After about a decade, a neighborhood development off River Road is starting its third phase of construction.
Pointe-Marie, a mixed-use community on the southern edge of the parish, is expanding its residential Village Estates District with 59 lots, prepped for homebuilding. The development spans 120 acres with a commercial district along River Road and three residential neighborhoods that span to Nicholson Drive.
Pointe-Marie is a traditional neighborhood development, an increasingly popular type of community that joins residential and commercial components with walkable streets and sometimes anchored by grocery stores or includes a school. Other traditional neighborhood developments locally include Engquist Development’s Rouzan, anchored by Sprouts Farmers Market, the Settlement at Willow Grove, developed by Richard Carmouche, and the Rouses-anchored Long Farm Village.
Pointe-Marie is headed by brothers Rhaoul and Randy Guillaume, who were inspired by traditional neighborhood developments off Florida’s Highway 30A, including Seaside and Rosemary Beach.
“We are just taking lessons from those places and seeing what works here locally for our audience, and the style of community is the same, although the location and the attributes of each location are different,” Rhaoul Guillaume said.
The Guillaumes oversee the prep of the homesites and builders then take it from there, adhering to Pointe-Marie’s design principles based on southern architecture, which the brothers have dubbed 21st Century Louisiana. The idea is for each builder to “bring their own strength to the community,”
New construction is no easy lift — building across many types of developments have slowed in the past few years due to high operational costs and loan interest rates. The Guillaumes chose to prepare the infrastructure for the third phase while rates are high, aiming for builders to purchase the lots when the rates come down.
“We're always keeping our eyes and ears keen to people that want to look ahead and want to make an investment on a lot now, and then maybe later on they may build in a year or two,” said Randy Guillaume.
More than 120 homesites have been sold so far and phase three homesites are preselling. Home prices range from $500,000 to over $1 million.
The development has a village square that serves as an outdoor event space where Pointe-Marie hosts nonprofits and other community gatherings like Flower Fest, a charity event benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“We hope to be a factor in them raising money and them talking to donors in a comfortable, safe environment like Pointe-Marie Square,” Rhaoul Guillaume said.
Pointe-Marie is adjacent to L’Auberge Casino and accessible to downtown and LSU campus via River Road. The brothers selected the property due to its proximity to the river and status as one of the last undeveloped areas of the parish.
But that could all change soon. Developers and local organizations are investing in the Nicholson Drive corridor, hoping to bring a carbon capture startup incubator to the former Tin Roof Brewery to link downtown and LSU campus. Talks of developing the corridor with residences, retail and office space have been ongoing for more than a decade.
In the future, the Guillaumes hope to flesh out the development’s commercial district with shops, hotels and entertainment. They’re creating a “destination feel,” Randy Guillaume said.
“You're in Baton Rouge, but it makes it feel like you're not in Baton Rouge,” Randy Guillaume said.