West Bank to New Orleans Transportation Soon to Get Easier

A bill signed by Governor Jindal gives the green light to two projects which could transform transportation from the West Bank to New Orleans into a simple, easy ride for those residents commuting from places such as Gretna, Marrero, and Harvey to the Central Business District (CBD) to work everyday.  Currently, the ferry boats that dock at Canal Street and Algiers Point and Chalmette and Lower Algiers are so old that they are constantly breaking down and have the potential for permanently being put out of service because of their ages. One of these ferry boats was built in 1937.  The first project approved by the governor was to design and build these boats.  Construction will take approximately 12 months for the first boat and  6 months for the next boat

built after that.

“It gives us the opportunity to use all the procurement options now available to speed up the process to get those ferries built,” Transdev Vice President Justin Augustine said Tuesday. “We talked to boat builders…the feedback was clearly they could get the first built in 12 months and a second one within six months after that.”

Another transportation project that will alleviate stressful travel for those residents that live in Belle Chasse was the fastrack approval of a design / build process for a new bridge that will replace the Belle Chasse Tunnel underneath the Intercoastal Waterway.  Because state law prohibits a design and build process at the same time, in the hands of one contractor, special approval had to be given by the legislature for this caveat.  Similar measures were proposed and passed after Hurricane Katrina to move needed construction projects through to the approval stage at a faster pace.  Overall, through the construction of these two necessary modes of transportation, homeowners on the West Bank will soon have new ways of traveling the short commute to New Orleans while still enjoying the “away-from-the-city” life of living in Jefferson Parish.

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One of the Nation’s Best Colleges Located in New Orleans

According to The Princeton Review, one of the nation’s best colleges is located right here in New Orleans.  Loyola University is recognized as one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education and has ranked as one of the most culturally inclusive universities in the country according to The Princeton Review’s “The Best 380 Colleges: 2016 Edition.” The Princeton Review, an education services company, had extensive surveys and interviews with
college students focusing on their opinions of their school and the experiences they have there.  A small number of more than the nation’s 2,500 4-year universities and colleges made the list, Loyola University being one of them. The goal of “The Best 380 Colleges: 2016 Edition” is to offer assistance to applicants when choosing the best college to fit their goals and aspirations.  The “Top 20″ national ranking lists provided by the survey makes it easier for students to compare what’s out there.

Loyola is recognized six times in the “Top 20” list for the following categories:

#2 Lots of Race/Class Interaction
#2 Town-Gown Relations are Great
#4 Best College Newspaper
#13 Best College Library
#14 Best Quality of Life
#18 Easiest Campus to Get Around

Loyola President Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D. said, “We are very proud that Loyola University New Orleans has been recognized by the Princeton Review in areas that reflect our rich and diverse culture, hands-on learning experiences and community engagement.”

Loyola is highlighted in the edition as “a warm private school in the heart of a big, vibrant city” where all students can find their best attributes in the University’s versatile academic program.  Loyola President Kevin Wm. Wildes, S.J., Ph.D. states, “At Loyola, we challenge our students to ask questions and seek solutions in all areas of life, so that they can become critical thinkers and prepare to change the world.”  “The Maroon”, Loyola’s newspaper, was recognized among the top five college newspapers for the second year in a row by “The Princeton Review”.

Relocation to the New Orleans area is on the rise making it a great place to live. If you live in Plaquemines Parish you have a great advantage in the fact that you not only live in a top school district but are located near one of the top universities in the nation – Loyola University. Plaquemines Parish Schools are recognized for the 2014 highest passage rate in the metro New Orleans area on the state standardized testing grades 3 – 8.  The 4th grade LEAP scores tied in 2014 for the highest in Louisiana with a 96 percent passage rate, and 8th grade LEAP scores were second in the state. Students that graduate from Plaquemines Parish schools will have tremendous opportunities right here in their hometown of New Orleans.

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Household Growth in New Orleans Increases over the Past 5 Years

Not only have the New Orleans house prices increased 46% since Hurricane Katrina hit 10 years ago, but the city has also seen a 90% recovery rate. Many believed that the tens of thousands who fled the area after Hurricane Katrina would not return, and this was simply not the case. A report which came out on July 13, 2015, from Data Center shows that between 2010 and 2014, the growth in New Orleans was 12%, making the city 28th in population growth among 714 cities with more than 50,000 people nationwide. The study also indicated there was an additional 1% growth between 2014 and

2015.

In the New Orleans area, households that received mail increased by 19,651 since June 2010, with 65 out of 72 neighborhoods seeing some sort of increase. In general, 40 of the 72 neighborhoods have already recovered 90% of the population pre-Katrina and 16 neighborhoods have actually exceeded their pre-Katrina population.

The neighborhoods which saw the fastest recovery rate of at least 30% were ironically the most heavily flooded areas. These include households in Filmore, Holy Cross, Lakeview, Lower 9th Ward, Pines Village, Pontchartrain Park and West Lake Forest. Between 2010 and 2014, the areas known as the “sliver by the river”, added 1,355 households in the Central Business District (CBD), 545 households in Treme/Lafitte, 321 households in the Lower Garden District and 297 households in Bywater. Eight neighborhoods have increased by at least 100 households which include the Central Business District (CBD), Central City, St. Roch, Little Woods, Lower 9th Ward, B.W. Cooper, 7th Ward and Treme/Lafitte.

Only four of these neighborhoods have less than 50% pre-Katrina households. These include B.W. Cooper, Florida, Iberville and Lower 9th Ward. Not to worry, B.W. Cooper, Florida and Iberville are housing developments that have mostly been demolished or are being redeveloped so they cannot be considered households until completed. The Lower 9th Ward was the worst damaged from the storm and is making a slower recovery than most. Only seven neighborhoods lost households between 2010 and 2015. Many are relocating to the city of New Orleans “proper” and its surrounding or suburb neighborhoods, placing a great demand on new housing developments. In general, New Orleans is making a great recovery and is holding steady with its population numbers.

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New Changes in Urban Design and Development

Even though Hurricane Katrina only devastated the Gulf Coast and the Greater New Orleans area, the whole world felt her effect. It has been ten years since the horrendous storm blasted through the Gulf Coast and the lessons learned have become the model for cities around the world as they plan and prepare for severe weather and rising sea levels. In essence that one storm became the catalyst for

new changes in urban design and development around the world.

No one was prepared for the lives lost and communities lost by Katrina. The Urban Land Institute (ULI) realized that this was a wake-up call for all communities in the area of buildings’ resilience to storms. Buildings must be built with every detail looked at when facing the challenge of a major storm. Not only did New Orleans need to have many buildings rebuilt, but they also needed to be built better than before. Part of this process was not only to focus on the buildings themselves but the land and environment around the community. This was done by restoring marshland and wetlands that aid in absorbing floodwaters, building affordable houses with green technology, and using other means of building that do not solely depend on oil and gas.

According to Sarene Marshall, executive director for ULI’s Center for Sustainability, “The result is a city that is more environmentally sustainable, socially cohesive, and economically prosperous, and is as a result attracting new residents, businesses and investors.”

ULI studied other communities around the world who have also been proactive in their storm protection. These cities have focused on resilience and molding their infrastructures to climate

change. Small coastal towns to larger tourist oceanfront resorts have all been affected by the climate change which includes rising sea levels, extreme heat, drought and stronger storm activity. Marshall explained, “As the resilience movement has gained momentum, we are seeing innovative approaches to the planning, design, development, financing, and insuring of real estate.”

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) reported that cities around the world are building for resilience which is not only protecting from bad weather but also improving local and economic growth and quality of life. Resilient design strategies enable a stronger defense against extreme weather which makes communities healthier and more desirable places to live. How are communities doing this? They are taking a holistic approach. Cities are building developments that are walkable and mixed-use which encourage social interactions among neighbors.
 
The public and private sectors are also building community amenities such as parks, trails, and fitness centers which are also being used for neighbors to connect socially and to be used as emergency escape routes during a storm. Homes in these developments are not only able to withstand extreme weather but also reduce energy and water use which can cut utility cost.

ULI’s Marshall backs up this theory stating, “Being resilient means focusing on adaptation and flexibility of space, so that building uses can change over time to 1) meet the new needs and preferences of residents, and 2) be better equipped to withstand environmental and economic stresses.”

The design of a community can prepare it for severe weather. Not every community should be designed the same. There are a couple of factors to consider such as the types of risks faced and the scale of action. An example of this is considering strategies and risks for someone who is building in a flood zone. These could include raising electrical equipment above the first floor and using water resistant materials in lower levels of the home. ULI has a publication called “A Guide for Assessing Climate Change Risk” which will assist in choosing the correct strategies and actions to take when dealing with disasters. Basically it comes down to understanding the risks and tailoring a strategy for a specific community.

Thankfully ULI has been there for New Orleans during the rebuild after Katrina. ULI has provided guidance and assistance to New Orleans’ development industry through their “Resilience Strategies for Communities at Risk” where the relationship between built and human systems is considered when building housing in the Greater New Orleans area developments.

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Land on the West Bank, Close to New Orleans

Sometimes, the southern region of the crescent in the Crescent City of New Orleans gets overlooked for its potential to offer benefits for those home buyers who are interested in being near New Orleans but not necessarily living in the city of New Orleans.  Land on the West Bank is still available in an established, master planned community just over the Intercoastal Waterway in Plaquemines Parish.  Plaquemines Parish is an odd-shaped piece of land that extends from the “base” of New Orleans all the way down to where the land seems to disappear into the marsh.  Because of this, the parish gets a reputation for being flood prone or “too far south” to be livable for those looking to commute to work everyday in the Central Business District (CBD).

At The Parks of Plaquemines in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, we offer the best of both worlds.  You can live in a parish that has significantly lower bills (taxes, city rents, utilities), in a gated community, in a safe environment (only one way in or out of the parish from our location with low crime), only 10.2 miles from downtown New Orleans.  Also, a HUGE perk of choosing to live just outside of the city limits is the fact that Plaquemines Parish has one of the best rated school districts in the state of Louisiana, so if you are moving with your family, there is a guaranteed quality school district to send your children.

The subdivision itself also has a lot to offer.  In addition to being able to buy your own lot and custom build your new home (if you wish); you can also enjoy walking and hiking trails carved out around the community.  Inside the community we have built a community swimming pool, tot lot / playground, and tennis courts as amenities for our new home buyers.  New Homes are available now at The Parks of Plaquemines, and we are slowly building out the community with both traditional housing as well as new construction garden homes in our Villas Neighborhood.

Our master planned neighborhood is located near everything the West Bank in Jefferson Parish has to offer with shopping, dining, and entertainment locations, the day-to-day office visits that are “life necessary” such as doctor’s and dentist’s visits, veterinarian appointments, and even home business visits such as accountants and lawyers.   There are two ways to access New Orleans – across the Crescent City Connection bridge or by ferry at Algiers Point.  New ferry boats are in the works because of a bill signed recently by the governor to get them operational as well.

Real estate in New Orleans is scarce, and prices are higher because of supply and demand.  If you are interested in living in an established neighborhood, you may want to consider living a little bit farther away in the comfort of a beautifully maintained and quality built subdivision such as The Parks of Plaquemines.  Contact Us at 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com for more information.

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Single-Family Homes in the Greater New Orleans Area

New home starts for single-family homes in the Greater New Orleans area are on the rise, according to Jon Luther with The Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans.  New construction starts were at 1.21 million last month, and that included single-family home starts of 600,000 – 700,000.  Between commercial building conversions and new construction, apartments are leading the race on new construction in New Orleans simply because the opportunity to build new homes is more limited within the city limits because of the lack of land to build.  However, even if builders cannot start and build out full-scale, new home developments, there is plenty of new construction going on in the city

in the form of tearing down blighted housing and even taking an existing home “back to the studs” and starting over again as a complete rebuild.

“Anytime you see 600,000 to 700,000 new (single-family) starts, home builders are going to be pretty damn happy,” Luther said. “They’re the best numbers we’ve seen in about 10 years.”
According to Luther, the best chance that New Orleans has of starting and building a large scale development would be to utilize the 5,000 acres of land near the Avondale shipyard.  Officials in Jefferson Parish have had several meetings about rezoning this property which is owned by several different owners.  If they were to release the land for building purposes, New Orleans would be able to develop and build either a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) or similar master planned community on this property.

Another obstacle for providing new homes for home buyers on the Southshore in New Orleans is that it is difficult for builders to provide housing for first-time home buyers.  According to Luther, the appraisal system in New Orleans recently went through an overhaul to ensure that appraisers knew how to appraise a new home for sale in New Orleans because the values given during appraisals were losing local builders a lot out of their profit margins.  Also, with the recent concessions by the

Department of Housing and Urban  Development in lowering the down payments on FHA loans for first time home buyers, there is now a possibility of Millenials being able to move out of apartment living in owning their own home – as long as affordable housing can be built in New Orleans.

If you are interested in living close to New Orleans but not having to “pay for it” with higher taxes, higher utilities, and city rents, you should consider moving to The Parks of Plaquemines, a masterplanned subdivision located just 10 miles from the Central Business District in New Orleans, across the Intercoastal Bridge.  With a convenient location, safer neighborhood proximity, and a little bit more lot space on which to play, The Parks of Plaquemines offers lots for sale and homes for sale at competitive new home pricing.  Contact Us at 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.comInfo@TheParksLifestyle.com for more information.

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New Orleans Convention Center to Expand Its Economic Reach

With the latest addition of developed riverfront property on the Mississippi River in and around the French Quarter, many local New Orleans’ businesses have expressed an interest in developing riverfront property into usable and money-making ventures to encourage more visitors, tourists, and business to come to New Orleans.  Because of this, there are plans for the New Orleans Convention Center to expand its economic reach “upriver” on 47 acres of property.  Owners of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center are in talks with Howard Hughes Corp. and local developers Joe Jaeger and Darryl Berger to build a 1,200 room hotel which would also be surrounded with retail, entertainment, restaurants, and housing in the form of condos and apartments.

Because the current configuration of the Convention Center is “walled off” from the river, this new construction project will offer guests riverfront views, luxurious rooms in which to stay, and even a

path from the new development to the current convention center for their meetings and seminars.  This $65 million proposal would revamp Convention Boulevard, reducing it from 4 lanes to 2, and creating pedestrian-friendly walking areas for convention goers.

In addition to the hotel on which the construction is estimated at approximately $360 million to $600 million, there are also talks about creating a green space that extends all the way to the river – similar to but better than Woldenberg Park.  The infrastructure construction would also include adding on to the streets of Euterpe, Race and Orange in the Lower Garden District so that the neighborhood would be connected to the new development.

“We’ve got to reclaim the parts that are not being used for maritime commerce and make the river a gathering place for our people and our visitors — generate some commerce, generate some opportunities for visitors and locals alike to come downtown and have a unique shopping experience or unique dining experience or some other attraction that’s uniquely New Orleans,” said Bob Johnson, president and general manager of the Morial Convention Center.  “It would dwarf anything that’s been done, ever, in the city,” Johnson said.

Plans are still in the works and the new neighborhood is being designed by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple and Manning Architects.  This is just one of many riverfront projects that are in the planning stages in the Greater New Orleans area.

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Plaquemines Parish Experiences a Growth in Home Prices

Plaquemines Parish, specifically Belle Chasse, saw a 7.9% growth in home prices during the first 6 months of 2015 according to Wade Ragas, local real estate consultant and expert.  The 7.9% growth was based on numbers pulled just before Hurricane Katrina, and overall in the Greater New Orleans area, home prices have jumped 50% since just before Katrina.  On the Southshore, the average sale price for a single-family home in New Orleans went from $114 / square foot to $166 / square foot which was a different in home pricing of $228,620 vs. $339,743.  Belle Chasse in Plaquemines Parish saw the 2nd highest increase in home prices in Greater New Orleans followed by a 6% increase in St. John the Baptist Parish.

Home prices on the Southshore in New Orleans have risen on average 4.6% per year for a record-high increase of 46%.  All numbers culminated for the 8-parish region surrounding Lake

Pontchartrain in the Greater New Orleans area saw an increase in home prices of 18.6%, which is still a pretty significant increase for a 10-year period.  However, interestingly, Jefferson Parish home pricing has not “moved” very much at all since Hurricane Katrina.

Homes for sale in Jefferson Parish have remained nearly the same pricing overall in this period with only a 1% growth in 10 years.  The average price of a home in Jefferson Parish is $194,510 which equals approximately $106 / square foot.  Spikes of home pricing in Jefferson Parish can be seen in prominent neighborhoods such as Old Metairie and Bucktown where the average price of a home is $494,724 amounting to $204 / square foot.

The Greater New Orleans area can actually be compared to larger metros in its growth rate.  These metros, such as Dallas, Houston, or Miami were seeing similar growth according to Ragas.
“We have a surge in demand, but we don’t have enough inventory to keep that at an affordable level,” Ragas said. “Problems like this tend to solve themselves if markets are left alone.”

Ragas claims that there is a supply of buyers but not such a large supply of homes to be purchased, which have led to bidding wars for homes located in safe and quality neighborhoods in the city.  The Parks of Plaquemines, located just across the river from New Orleans offers new lots for sale as well as new homes for sale.  When buying a new home in our master planned community, you can avoid the high price of purchasing a home in the city of New Orleans with lower taxes, lower utilities, and a much higher level of safety.  For More Information about purchasing a home at The Parks of Plaquemines, Contact Us at 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com.

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Mixed-Use Development to Form the Trade District in New Orleans

With the improvement in the national economy, developers want to seize the opportunity when it comes to mixed-use development. 10 years after Hurricane Katrina, the residential and commercial development growth has started to increase, especially in the last few years. The end of the Recession and the resurgence in the housing market has much to do with this growth with even places such as the Central Business District becoming more residential.

In addition to the Central Business District, New Orleans metro area also includes the Warehouse District and the Lower Garden District. Now, savvy developers have come up with the Trade District which will be located just 10 miles from The Parks of Plaquemines neighborhood on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River. The vision for the new site is to create a master planned community consisting of an MGM Grand hotel, more than 1,400 residences, retail and restaurants and a towering needle-like sculpture all along the riverfront. The vacant land, which sits upriver from the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center between Pontchartrain Expressway and the Market

Street power plant, is owned by the Convention Center and has been envisioned as a mixed-use development for many years.

The Convention Center plans to spend upward of $175 million dollars on the existing buildings and adding to the Center’s infrastructure to hopefully attract a whopping billion dollars in private investments for the project. The “big picture” plan is that the hotel, retail and restaurants will attract visitors to book meetings and conventions at the Convention Center which will help boost not only tourism but business from residents in towns such as Terrytown, Gretna and Westwego across the river on the West Bank of New Orleans. Developers on the project are in talks with the Howard Hughes Corporation, which developed and owns the Outlet Collection at the Riverwalk, and Darryl Berger and Joe Jaeger local real estate moguls to appoint the lead developers of the new site.

Mark Bulmash, Howard Hughes senior vice president, plans for the mixed-use, real estate development project to take years to complete. He goes on to say that, “We think it’s the opportunity to really knit different neighborhoods together … It’s one of these projects that could be a seminal project in the city’s history if it all comes together.” He believes the new construction needs “to be executed well” and that the architectural design and ideas will constantly be changing in order to develop into the community as it is destined to be.

The first step in the multi-layered project is to spend $ 65 million to change the way traffic would flow around the Warehouse District by building a linear park with a moving walkway for pedestrians

heading to the Convention Center. This will improve the pedestrian traffic that occurs around Convention Center Boulevard.

For the commercial aspect of the development, the plan is to incorporate an economic development district to levy special sales taxes which will eventually result in paying for parts of the commercial development. The “headquarters hotel campus” which will be comprised of conference spaces, restaurants, a spa, nightclubs and performance venues will include designers such as the MGM Hakkasan Hospitality group which will aid with the design and execution of the added amenities for the hotel.

The Trade House has been described as the “culinary emporium” where food venders and chefs come under the same roof selling their creations at the intersection of Tchoupitoulas and Race Streets. The concept of the Trade House is patterned after the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco and Pike Place in Seattle. The Riverfront Building will include restaurants as well as an additional 250,000 square feet of retail space adding to the already 50,000 square feet of retail sales areas in the hotel.

Another area will be a “cultural campus” concept where there will be possibilities for research, higher education and museums. The residential potential totals to 1, 427 new homes and rentals consisting of 29 townhouses, 979 apartments, 359 condos and 60 “MGM Skyloft” units at the top of the hotel. The whole neighborhood will also have a public green space throughout the development.
Many are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this project and what it will bring to this underdeveloped section of the city.

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The Perks of Living NEAR New Orleans, Louisiana

When a person thinks of living in or moving to New Orleans, Louisiana, there are many positive ideas and feelings that invoked with that thought.  The most popular draws to this city in the crescent of the Mississippi River are that the city has amazing cuisine, culture, climate (well, for 8 months of the year), and fine arts – music, arts, theater, street performers, etc.  Images turn to the French and Spanish influenced architecture of the French Quarter and the simplistic design of cottages and shotgun houses of the Marigny.  There are well-known segments of the city – Uptown, Lakeview, the 9th Ward, and the long glorified Garden District made famous by Anne Rice and her vampires.  And speaking of vampires, visitors and residents alike must remember that the City of New Orleans is about to celebrate its 300th birthday, so it is steeped in history, memories, and sometimes even ghosts.  All that the city has to offer includes not only the partying and debauchery of Bourbon Street or the elegance and wealth of the Garden District, it also is a thriving metropolis with the opportunity to work with some of the nation’s top corporations.

New Orleans is also known for being one of the most entrepreneurial cities in the United States.  In New Orleans, “we celebrate everything,” and this is emphasized in the fact that there are at least 2 conventions / seminars held in the city to encourage and finance start-up small businesses or inventions.  Another less savory thought that comes to mind when someone thinks of moving to and living in New Orleans is the crime and the poverty of the city.  Just like any larger “central city” in America, with a large city comes more people with more problems.  Murders are down, but petty crime and property crime is up – try to figure that one out!

What IF…what if you could “have your cake and eat it too?”  What if there was a place that you could live that had a lower cost of living, lower property taxes, lower city taxes, and lower utility bills.  What if you could design a new custom home, framed out in any architectural style that you wanted, built to your exact specifications on a lot of your choosing?  What if you could live in a city that was semi-private, had a strong police presence, a low crime rate, that was only 10.2 miles from the Central Business District of New Orleans. Would this be an idea that would appeal to you?
Yes? Great!  Welcome to The Parks of Plaquemines, a gated, master planned community just 10.2 miles from the Central Business District of New Orleans.  Our new home subdivision has a country feel with a city flavor.  New homes being designed and built in this neighborhood have many different types of architecturally designs.  While all floorplans are subject to approval by our Architectural Committee, local builders are used to the building homes that appeal to an aesthetic New Orleans-styled home.  Our community has many Amenities including (but not limited to!) a swimming pool and tennis courts.  Because The Parks is located in Plaquemines Parish, you are not subject to the City of New Orleans and Orleans Parish tax rates.  Also, the Plaquemines Parish School District was just ranked 8th in the entire state of Louisiana, receiving an A performance score for the entire district.  This community offers a safe place to live, at a lower cost of living, with an incredible school district – what more could you want?

I know what you’re thinking…it’s New Orleans; it’s going to flood again from a massive hurricane.  Well, we are happy to report that The Parks of Plaquemines existed BEFORE Hurricane Katrina.  It did NOT flood during Katrina, and it has never flooded.  In fact, the subdivision was strategically developed on “high ground” that was just certified by the new FEMA flood maps to need minimal flood insurance in our community.  Currently, we are featuring Traditional Lots for Sale as well as the possibility of building a new, custom home of your dreams with one of our qualified builders.  Our subdivision features the best of both worlds – a close proximity to “playing” and working in New Orleans but living in a less expensive, safe community which also offers walking / biking trails within the community.  So, Come and Visit Us to Check Out Our Quickly Growing Community!  Call 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com to Schedule Your Tour.

Healthcare Grant Offered to Greater New Orleans Area

New Orleans, Louisiana, was one of three cities to receive an invitation to apply for up to $350,000 in grants from Humana. However, in addition to the city of New Orleans, non-profit businesses in the entire Greater New Orleans area including Orleans, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, St. James, Plaquemines, Washington, and Tangipahoa Parishes are eligible to apply. The grants are being offered to non-profit businesses and organizations in order to assist them in lowering the physical and financial hurdles for people trying to obtain care for diabetes and congestive heart failure. The program called the Humana Communities Benefit is being solicited by the Humana Foundation, a division of Humana, Inc. The two other cities selected were Ft. Lauderdale and Knoxville, TN.
In order for non-profit organizations to be successful during the application process, the Humana Foundation is offering services to applicants such as education seminars, a newsletter which covers standards and Frequently Asked Questions, an “e-mail hotline” which will handle all e-mail inquiries, and mentorship from former grant winners who will be able to give advice and guidance and answer questions that may not be covered in the application materials.

This healthcare grant is unique in that is specific to certain areas of the country each year, and it specifically covers two types of healthcare issues – diabetes and congestive heart conditions. New

Orleans, Louisiana, will soon benefit from the much anticipated opening of the University Medical Center which was developed and built on a footprint in downtown New Orleans which actually overtook entire neighborhoods and decades-old housing units and homes. With the addition of the opportunity to receive funding from a $350,000 grant, a non-profit medical company in New Orleans could soon be able to offer even more convenience and affordability to patients needing care for these particular diseases.

Businesses interested in applying for the grant must submit a letter of intent stating the following: how the money would be used and how their planned program would align with the goals of Humana Communities Benefit to increase accessibility of patients to care for diabetes and congestive heart failure. Letters of Intent will be accepted by Humana from May 2 – May 29, 2015 and applications are due by June 30^th.

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New Orleans Will Soon Feature Beachfront Property

The Greater New Orleans area may soon have not 1 but 3 new locations for locals and tourists alike to enjoy “a day at the beach” right on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain on the Southshore.  If developers, builders, and zoning ordinances work together efficiently New Orleans will soon feature beachfront property on the lake at the Treasure Chest Casino, near the airport at the original location of Pontchartrain Beach and in New Orleans East where Baily’s Riverboat Casino once stood.
The plans in Kenner are the newest brainchild of Mayor Yenni in Kenner, Louisiana for a resort-style area to be built on property adjacent to the Treasure Chest Casino.  Envisioning a “Destin-like” town atmosphere, Mayor Yenni

wants to build condos, a hotel, and boardwalks on 15 acres overlooking the lake.  The property in question was recently changed from a recreational zoning to a commercial zoning by working with lawmakers.  With investors from Dubai as well as right here in the Greater New Orleans area, construction on this new commercial development could begin by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Pontchartrain Beach is set to open by the beginning of 2016, kind of a dull time of year to open a beach, but it will be ready for recreation and entertainment by the time the warm spring weather comes around.  A lease between the New Orleans Levee Board and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation will allow the beach to reopened as a beach and nature preserve.  Considering the number of people who may use the beach will dictate if more development may come in the future, possibly in the form of fair-like rides or even restaurants right on the water.  As with the development in Kenner, major planning should be made for hurricane protection by building whatever structures may go up high above the potential flooding of the lake.
These two new developments on New Orleans beaches come in conjunction with plans by Tipitina’s owner Roland von Kurnatowski and his business partner Eric George who are currently in negotiations to develop and construct a new water park and outdoor music venue on a 4.5-acre plot of land in New Orleans East.  New Orleans may soon have multiple locations to “hit the beach” right on our own shores without having to travel to the Gulf Coast.

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Five Ways to Think About the Rising Interest Rates

For those home buyers who have purchased a home before, navigating through the mortgage approval process once you have found your home for sale is a little bit easier than for someone who has never purchased a home before.  However, figuring out what the real estate market will do and when and how to buy a home at the right time, the right price, with the best interest rate has been a little like spinning the roulette wheel at the casino over the past 4.5 years.  Home buyers and refinancing homeowners have enjoyed phenomenal interest rates since the interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 3.3% early in 2013.  This also pushed 10 and 15-year mortgages to as low as 2.5%.  Now there is fear because interest rates have risen by over a percentage point in 3 short months.  So, in order to give you all of the information you will need to make the best choice for you and your family in the home buying or refinancing process, below are 5 practical facts about interest rates, where they’re headed over the next year, and how to optimize your experience in today’s real estate market if you have not already had a chance to capitalize on these interest rates.

1. The Fed bond-buying program, especially the buying of mortgage securities, has kept interest rates at 100-year lows over the past 1.5 years.  Because of the stabilizing economy and the federal deficit, “all good things must come to an end.”  In other words, the Fed cannot continue to keep purchasing these bonds.  The buying must stop, and the economy must learn to survive on its own.  So, the 3.3% on a 30-year fixed will most likely be a thing of the past with perhaps, maybe a drop back down to this rate here and there in certain market conditions.  However, you, as a home buyer, must mentally allow yourself to still enjoy the current interest rate.  Right now, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage is around 4.5%.  Predictions state that it is not expected to rise above 5% at least until the end of 2014.  So, interest rates are still historically low, and they will make a home payment affordable.

2. If you purchased your home even in 2005, you may have enjoyed an interest rate of approximately 5.75%, so refinancing your home and incurring closing costs may not be the right move as interest rates go up.  However, if you are a homeowner who had a home which lost its value in the crash, you should definitely talk to your Realtor as to the current value of your home.  Home values have been on a steady rise, and most markets are reporting home pricing gains each month.  At least 850,000 homes gained back their value because of a stabilizing real estate market in the first quarter of this year.  So, refinancing this type of loan at these interest rates would still be a good idea.

3. Don’t panic just yet that rising interest rates will bring the housing recovery to a screeching halt.  While not ideal for either home buyers or builders, interest rates have to rise in order for the Fed to “stop the bleeding” of the government theoretically “bailing out” the housing industry by buying bonds.  It would take a rise of about 3% to see the housing market negatively impacted by rising interest rates.  Refinances and purchases may slow down slightly as the rate climbs, but once it stabilizes over a period of months, then people interested in buying a new or previously-owned home will have the confidence needed to do so.  At best, home buyers should take advantage of the rates now and go ahead and “take the plunge” to buy a home before rates go back up.

4. If you don’t know anything about financing a home, then you will want to make sure to ask your banker or lender about locking in your interest rate.  Typically, there is no charge to lock in at 45 or 60 days.  Refinancing a home used to take 6 – 12 weeks because of all of the new government regulations on loans, but that time period has been drastically reduced as banks and lenders have grown comfortable with the new system.  If the institution you are using to get your mortgage takes a long time to process loans, you should find out what the charge would be to lock in for a longer period of time – 90 – 120 days.  Have your loan officer crunch the numbers to see if it is in your best interest to pay for a rate lock to save money in interest over the life of the loan.  This is a service they should provide you.

5. Loan packages since the Recession have been greatly simplified because the interest free / pay later type of loans no longer exist.  However, there are still fixed-rate loans and the ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) out there you will need to choose between.  If you have never had an ARM, or if this is the first time you are buying a home, the main thing to think about when it comes to getting the lower interest rate which an ARM offers is how long you are planning to own the home.  If your purchase is temporary because of your job or because you know you will be “upgrading” in a few years, then the shorter time period you plan on owning your home, the better idea it is to get an ARM.  ARM’s typically have a much lower interest rate and only allow an increase of 1% each year, while not letting the rate go higher than a stated high interest rate or “cap.”  Also, if rates go down, then so does your interest rate in some cases.  However, when you reach your “cap,” and you are still in your home at a higher interest rate, that is how you lose money and pay more interest with an ARM.  So, when choosing the loan which is right for you, consider the amount of time you will be staying.  If you plan on staying “forever,” you will want to go with a fixed-rate loan.

Be smart about interest rates, don’t panic; the housing market will still thrive at current market rates for quite some time.

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Thriving West Bank Community for New Home Construction

One of the many perks of living on the “high ground” of the Mississippi River is that the space to build new construction homes or business is very condensed and highly valued.  This is particularly seen by the inexhaustible amount of homes that have been built in the Greater New Orleans area.  Through a rich cultural history, New Orleans has seen its streetscapes and new home construction defined by German, Spanish, and French influences.  In a reflection of this construction development, neighborhoods in this productive city in Southeast Louisiana were also developed based on race, culture, income, and status.  The term French Creole architecture stems directly from the Creoles who established, occupied, and thrived in their own sector of the city of New Orleans on the East Bank of the Mississippi.

New Home Community
Not to be outdone, the West Bank of New Orleans also established an unprecedented and condensed development of new home construction as well as commercial and industrial construction in and around cities such as Terrytown, Gretna, Harvey, Marrero, and Westwego.  All of these productive cities seem to “hug” the crescent in the Mississippi River because the ground right next to the river is considered high ground.  This is the same reason that the French Quarter has never flooded after levees were installed on the Mississippi River – it is the highest ground in the city.  Another new home construction community on the West Bank of New Orleans, just outside of Gretna, Terrytown, and Algiers that has never flooded is the Parks of Plaquemines.  This master planned development features new, custom home construction with community amenities such as private streets, gated entrance, a park & trail system, a swimming pool, tennis court, and tot lot / playground.

Lower Cost to Live Close to New Orleans
In fact, this subdivision is a thriving west bank community for new home construction, and it only gets better.  New Orleans is known for having a high cost of livability.  In other words, being able to afford to buy a new home in New Orleans is challenging because of the high cost of land taxes, utility and sewer rents, and the cost of living in general.  The good news about the neighborhood Parks of Plaquemines is that this community is located a mere 10.2 miles from the Central Business District (CBD) in New Orleans, LA. This means that if you are working in a corporate location in downtown New Orleans, you only have to commute approximately 20 total miles to and from work while saving a huge amount of money on your cost of living expenses.

Lower to No Flood Risk
The subdivision itself just happens to sit on high ground near the river as well.  And, don’t just take our word for it,  once the new FEMA flood maps are adopted, the entire neighborhood will be taken completely out of the flood zone.  Plus, as mentioned earlier, the Parks of Plaquemines has never flooded, not even during Hurricane Katrina.  In addition to its amazing location and flood zone benefits, our community also is located in a parish which has a school district which was just ranked 8th highest in the entire state of Louisiana.  The parish achieved a enough points to move it from a B grade last year to an A grade this year.  The school’s 2014 annual district performance score was 104.8 overall out of 150 compared to a 95 last year.

So, if you are interested in owning your own little piece of high ground along the Mississippi River in New Orleans, Louisiana, you should definitely check out the Parks of Plaquemines, just minutes from all the city has to offer without the cost, flood risk, or expense of private education instead of utilizing the public school system for your kids. To take a tour of the new home construction continually being done at our subdivision, Visit the Parks of Plaquemines Today!  Call 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com.

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Construction and Development for Commercial and Retail Shops in New Orleans East

Residents of the West Bank may soon have something new to do on a summer afternoon in New Orleans, Louisiana, if Tipitina’s owner Roland von Kurnatowski and his business partner, Eric George have anything to say about it.  They are currently in negotiations to develop and construct a new water park and outdoor music venue on the 4.5-acre plot of land on Lake Pontchartrain in eastern New Orleans.  This acreage is where the Bally’s Riverboat Casino stood for many years before Hurricane Katrina forced it to close and move out of the state. The venue will not only sport the water park and outdoor amphitheater – designed to seat a 5,000 capacity – but there will also be construction and development for commercial and retail shops and venues on the west side of the proposed site.  At the south end of the lakefront development, there could be a two-story building with room for a community market downstairs and a restaurant on the second floor.



The construction project has been the brainchild of Studio Network-Lakefront LLC, which is the company created by Tipitina’s owner and Dr. Eric George, a prominent New Orleans orthopedic surgeon.  These men have a vested interest in the culture and heritage of New Orleans because they also purchased the Orpheum Theater last year and immediately began renovations on the structure to bring it back to its former glory.  They pledged to put a total of $13 million into that project.  Since construction on this building in New Orleans is moving along as scheduled, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra has agreed to start performing there when the theater is completed later in the year.  So, complete renovations and seemingly impossible construction projects seems to be this pair’s forte, and New Orleans East’s lakeshore are will benefit from their expertise.

The history behind this 4.5-acre plot of lakefront land is that nothing was done to restore it once Hurricane Katrina destroyed it.  With the “separation of powers,” in 2010 which created an actual Levee Authority which would oversee all properties along the levees, the land was assessed as hopeless because of the cost of the taxes and the deterioration of the property.  Once this was realized, this and other properties were offered to the public for bids.  The only bid on this property was from Studio Network-Lakefront, LLC.  Their proposed project would be named Tipitina’s Festival Park and would include the following:

• An outdoor amphitheater with a 5,000 capacity
• A lazy river and splash park
• Water slides and zip lines
• A two-story, covered boardwalk with shops
• The conversion of the old riverboat terminal into an open-air market

Development and construction in New Orleans is always welcome especially after Hurricane Katrina, but it is enlightening and encouraging to have such an innovative concept introduced by Tipitina’s owner and his business partner who seem to have a soul-reaching interest in rebuilding and renovating New Orleans East on the lakefront of Lake Pontchartrain.

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Strengthening in the Suburbs Is Good News for New Orleans Metro Communities

Wade Ragas, real estate consultant and owner of Real Property Associates continually analyzes sales reports for new homes and previously-owned homes, as well as new home starts, new home trends, the monthly supply of homes for sale on the market, and many other real estate related information in order to present his findings to local Realtor and Builder Associations.  These types of informative seminars aid in the strategic planning of builders and Realtors for their quarterly planning.  Ragas recently gave a talk to the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors for his twice-yearly report and announced the median home prices have pretty much stayed the same in the Greater New Orleans area from 2013 – 2014.

Regular home sales in the Greater New Orleans area showed a cost of $153/square foot with an average cost of $309,533 which is actually down from the major price increases during 2012 – 2013 where the average price rose to $325,348. A 3.1% increase in price year-over-year was reported compared to an 8% increase from 2012 – 2013.  Another reason the cost was so much lower were that the homes sold reported lower living square footage, so homes sold overall were smaller.
The most drastic change in statistics that Ragas reported was that the cost to purchase a home to renovate or “flip” it has increased on average 40% year-over-year for the same time period.  The average price jumped from $52,669 to $71,845 to purchase a home in need of a renovation.

The most important aspect of his study of real estate statistics for the Parks of Plaquemines, located just 10.2 miles from the Central Business District, showed that strengthening in the suburbs is good news for New Orleans Metro communities.  Home sales in the 8 parishes around New Orleans increased by 7.5% from 11,160 – 12,000 with home sales in Jefferson Parish, the parish adjacent to the Parks of Plaquemines up by 2.3%.  The cost per square foot to buy a home in Jefferson Parish was approximately $104 / square foot which is only slightly off the $105 / square foot to buy a home pre-Katrina. Ragas also reported that most of the high volume of home sales in Jefferson Parish was on the West Bank, which is a sign that real estate on the West Bank may finally be taking a turn upwards from the real estate slump during the Recession.

Prices going up are not necessarily a bad thing, and recovery in the suburb, West Bank areas of the Greater New Orleans area means that people are moving back into our communities and may be interested in purchasing a new home for sale in the Parks of Plaquemines, right next to Jefferson Parish on the West Bank and an easy commute to New Orleans for work.  To learn more about our homes for sale and lots for sale, Contact Us at 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com.

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Custom Homes Still Available to Build Near New Orleans

Unlike other towns in the United States that have to worry about the “sprawl” of a metro area that seems to be growing faster than is sustainable by the transportation and infrastructure that the city has to offer, New Orleans, Louisiana and its neighboring cities of Metairie, Kenner, River Ridge, and Harahan seem to be “bulging” at the seams when it comes to available lots to build new custom homes.  It seems that every available inch of space on this much sought-after ground is completely full of existing homes or recently-built homes (and by recent, I mean 10 – 50 years old).
The concept of a new home subdivision in the Greater New Orleans area is also kind of a foreign concept on the West Bank of the Mississippi River as well.  With towns like Terrytown, Algiers, Marrero, Harvey, and Gretna quickly filling up with many different communities of existing homes for sale, and literally very little real estate on which to build, you may have thought that it was a hopeless cause to be able to build your own home and live on the Southshore of New Orleans.  The best that many people can do is to buy a blighted home or even a much older, probably historic fixer-upper home to renovate or restore with more modern conveniences.  In the French Quarter, many residents are doing just that, purchasing abandoned buildings, gutting them, and then recreating them from the inside, leaving the outside facade as is.
If you have the money and resources (and know the right contractor to hire in the French Quarter), then living in the very heart of the culture and history of New Orleans might be the right choice for you.  If you are, however, looking to be able to buy an affordable new home with your own yard and little bit of room to breathe, not too far from the city, look no further than the Parks of Plaquemines, a gated, new home subdivision right next to Jefferson Parish on the West Bank.  The Parks of Plaquemines is a masterplan, new home community with different neighborhoods with contain many different sizes and choices of lots on which to build.
Our builders want you to know that there are custom homes still available to build near New Orleans.  In fact, the community is only 10.2 miles from the French Quarter and Central Business District in New Orleans.  Also, to make your already short commute even easier, you have two choices as to how you might travel to the city to do business, play, or simply go to work – the Crescent City Connection (driving) or the ferry.  Most of the homes built in our gated subdivision were built by home buyers like yourself who wanted to the experience of building their own home.  They were able to bring their plans to our Architectural Control Committee (ARC) for approval and then even use their own approved builder to build their new custom home.
Lots for sale in the Parks of Plaquemines range in price from the $70’s – $140’s, and new homes for sale range in price from the $300’s to over $1 million.  In fact, with the size of lots available, the sky’s the limit as to how much you want to customize your new home.  In addition to lots and homes for sale, the Parks of Plaquemines offers a little bit of country a short commute to New Orleans with a park & trail system, swimming pool, tennis court, and tot lot / playground.  Outside of the actual city of New Orleans taxable limits, you will also enjoy a convenient and SAFE location, excellent Plaquemines Parish Schools, low parish property taxes, low sewer and water rents, and a low risk of hurricane flooding.

So, Come Out & Visit Our New Home Neighborhood Today!  Call 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com to Set Up an Appointment!

Old World Look for Old Town Homes in New Orleans, Louisiana

If you have spent any time in the city of New Orleans or even its outlying suburbs on the West Bank such as Algiers, Gretna, Marrero, Terrytown, and Harvey; you have probably noticed a variety of architectural stylings of the historic and obviously 100-year to 200-year-old homes.  When you view these homes as a current resident or as a tourist, you probably don’t think about what it takes to retrofit these homes during a home renovation, restoration, or new construction on an addition.  If you did, you would be weighing the benefits of more modern systems that are energy efficient and more eco-friendly vs. trying to maintain the integrity of the historic architecture.
Specifically, when it comes to windows in historic homes, many homeowners and home buyers spend a lot of time going back and forth as to restoration or replacement.  The ROI (return on investment) of replacing every window in the house with an energy efficient, low-E, double or even triple paned tinted window is approximately 10 – 12 years for standard-sized windows.  However, the first dilemma in starting a historic restoration is that you are probably going to run into a lot of non-standard-sized windows in your new home purchase.  If you go to custom order a bunch of different window sizes, you may not see a return on investment in savings from your electric bill for up to 20 years.
The second issue that you will have to face is that if your home is already listed on the National Register of Historic Place OR if you are interested in getting your home listed on this registry or need tax incentives for doing a historic renovation or restoration, you will probably have to reconsider using modern vinyl, aluminum, or wood framed window in the home altogether.

Finally, let’s consider what you are really getting when you decide to replace your existing wooden / glass windows in your 100 to 200-year-old home.  The wood used in today’s construction is significantly less dense than lumber used in building 100 years ago in the Greater New Orleans area. The reason for this is that the trees had been standing for a much longer period of time because they may have never been cut.  Because of this, the rings in the trees are closer together and much more dense than today’s treed lumber.  Therefore, even though you may find windows that are more energy efficient that look the way you would like or need them to for your renovation or restoration, you may be trading durability for a perceived ROI benefit on your electric bill.

Before you make your decision, consider this: the wood casing for the windows on your historic home is much more durable than today’s wooden window casings.  Also, the construction used to create the window frames themselves was a type of joinery that allowed the wood to expand and contract with the intense humidity of the New Orleans climate.  Finally, today’s wood and even vinyl has been known not to be able to last through the direct rays of the sunshine in this southern region.
The glass that is used in your windows is actually a higher quality of glass than is used today as well.  With the proper insulation, resealing and caulking, glazing, and other energy-smart tactics such as black-out shades and blinds, you can reduce the amount of heat loss in the winter and gain in the summer to fully enjoy the aesthetics of keeping an old world look for old town homes in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Will Be Constructed in New Orleans

The much maligned and re-negotiated lease for the New Orleans World Trade Center finally has a viable tenant in the form of a world-renowned, international hotel chain – Four Seasons.  The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences will be constructed in New Orleans in the old World Trade Center Building with 2 additions to be added to either side of the building.  The Four Season group are partnered with Carpenter and Co. of Cambridge, MA, and Woodward Interests in New Orleans to completely renovate the structure, creating the addition of two wings to the side of the building as well.
Part of the attraction for the Four Season’s bid was the addition of the 76 hotel-serviced condos that would also be available for sale in addition to weekend, weekly, or monthly rentals.  The revenue of sales was a separate income item for the City of New Orleans.  The second attractive and unique part of their bid was their proposal for a “digital, immersive” experience for visitors who would want to visit an exhibit named New Orleans: History at the Confluence of Cultures.  This exhibit would present a digital story-telling experience of the City of New Orleans and would be put together by Henry Louis Gates Jr., a Harvard University professor of African-American studies, and Lawrence Powell, Tulane University history professor.
The financial ramifications of this project are far-reaching.  The construction of the hotel and condos would also contribute to the city’s tax revenues in construction payroll for the $364 million project which is $95 – $130 million higher than its competitors.  Of that amount approximately $127 million of the money is designated to go to minority-owned, women-owned, local, and disadvantaged businesses putting the money right back into the economy.  Along with the construction revenue in terms of payroll as well as building materials and supplies, the hotel would also pay the City of New Orleans a lease, locked in for 10 years of $3.25 million / year, increasing to $3.75 for the next year barring any significant increases in the tax threshold.  Also, percentages of the sales of the condos as well as the gross revenues of the digital exhibit would also be collected by the city, as well as any additional bonus revenue generating components of the hotel.
“In our estimation, in this case, we have both – picking the best cities and partnering with the best developers. I’m confident we will bring new visitors to the city and add to its already vibrant tourism,” said J. Allen Smith, Four Seasons president and CEO.

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Marrero Once Again Is Going to Feature Café Hope’s Local Food Festival

It’s spring in the Greater New Orleans area which means that it must be time for the many spring and summer festivals in all of the surrounding cities – including the West Bank – to make their appearance every weekend. In the spirit of good home making with fresh food and vegetables, Marrero once again is going to feature Café Hope’s Local Food Festival at the restaurant’s location at 1101 Barataria Blvd. in Marrero on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

Café Hope not only promotes the growing of fresh food, but this restaurant (with a full-fledged

garden next door) also is dedicated to the growth and maturity of the youth of the Greater New Orleans area. Café Hope trains interested participants on how to work in a professional restaurant environment, opening the door to the many restaurant working opportunities both on the West Bank as well as the city of New Orleans.

This year’s Local Food Festival is featuring a roasted pork sandwich with taleggio cheese and pickled kale from St. James Cheese Company; roasted eggplant salad, from Angeline; hogshead cheese, garnished with cucumber and cilantro from Coquette; Jamaican jerk pork loin stuffed with plaintains and pineapple, from Steamboat Natchez; cochon de lait, from the Rugby Pub; and chocolate or creole cream cheese ice cream, from Creole Creamery.

This event sponsored by Zatarain’s will also include additional food booths, children’s activities featuring a petting zoo, and a car show. Live, local music will be performed by Michael Liuzza, Los Poboycitos and Soul Creole. The proceeds from the event will be donated to Café Hope to benefit the restaurant training program for at-risk youth. This and other local festivals will be happening in Marrero, Louisiana, in the coming months, so check back often for the local news and events from The Parks of Plaquemines.

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Commercial Construction Work in The Greater New Orleans Area Rose 40%

Commercial construction work in the Greater New Orleans area rose 40% compared to previous months in March, 2015, and it also increased 39% year-over-year from March, 2014.  Construction contracts awarded in New Orleans totaled to $152.5 million in March.  Office, retail, hotel and other projects accounted for most of the commercial construction projects, and they increased sharply by 66% to $101.7 million in contracts.
In conjunction with the slow and steady growth of residential real estate both nationally and in the Greater New Orleans area, single-family home contracts and multi-family contracts increased by 6% in the same time period to $50.8 million. Across the Mississippi River from New Orleans West Bank cities such as Marrero, Harvey, Gretna, Terrytown, Algiers, Westwego, Arabi, and Belle Chasse have started to see more of the slow steady growth that has been experienced and then accelerated in New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, and St. Tammany Parish.  St. Tammany Parish has seemed to lead the charge in new home and existing home sales behind New Orleans, but the West Bank has been slower to recover.

One new home subdivision, located on the West Bank next to Jefferson Parish is the Parks of Plaquemines.  This new home community features traditional and garden home lots and during the first 4 months of 2015 sold 4 lots and two new homes to buyers from other towns on the West Bank such as Marrero, Harvey and Gretna.  Sales at the Parks of Plaquemines have been slower because there are many lots for sale, and builders are building new CUSTOM homes so they are more tailored to “building on my lot homes” vs. “spec homes,” which would be new homes available and ready to sell.

If you are interested in residential real estate in the Greater New Orleans area and would like to build a new home for you or your family approximately 10 miles from New Orleans, visit the Parks of Plaquemines in Belle Chasse, Louisiana next to Jefferson Parish.  For More Information Call 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com.

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Gretna, LA Participated in the Great American Cleanup

Gretna, Louisiana is a community on the West Bank that is one of the partners in the Keeping America Beautiful Program.  According to its website, Keeping America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With our powerful network of community-based affiliates, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities to transform public spaces into beautiful places.

One of the programs associated with Keeping America Beautiful is the Great American Cleanup

which is done annually by volunteers from the participating local communities.  As part of this program, city projects which focus on beautification, landscaping, litter pick-up, and environment enhancement or protection are completed.  Gretna, LA participated in the Great American Cleanup this year sponsored by Entergy which partnered with the Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, calling it the “Spring Sweep.”

Not only did the city of Gretna benefit from the beautification project, but the cleanup and landscaping of the City of Gretna welcome sign also enhanced the entrance to the Westbank Expressway directly on the city’s line with Harvey, Louisiana.  A backhoe was brought in to clear the land for planting.  New landscaping was installed and mulched, and the welcome sign itself was given a fresh new coat of paint.

“We looked for projects that the public will notice and enjoy.  This year we chose to partner with the City of Gretna to cleanup and landscape the city sign location on the West Bank Expressway at the Harvey line,” Entergy’s Mary Fay Legnon said.

The city of Gretna hopes to continue the city’s beautification projects each year with Entergy as one of its main sponsors.  “Thank you to Entergy, an incredible community partner,” Mayor Belinda said. “We are so grateful that Entergy chose Gretna as the location for this year’s service project. Their community team is an asset to our city. The sign on the Expressway and the garden that surrounds it looks great.”

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Building a New, Custom Home in New Orleans

Some home buyers in the Greater New Orleans area have a natural interest in architecture and design and might have bought a new home for sale when they purchased their first new home.  However, most buyers have gone through a couple of cycles of buying and selling and existing home for sale before they make their first new home purchase.  While even a smaller percentage of home buyers in New Orleans and the West Bank are willing to go through the time and patience that is required to draw up plans and interview builders to build a new, custom home.  Building a new, custom home in New Orleans can be a daunting, challenging, and invigorating experience.  With a broad budget, it can be a lot of fun as well!
Building a new, custom home allows you as the home buyer to be able to pick out exactly what you want to put in your new home.  From the type of exterior you want (brick, stone, stucco, concrete siding, Western cedar, etc.) to the types of flooring you want to install, to the color of paint you put on the walls of each and every room in your house; you and your design choices deliver the final dream home in which you and your family will live.
At The Parks of Plaquemines on the West Bank, just 10 miles from New Orleans you can get creative choosing exterior amenities for your new home.  We have Traditional Lots with lots of room to make the exterior finishes of your home – covered porches, brick patios, outdoor fireplace and / or fire pit, outdoor kitchen set up, breezeways, detached garages, courtyards, fountains, etc. – spectacular and perfect for those home buyers that like to spend a lot of time outside.  In addition to adding amazing custom exterior features to your new, custom home, you can also use the subdivision amenities offered at The Parks of Plaquemines such as our walking and hiking trails, community swimming pool, tennis court, and tot lot.  For outdoor lovers, you get that fresh open air feeling, just a short drive from working and playing in New Orleans.
Adding interior design features to your new, custom home can be a thrill when you get to select and match all of the lights that will be installed in your new home.  From chandeliers, to can lighting, to under-counter lighting, and separate reading lights in the master bedroom, you can really create the exact ambiance your family will experience while living in your new home.  Many builders offer interiors selections for even inventory homes such as flooring choices, cabinet styles and colors, countertop material and design, and paint colors, however when you are building a completely custom, new home, you can also choose the type, material and color of the crown molding you would like to see in many different rooms, vaulted, treyed, and stepped ceiling designs, adding chair rails, wainscoting, picture molds, and bead board as architectural trim either painted or stained real wood throughout the many rooms of your new home.  While you are designing and making these selections, don’t forget that wood beams against a pure white ceiling create and rustic look and amazing contrast to really make a room “pop!”
When building a new, custom home, you can “go crazy” in rooms such as the kitchen, the master bath, and the family room where you can really dress up a fireplace and the fireplace surround with an in-wall cubby for a large-screen television, built-in’s for bookshelves and cabinetry, and the actual fireplace mantle and surrounding material can really be ornate.  The kitchen can be accessorized with matching styles of different floor tile, countertop material, and backsplashes against the walls underneath the cabinetry which can highlighted by using under-counter lighting.  This is also great for grabbing a midnight snack and not waking anyone else up!  Try convenience by installing a faucet over your 6 cooktop, Viking range which can be used to fill your pots while they are sitting on your stove.
If you have a sizable budget, a lot of dreams, a great imagination, and an internal drive to design and build your dream home, you can definitely build a new, custom home in New Orleans that will not only be a comfortable place to live, but it will be a show piece to be able to share with your friends and neighbors.  If you are looking for the perfect spot to build your new home, visit The Parks of Plaquemines today.  Call 504-364-2350 or E-mail Info@TheParksLifestyle.com.

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