Jefferson Parish West Bank Might Get A New Movie Production Studio

 The old Celotex building in Marrero might have a new purpose in Jefferson Parish. There are talks that the old eye sore will be revitalized into a movie production studio. The building on Fourth Street has been purchased by Maple Marrero LLC.

The site includes 67 acres with around 400,000 square feet of warehouse space. “We could have one of the biggest movie studios in Louisiana and still have over 200,000 square feet of vacant warehouse space, said partner Andrew Duncan.

Celotex’s Marrero plant opened its doors in the 1920’s and employed over 1,000 workers. The plant remained open until it was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and closed its doors in 2009.

Coincidentally the property has been a set for several films and television projects throughout the years. The Hollywood writers and actors strike has set the plans back.
“As soon as the film and TV industry activates again, the place will become active as a filming location. We can start that in 30 seconds,” replies Duncan.

For the next couple of months, the new owners are going to spruce the landscape on the site. “Like many industrial sites along the river, the Celotex site has fallen into disrepair and been underutilized for a number of years,” Duncan said.

“I’m hopeful that in the next couple of years, that eyesore will no longer be an eyesore and instead will be something that contributes to the economy of Jefferson Parish, ” said Jerry Bologna of JEDCO.

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Jefferson Parish’s West Bank Expressway Will Get a Facelift

 The West Bank Expressway is a corridor for panhandlers who ask vehicles for money but this will go away once a $1.35 million project will enhance the roadway. Projects included include new landscaping and signage at all the intersections from Terry Parkway to Ames Boulevard and new trees that will line the landscaping from Westwood Drive to Nine Mile Point Road. The improvements will also include removing the walkways along the road so that the panhandlers will not have a place to panhandle motorists.

“We’re trying to sell a quality of life and a better place to live here in Jefferson Parish and especially on the West Bank. It doesn’t take much for you to look around at this eight miles and say that you’ve ever been proud with what’s here, because I don’t think any of us have,” comments Parish Council member Ricky Templet.

This elevated part of West Bank Express has been the perfect hub for the homeless. The improvements will help alleviate this problem. Sen. Patrick Connick has filed a bill that will transfer this portion of the land from the state to the parish so that the parish can place ordinances against camping.

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New Library in Jefferson Parish

 A new library will be built and named after community leaders Joseph and Constance Caroll. The $2.2 million dollar project will be located in Avondale and will be around 4,500 square feet. “For many years, this community has asked about a library. Our young children who often need guidance…..this is going to be a resource for them and their families,” says Parish Council member Byron Lee.

The library will house meeting spaces, study rooms and a dozen public computer stations and will be located at 588 Avondale Garden Road on the west bank. “Whatever financial gaps or whatever digital that may exist, it won’t exist for very long once this beautiful building is built,” commented Lee.

Joseph and Constance Carroll have been community leaders in Avondale for a long time. They have had a hand in education so this is fitting for them. Their names will be put on the learning institution which is dedicated to education. The library will also have music education in some form or fashion in honor of Mrs. Caroll’s dedication as a music teacher.

The library is needed to fill a gap in the community. It will serve as a safe haven for citizens as well. “Libraries are no longer simply about housing collections. We are about making connections,” boasts Jessica Styons, the new library’s director.

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New State Cultural Districts To Be In Jefferson Parish

 The state has decided to locate two new state cultural districts in Gretna and Jean Lafitte.  One of the main reasons is that these are sites where two historic buildings are located that could possibly qualify for state historic tax credits.  Another bonus is that any qualifying art that will be sold at the two locations will be exempt from local sales tax. 

In order for any artwork to be exempt from local sales tax it must be an original, one of a kind visual piece, conceived by the artist and made by their hand or under their direction, and not intended for mass production.  Art can be reviewed by the Office of Cultural Development to see if it qualifies for tax exemption.

Jefferson Parish will now be the site of five state cultural districts in Louisiana.  The first will be the new South Gretna Cultural District that will cover parts of southern Gretna along the south of Gretna Boulevard including Gretna City Park and Timberlane Estates.  Everything north of the Westbank Expressway is already included in a separate state cultural district.  The new Jean Lafitte Cultural District will include a block on both sides of Jean Lafitte Boulevard from Camille Court south to Shipyard Street.

There are 124 state cultural districts now in Louisiana, including six new districts that were announced.  The other new districts were the City of Crowley African American Cultural Historical District in Crowley, Divine Nine Cultural District in Monroe, Franklin Cultural District in Franklin, Pointe-aux-Loups Cultural District in Iota.

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Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy Ranked No. 1 in Louisiana

The U.S. News & World Report ranked Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy number 1 in Louisiana. Benjamin Franklin High in New Orleans was the previous number one school. The principal, Sharmeika Daniels credits this accomplishment to the team effort between students, teachers, parents and administrators. Students have described the teachers as life mentors. 

“This is my first experience, ever, that I’ve seen a leadership team, as well as teachers, parents and students, all on the same page,” Daniels said. “We’re a family here, and everybody’s input is important.”

“Teachers are demanding here and the content is rigorous, but that’s what’s going to be expected of the kids when they leave us.”

“There is never going to be a student on this campus [who] goes under the radar,” Daniels said.

The school is a magnet school that has a STEM-based college preparatory curriculum. There are around eight hundred students from the east and west bank of Jefferson Parish who go to the school that is named after the founder and CEO of the Taylor Energy Company. The school starts in the sixth grade where students will start to learn computer programing. Students have to score in the 85th percentile or higher on Jefferson's Advanced Studies Academies admissions test to enroll.

“I will never take for granted how blessed I am to lead such phenomenal faculty and staff,” Daniels said. “All of our teachers are on board. That’s not an easy thing to do, to get a whole group of people to agree on one goal.

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Will There Be Fire Station Closures on the West Bank?

 The east bank of Jefferson Parish consolidated its fire districts many years ago, and they are considering doing the same on the west bank of the parish. Jefferson Parish Council is currently conducting a study to see what would need to be done to consolidate the six west bank fire districts.

The study which was unanimously approved now needs consultants. The Jefferson Parish Council will now take between eight months to a year to find a consultant who will do the study. If the study goes as the council predicts, then it will lead to closing fire stations and putting trucks into storage. This does not sound too appealing but according to firefighter Deano Bonano, this could mean additional firefighters would need to be hired.

"If you consolidate all the districts, you can eliminate some stations, eliminate some trucks and cut back on administrative staff and costs," he said.

Through the years, west bank fire departments have had a harder and harder time with financing and keeping firefighters. The department has both volunteer and paid firefighters. The west bank volunteer departments are run as private non-profits with their own boards.  For some of the smaller departments in the parish, it has been hard to get volunteers. The training requirements are very strict for volunteer firefighters.

These small districts are having to tap into financial reserves to hire paid staff to fill the positions not filled by volunteers. State firefighters are also not able to work in the departments because the districts are not part of the state firefighters' retirement system. The benefits of the government-run fire departments are also taking qualified firefighters from the area.

The study will take these issues and others into account as they concluded how much it will cost every year for Jefferson Parish to run a west bank consolidated district. They will look at every issue as a big picture.

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Colonial Country Club In Harahan Might Turn Into A Residential Development

 A revised agreement will go in front of the Harahan city officials and City Council to redevelop Colonial Country Club into a residential development. In last month's meeting which lasted six and a half hours the revised agreement was drafted from the many amendments.

The golf course has been abandoned since it closed in 2012. The 88-acre site that sits between Jefferson Highway and the river in Harahan, is a nice green space according to many local residents. The redevelopment is not what many neighbors want.

The plan the current developers, Danny McKearan and Wayne Ducote have in mind is to build houses along with a 40-acre internal parcel along Colonial Club Drive, close to the river and on 15-acres along Jefferson Highway. Neighbors are concerned about the construction traffic and drainage problems caused by the construction. Another issue is what will happen to the mature oak trees.

To meet those concerns, a plan was devised to build a street exiting on Jefferson Highway, rather than traffic being routed along Colonial Club Drive.  Construction traffic will also be routed down the new road. A retention pond will be added so there will be no drainage concerns. The lots will be laid out to preserve as many of the mature oak trees as possible.

"That property is a whole lot more interesting to what I envision with every tree," McKearan said.

"I think we've got a better agreement than before the meeting started," Councilman Tommy Budde said. "More than likely this project is going to move forward.

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New $30M Youth Sports Complex To Be Built In Westwego

 A new 94-acre sports complex is planned to be built in West Jefferson. The project is planned to be completed in 2022 and is located on land purchased next to TPC Louisiana on Nicolle Blvd.

This $30 million youth sports complex will include batting cages, a playground, a shaded pavilion, two

baseball fields and five multi-purpose fields for baseball, softball, flag football and soccer in its first two phases. Future plans will add more fields and amenities. The complex will be used for state and regional tournaments as well as a local youth sports community.

This project has great proximity to the east bank by the Huey P. Long bridge. The project is located in the Fairfield area where the TPC Louisiana golf course, NOLA Motorsports Park, the Churchill Technology and Business Park and Delgado Community College's River City Campus are already located.

The complex will be modeled after the Sports Force Parks in Vicksburg, Mississippi and will be named after the former state Senator John Alario. The project will be designed by Duplantis Design Group, managed by Legends and Circular Consulting and a construction firm will be hired this year. The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (LSED) purchased the 148 acres and plans to get underway in the third quarter of 2021.

"This is meant to be an economic driver for the region," Jefferson Parish Recreation Director Mario Bazile said. "It’s a real push to be a regional player in travel sports.”

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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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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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