A push to 'revitalize' a north Baton Rouge neighborhood gets $2.5M boost
Article written by Sophia Bailly, The Advocate
August 5, 2024
A $2.5 million federal grant will help ensure the completion of 434 new homes in a new East Baton Rouge Parish community.
East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority is revitalizing 200 acres of land between Florida Boulevard and Greenwell Springs Road, creating the Cypress at Ardendale neighborhood. Cypress at Ardendale is near the Smiley Heights, East Fairfields and Melrose East neighborhoods.
The project, which has been in the works since 2013, now has $32 million in funding after previously receiving $29.5 million in 2018 through the Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan Grant.
The goal is to provide long-term housing that is close to resources for education and jobs, like a YWCA early childhood and women's center, said Housing Authority CEO J. Wesley Daniels. That will hopefully drive further investment in the area.
Ardendale will have walking and bike paths and amenities that include a three-quarter-acre urban park and a fitness center. Murals and artwork are also being added throughout the area to compliment preexisting murals reflecting French Impressionism.
A variety of educational resources in the area will make it more desirable for parents who are raising children, Daniels said. The ongoing construction and future maintenance of the new community can also drive business growth, Daniels added.
“It's a win for everybody. Regardless of whether you live in this community or not,” he said. “We are directly impacting families, we are creating economic opportunities."
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, East Baton Rouge, Build Baton Rouge, YWCA, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, Baton Rouge Community College and Baton Rouge Area Foundation are among the project’s contributors. Home Bank and Regions Bank have also helped with financing the project.
Phase I will welcome about 170 families to their new homes by 2025. Phase II allocates 70 homes for senior living; Phase III will establish 134 homes and Phase IV 60. The remaining phases will continue until the community development is seen to completion.
"The economic development side itself is a huge story to tell, and our families will be the benefactor of that," Daniels said.