MykD

That's a great view! Nike? Nico? Could be Mike...LOL! Whatever it is, his "planewriting" isn't the best.

I'm going by information in MLS on the couple of "Spec houses" that were built and put on the market by Rouzan's agents. They have put two on the market. One sold after staying on the market for 547 days, and the other has ben on the market for a year and a half. Looks like 14 lots have sold though. (It was late when I was looking at this and it was a long day.) For some time, 70808 has been, and still is, the highest demand zipcode in Baton Rouge. With the lakes and overpass areas being the only part of Baton Rouge that has the ability to be walkable on any level, I expect it to remain that way for a while. (It's one reason my office of on Perkins. ) As for property values, Rouzan hasn't changed the demand or values in Southdowns. The few lots left still sell over $100K, (and higher depending on the size/location) and a newer home in Southdowns, University Gardens, etc, with the same style and appeal as the rest of the area will still command a higher price per square foot than nearly anywhere else in the city, with the exception of newer houses ON the University Lakes, and some homes in CCLA.

At this point, only one (1) of the homes built has been sold (it's pending sale and won't close until March) and the asking price per foot for the other finished home in Rouzan TND (which is what it's called in MLS specifically) has dropped from $250+ per foot to under $200 per foot. ($193 to be exact.) Ithas been on the market for over a year. Perhaps, like at Perkins Rowe, Mr. Spinosa is starting to see that Baton Rouge residents are quite choosey if they have to drop over $200 per foot and a bit skeptical of developer planning until they see it with their own eyes. Last year, the only neighborhood that was even close to $200 per foot was the Settlement at Willow Grove. Perhaps a lack of sales has something to do with the change in plans. Just a thought.

In a former life I traveled the Northeast doing live roadshows in Costco stores. Think infomercials, but live. My point is that I spent a lot of time in stores that were all in some of the nation's largest markets. These stores did the kind of volume that Baton Rouge could only dream about. Some of these stores had less parking than what's on the site plan for here, had fewer surface street outlets and there were no problems, even on weekends when volume spiked.

D.R. Horton buys first two filings of Long Farm By Stephanie Riegel Published Jan 23, 2013 at 3:00 pm (Updated Jan 23, 2013) National homebuilder D.R. Horton has signed a purchase agreement for an undisclosed price to acquire all 65 lots in the first filing of The Long Farm as well as the undeveloped lots in the second filing. The Long Farm is a TND on Barringer Foreman Road that Russell Mosely is developing on a 237-acre tract of land that once belonged to his legendary grandfather, the late U.S. Sen. Russell Long. Mosely had previously signed purchase agreements with 10 local builders to develop the project—which is trying to establish itself as a quintessentially south Louisiana community with a strong sense of place and history—but gave them the option to bow out once Horton made an offer that was too good to refuse. "I exempted the local builders' lots from my agreement with Horton and gave them all the opportunity to stay in, but Horton can acquire product in bulk and offer a house for less, and I understand it is hard for a local builder to compete," Mosely says. "This was a business decision that I think will help us move the product, and it just makes sense." Mosely will retain architectural control over the project and says Horton shares his vision for the kind of amenities and design elements that will be available in The Long Farm. "This is different from anything else Horton has done in this area," Mosely says, adding that homes will feature wraparound porches, wood-clad windows, high ceilings and granite countertops. While Horton has agreed to build homes in the development with the same level of amenities as other local builders had promised, houses will be offered at slightly lower price points, Mosely says. "I think we'll be able to lower the price for the end product," he says. At the low end of the spectrum, that price point will be in the $300,000 range, he says, adding that the size of the homes will remain unchanged at between 1,800 and 3,500 square feet. Read more from Business Report here: http://www.225batonrouge.com/article/20130123/BUSINESSREPORT0112/130129905/DR-Horton-buys-first-two-filings-of-Long-Farm#ixzz2KJuuQSg6

I answered my own question with the help of my buddy Google. (We go way back. ) Looks like they are going to demolish the end of Dawnadale, diverting it closer to the store and curve it around the south side of the property to meet Celtic Drive. You'll be able to get to it from Bluebonnet by way of Celtic Drive, Airline, of course, or turn down Partridge off Jefferson and come in "the back way," beside the I-12 exit ramp. And, according to several sources, the plans have been approved. Here's the site plan.

I agree cajun. That site is easily accessible from everywhere. Any ideas on how they may create the outlet to Bluebonnet? Are they going to widen Celtic drive, perhaps? (I'm asking because I'm working on a deal that's in close proximity. This could affect it positively.

I've heard about this place. Much higher end than JJ's. Jimmy John's is filling the fast/simple/quality niche while they seem to be more focused on putting a gourmet/high end spin on a deli concept. I don;t know if they have plans to go national and franchise their concept, but if they do, this is the place to prove it's merit.

Thanks! I don't know if I'll know how to act around people who actually "LIKE" stats. This could be dangerous. It's kind of an addiction for me but gets thrown to the wayside a lot because of other business priorities.

Hi guys! (and gals if there are any here) My name's Mike. I'm a (semi) Baton Rouge native who moved around a lot and has called Red Stick home since graduating college and moving back here in 1994. I never knew this forum existed until I Googled a development to see who owned it here in South Baton Rouge. And here I am. I was thrilled to find it! I'm a lover of construction, progress, and all that's good about Baton Rouge, including LSU Football. With background in the creative/marketing field, and experience in investing, remodeling and some construction, I think in another life I was a developer. (I swear the smell of saw dust and talk of planning floats my boat like little else.) I'm looking forward to staying in the loop on what's happening where and contributing where I can. I'm also in real estate and a lover of numbers, statistics and analytics. If you're wondering about some obscure numbers that MLS doesn't track, ask. I don't know why you would, but with the gaping holes our MLS system leaves in the area of reporting, I can imagine it happens. Mike