Subdivision to Be Built for Post 9/11 Veterans

The 5.5 acre lot that sits at 1917 Mirabeau Ave. in Gentilly which once housed an apartment complex will no longer sit vacant.  Even though the land is now considered a green space, home to beautiful live oak trees, a unique development will take residence there in the near future.

Bastion, a nonprofit organization, and Renaissance Property Group plan to build a subdivision that will offer new housing for post 9/11 veterans.  The project is estimated to cost $15.9 million with 70 percent of the housingNew Homes for Veterans in New Orleans dedicated to affordable housing and 30 percent to rent at current rental rates.  The partners presented the development to the New Orleans Industrial Development Board anticipating that they will receive a property tax break.  The last part of their financing strategy includes low income housing tax credits, federal funds and private investment.

The new development will not only be for veterans, but will also be offered to 55 and older homebuyers.  Dylan Tete, executive director of Bastion Group, states that, “the project is different from other veterans projects for a few reasons. It dedicates half of the housing units to veterans with combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, who now face a lifetime of physical and mental rehabilitation, such as traumatic brain injuries. The other half will be open to residents ages 55 and older willing to dedicate six hours each week to supporting their veteran neighbors — anything from helping kids with homework to driving a vet to a doctor’s appointment — a reciprocal connecting of generations.”

With interest rates as low as they have ever been, veterans will also benefit by buying a new home in this new development using a VA loan.  VA loans make up a huge chunk of new mortgages and are available to active military, veterans, and students who have already served their military time in order to get a college degree.  Near Gentilly on the West Bank is another new home community which offers low-maintenance housing for veterans and over 55 residents.  The Parks of Plaquemines in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, has garden homes for sale and lots for garden homes for sale for home buyers interested in building their new home.

The new home development for veterans is set to be completed by mid-2017 and will be available just as the new Veterans Affairs hospital in Mid-City will begin to accept patients.

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Housing Starts Increased Almost 31% Since 2015

Economic expansion and pent up demand are just a few of the reasons that February reported a significant increase in housing starts for new homes compared to new home starts in February, 2015.  Single-family home starts increased by 7.2% – the highest increase since November, 2007.  New homes being built by builders throughout the United States are getting successfully completed at an increased rate of 8.1%, bringing the average annual rate of completed single-family homes under construction to 736,000.  This 6.1% completion rate is the highest it has been since November, 2008.

The progress of the new construction of new homes remains unchanged in February with single-family home072 building permits remaining essentially unchanged at a rate of 731,000 per year.  This range for building permits for single-family homes has been the same for 4 months.  In the southern region, single-family starts remained steady with steeper increases in the Midwest and West regions nationally.

Other factors which are greatly helping housing recover are low interest rates which are starting to drop again, increases in employment – the construction industry is actually showing a need for constrution employees, and more building by single-family home builders.  New home inventory fluctuates between a 4 and 6 month supply which shows a strong demand by home buyers.

According to statistics by the National Association of Home Builders, shows that first-time homeowners are 8 times more likely to buy an existing home over a new home.  However, with the lack of existing homes for sale, home buyers are marching into the new home market to discover the availability of new homes for sale, which is excellent news for builders.  Introducing a typical existing home buyer to new homes and the process of building a new home is great public relations for local builders, leading to more word-of-mouth advertising and referral sales.

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New Construction of Homes in New Orleans’ Suburbs

The New Orleans area is growing fast with new construction of homes throughout all the surrounding suburbs.  If you are a resident of New Orleans or any of the neighboring suburbs such as Belle Chasse, you are familiar with the Cresent City Connection Toll Plaza.  Those who travel U.S. 90 into the city will have a less hectic commute in the near future.  The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development plan to remove the Cresent City Connection Toll Plaza and are reconfiguring the highway.

The Cresent City Connection Toll Plaza has caused an abundance of traffic problems throughout the years as drivers6-084 split into twelve lanes through the abandoned toll booths and immediately merge into four lanes to travel over the bridge.  Once the toll plaza is removed, Louisiana DOTD will install barriers on each side of the highway narrowing the lanes to five instead of twelve.

Gibson & Associates Inc. of Balch Springs, Texas will be completing the $2.2 million dollar project which is planned to be finished early next year.

Commuting from the West Bank to the Central Business District in New Orleans will definitely get a little bit easier by car once all of the construction is complete.  The advantages of living on the West Bank and commuting to work in New Orleans is that you have more than one option of getting to the city, driving over the Crescent City Connection or traveling by ferry at the Algiers Ferry.  Both options will get you directly into the City of New Orleans.

Living on the West Bank vs. living in the city of New Orleans is also more affordable.  The Parks of Plaquemines, a master planned, new home community in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, has lower tax rates, lower sewer and water rents, and offers a safer environment for living with even a country feel in our sprawling subdivision.  Residents enjoy walking and hiking trails all around the community as well as a swimming pool and tot lot for kids.  Call today to Tour Our Community – 504-364-2350 or E-mail [email protected].

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Algiers-Canal Street Ferry Keeping Extended Hours

New Orleans has many means of transportation with the Algiers-Canal Street Ferry being one of them.  New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) wants to keep the extended hours that were put in place last October for the ferry.

The extended hours which are until 11:45pm on Friday’s and Saturday’s and 9:45pm on Sunday’s will continue until December 31, 2016.  Transdev, which operates RTA buses and streetcars, came up with the idea for the trial period for extended hours based on demands heard from residents who use the ferry.  Transdev will review ferry ridership at the end of 2016 to see if there is still a demand for the extended hours.

Even though the ferry transportation is down from the 1 million who rode the ferry when it was free, RTA still Algiers Ferry Hoursbelieves that New Orleanians need to be given the option of having longer ferry hours so they can attend festivals on both the East Bank and West Bank and have more access to the Historic Algiers Point area and businesses.

The Algiers Point Canal Street ferry leaves every fifteen minutes with the round trip taking 30 minutes.  Departure times from Algiers Point are 6:00am – 9:30pm Mon. – Thurs., 6:00 am – 11:30pm on Friday, 10:30am – 11:30pm on Saturday and 10:30am – 9:30pm on Sunday.  Departure times from Canal Street are 6:15am – 9:45pm Mon. –Thurs., 6:15am – 11:45pm on Friday, 6:15am – 11:45pm on Saturday and 10:45am – 9:45pm on Sunday.

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Revitalize the Corridor Between New Orleans & Causeway Blvd.

Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission wants to revitalize the corridor between New Orleans and Causeway Blvd.  The Louisiana Urban Land Institute (ULI) gathered a panel of land-use experts to come up with the best plan for the corridor.  According to Jerry Bologna, JDECO’s executive director, this plan will be a “town center concept with world-class destination health care at its core.”

Ochsner Medical Center plans to build a five story physical rehabilitation hospital and an outpatient physical and occupational therapy clinic expanding the existing Ochsner Health System along the corridor.  The five storyOschner Medical Center in New Orleans building is estimated to cost $56.3 million and the clinic estimated at $6 million.  This is part of the $360 million expansion plan that is set to take Oschner Health System three years to complete.

The new building will employ 180 therapists, nurses and other specialists and increase rehab beds from 28 to 60 and add an additional 15 pediatric specialty inpatient rehab beds.  The center will focus on rehabilitation for acute conditions such as spinal cord and brain injuries, stroke, amputation, neurological disorders and orthopedic conditions.

“We are going to have a rehab facility here that is unparalleled with any around the region,” Ochsner chief executive Warner Thomas said. “Just like the destination care we have in cancer, neurosciences, cardiology or transplant, we’ll be able to do the same thing in the rehabilitation area.”

The new development, which is slated to be completed by 2019, will be built on the eight acres of land that is currently the location of the abandoned Jefferson Plaza shopping center.  The site which is approximately one mile upriver from Ochsner’s main campus will also include medical offices, retail space and restuarants.  The health system applied to rezone the Jefferson Plaza property from C-2 general commercial to H-2 medical services so the corridor can be used as a medical plaza.

“We are committed to Jefferson Parish,” Thomas said. “We want to make sure that this is the place that people come from around the world for health care. If you think about the place between Houston and Atlanta that folks want to travel to if they need that high-end specialty care, we want them to come right here, to this corridor.”

The development will also bring to the table increased transportation options, more seamless transportation options, beautification efforts, more green space development and additional housing options.

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