year’s Eve. A unanimous vote by the city council of Covington, Louisiana lifted the fireworks ban and have allowed the sales of fireworks for the 4 days

surrounding the New Year’s Eve holiday as well as 3 days in July for the 4th of July.

For many people, this will come as welcome news as they had already been putting on small fireworks shows in their driveways or backyards, or even full-scale displays for rural areas where there was a lot of land to catch any fallout from falling debris, but the fact that the sale of fireworks is now official will help with the local economy during these times of year as well. This change did go into effect for our upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration, so neighbors should expect a bit more noise during this holiday than normal, now that they will have local access to more fun-filled firebrands.

Even though the municipal law had only prohibited the shooting off of fireworks within city limits of Covington, it was up the police department’s discretion at some places as to where the city limits ended and unicorporated Covington began. This will take a lot of the pressure off the police department during these holidays to pursue other calls not involving unhappy neighbors and fireworks. The city council held a public hearing before voting unanimously in favor of lifting the ban and received positive support.

Click Here for the Source of the Information.

Historic District of Covington to Feature New Art Market Location

Located between N. Columbia Street and N. Florida Street is a slight street in Covington, Louisiana’s downtown district named Hotel Alley.  Streets in the historic district of Covington, formerly known as Division of St. John, are laid out in unique patterns of squares within squares called ox lots. This peculiar design is how the downtown district got placement on the National register of Historic Places in 1981.  The main streets, laid out horizontally, are accessed by alleyways.  That is how this particular street – Hotel Alley – came to be named.  Now, the St. Tammany Art Association is

planning on completely “renovating the street,” and renaming it: Art Alley.

Art Alley, currently a strip of asphalt, will be getting a new look, complete with cafe-style lighting overhead, connecting between the Art Association’s Art House and the H.J. Smith & Sons General Store and Museum; a lit-entry archway, a mural, and removable bollards to close off the street for special events. The special event, which will benefit from this street renovation is the Covington Art Market.  This year’s Covington Art Market will be held on October 7, 2017, from 9am – 1pm at the new Art Alley location.  Formerly located at the Covington Trailhead, the October Art Market will feature artists: Susan Carver, Wess Foreman, Julie Katich, Richard Lo Piccolo, Linda McNeely, Jeffrey Minzey, Ruth Ostarly, Allison Radtke, Jason Ronquillo, Kristy Ruffino, Robert Wagner and Chuck Wright.

“Throughout the United States, cities of all sizes are embracing what’s known as ‘Creative Placemaking,’ the art of transforming ordinary spaces into extraordinary places that promote a sense of community, spark commerce and enhance areas by creating cultural hubs of activity,” said Kim Bergeron, STAA’s executive director.

The October Covington Art Market is also doing something a little different.  They are partnering with American Art Therapy Association and the South Texas Art Therapy Association to provide hurricane relief efforts to children affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.  The visitors of the Art Market can contribute to an art supply drive which will then be donated to those children in need. The effort is being spearheaded by Jaclyn Warren MS, ATR-BC, a STAA Artist Advisory Board member and president of the Louisiana Art Therapy Association. Colored pencils, crayons, cay-pas, unruled journals and sketchpads, and coloring books are just some of the supplies that can be donated.

“We hope the community sees the possibilities that Art Alley offers and embraces our efforts to bring that vision to reality,” Bergeron said. “And, of course, a visit to the art market is an opportunity to discover new talents and to celebrate our community’s artists.”

For more information, call 985.892.8650 or visit www.sttammanyartassociation.org.

Click Here for the Source of the Information.

Lot Values Rise at Record High Rate Nationally

With half as many homes being started before the Recession, a new record has been set for lots for sale.  Not since 2006 has the cost of a lot exceeded its highest amount of $43,000, but in 2015, the average cost of a lot was $45,000, which is a record high for lot sales.  Lot values indicate an appreciation in the investment of real estate nationwide.  It is another positive indication of the recovery of the housing market, and it also allows builders to be able to value the new homes they build at higher prices as well.
One of the reasons for the increase in lot values is that there is actually a shortage of lots for sale according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  This lot shortage seems to be a nationwide problem as the land is available, but developed lots are scarce.  Thanks to the regulatory costs which are going up at a significant rate, ultimately this translates to a rise in development costs.  The work to develop new lots for sale costs more and thus boosts the cost and value of the lot.


Another factor is that the land that is being purchased for development is trending closer to denser urban areas.  These areas typically have costlier land because of their location and proximity to the city.  Many areas of St. Tammany Parish are located close to shopping, dining, and entertainment hubs – some of which are brand new.  Shopping districts around Covington have increased exponentially in the last 8 years requiring a large amount of road construction, expansion, and renovation in order to handle the increase in drivers and traffic.

Luckily, there have been large tracts of land that were zoned residential or had zoning changes to accommodate residential construction close to Covington.  These new subdivisions and neighborhoods have been built with the distinct advantage of having lots and homes for sale that had easy access to an unusual amount of social and retail locations that would not typically be associated with quiet, country, bedroom community new home communities.  Lot values in the St. Tammany Parish area can be higher than the national average, but they come with amazing community amenities as well as location amenities.  There are many new communities springing up in St. Tammany Parish, and Ron Lee Homes, a custom home builder can design and build new custom homes on your lot or on a lot you purchase.  Contact Ron Lee Homes Today by calling 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.

Click Here for the Source of the Information.

Cultural Arts District to Move Forward in St. Tammany Parish

St. Tammany Parish will enjoy the benefits of the design and construction of a new arts and education district in 48 acres north of I-12 between the Pinnacle at Nord du Lac shopping center and the Tchefuncte River.  Despite many ups and downs along the way, including the governor’s veto of $11 million in assistance for the construction project, parish president Pat Brister will realize her vision of creating not only a cultural arts district but also an educational facility and program for students on

the North Shore, including the Tangipahoa Parish area.

The entire property includes plans for the cultural arts district, the center of which would be a performing arts center, a children’s museum, and a privately owned commercial development with possibly a hotel and restaurant.  Donation of land for a theater and amphitheater as well as planned nature trails along the river are also part of the project.

Real estate developer Bruce Wainer of All State Financial owns the 48 acres as well as the 80 acres that are adjacent to it.  He plans on donating the land for the children’s museum and the performing arts center which will help alleviate the costs, now that the state government is currently unable to contribute.  The natural part of the property includes wetlands, a river, and a heavily wooded area which will offset the commercial atmosphere of the entire development.

Design elements are being prepared by a team of architects and planners which include Wilson Butler Architects of Boston headed by Scott Wilson, and Fisher Dachs Associates of New York.  Wilson’s vision of the area is that of constant activity both day and night for “kids of all ages.”

“Most performing arts centers are urban,” he said. “Very few projects of this nature have such a pristine, undamaged, unmolested site. It’s a huge responsibility for us to do it right.
“Clearly the land, the trees, the wetlands are your jewel. For us to not really capture that would be a big mistake.”

Even though the funding did not come through as planned, Brister is undettered. Brister, who invited members of the news media to attend part of Wednesday’s session, said the parish government didn’t embark on the project thinking all of the funding would simply fall into place. She said the parish is fully prepared to move ahead with planning and will talk with Edwards about future funding.  In addition Brister said St. Tammany will look for money from cultural arts grants, economic development districts, naming rights and private sources.

Click Here and Here for the Sources of the Information.

St. Tammany Parish Homeowners & Businesses Receive Financial Relief

Good news for St. Tammany Parish homeowners and business owners is that they won’t have to “jump through hoops” in order to get their repair and renovation construction off the ground following the historic flood that hit Covington, Louisiana, inundating the city with water from 3

different river sources and shutting down roads and businesses for several days.  The City of Covington has waived the requirement for building permit fees under an ordinance approved by the City Council.

Mayor Mike Cooper said most of the floodwaters had receded by Tuesday and residents were in clean up mode.
“Things are moving,” Cooper said. “The city is doing what it can to help.”

With 100 total structures and counting being reported with flood damage, not only would the fees and requirements be cost prohibitive to the city, but they would hold up the restoration of people’s homes and businesses which would only cause the city to suffer because of the lack of production.

In order to assist homeowners with their repairs, the city is also requiring any contractor or builder working on a flood damaged home who applies for a permit to be a state licensed contractor.  This

should reduce the amount of fraud that happens when huge storms cause damage in the Greater New Orleans area.  Because state licensing requires proof of general liability insurance, homeowners can also breathe easy while the contractor or builder is working on their home.

The main culprits of the flooding were the Bogue Falaya and Little Tchefuncte Rivers in northern Covington.  One of the storm’s casualties was the Bogue Falaya Park in downtown Covington, which will be closed until further notice until the repairs to the wooden pavilion and playground equipment can be done.  St. Tammany Parish is applying for disaster relief for the storm that brought so much damage and it is the mayor of Covington’s hope that this funding will be made available to Covington’s residents who need it.  Parish-wide, so far it has been counted that 615 structures received flood damage in St. Tammany Parish.


Click Here for the Source of the Information. 

Pace of New Home Sales and New Home Inventory on the Rise

Both the pace of new home sales and new home inventory are up according to the numbers reported for February, 2016.  New home sales went up by 2% bringing the seasonally adjusted amount to 502,000.  Standing new home inventory also moved upward slightly to a 5.6-month’s supply of homes meaning it would take this amount of time to sell off all of the standing supply of new homes for sale nationwide.  New home inventory has struggled to rebound because of three factors: lots,

construction workers and sub-contractors, and lending standards.

Lots available for building have actually been a problem for builders in pockets around the country as builders are ready to “get back to work” and build new homes for sale.  The lack of supply of ready lots have them searching more rural locations or building completely different floorplans to accommodate certain lot plats.

Construction employment demand has skyrocketed as opportunities begin to be more and more prevalent because of the surge in new construction.  Employees and sub-contractors seem to be now flooded with work, which leaves builders waiting on certain subs’ industries to come out to work on their new homes under construction.

Lenders have found ways to ease the home buyer’s woes by offering better standards of down payments with new FHA loan packages and rural development loans.  However, the kink in the industry came in late October and the beginning of November, 2015, when the new Closing Disclosure was implemented for real estate closings.  Banks, lenders, mortgage companies, and even title companies are on a fast learning curve to master the new system and get home buyers into their new homes fast.

In reality, it is better that the real estate industry is undergoing these types of struggles rather than a complete lack of demand and over 1.5 year’s inventory on the ground like it felt during the Recession.  The lack of all of the items mentioned above are actually a good problem for new home builders to have.  If you are interested in building a new, custom home in St. Tammany Parish, Contact Ron Lee Homes today to set up a meeting regarding new home plans and construction.  Call 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com to set up your appointment.


Click Here for the Source of the Information.