Apartment complex planned for West McKinley

The Michaels Organization, a New Jersey group, teamed up with Lafayette-based Moreno Properties last month to buy an Old South Baton Rouge church and day care center for $1.37 million. At the time, representatives from Michaels wouldn’t comment on what they planned to do with the 6.25-acre tract, which had belonged to Charity Christian Center. But Michaels is set to go before the city-parish Planning Commission in July with a request to rezone the property for a 152-unit apartment complex. Officials with Michaels say the development may end up with a different number of units, but it will be a mix of one- to four-bedroom apartments. The development will be aimed at the LSU student market. The project was set to go before the Planning Commission on Monday, but it was postponed after Michaels discovered a location of the Blundon Home orphanage had been located on the site. Because of the historical sensitivity, officials with the development company plan to meet with neighbors and get community backing for the project before going to the Planning Commission. The apartment complex may have “Blundon” in its name, a Michaels spokeswoman says, to reflect the history of the area. For the rest of Real Estate Weekly, click here. —Timothy Boone