Nearly 18 months after vertical construction began on developer Mike Wampold’s newest apartment complex, Bayonne at Southshore is nearing completion and a handful of tenants have already moved in.
The 240-unit complex on Stanford Avenue, just across from the LSU lakes, is still very much a construction site, however. The building located in front of the complex is still undergoing construction and landscaping. Site work have yet to be completed. Only the rear building is completed and partially occupied. Wampold says he’s not actively leasing the building until everything is finished.
“A few people have moved in but we’re not really advertising yet because the site is not ready for prime time,” he says. “There is still a lot of work to be done.”
Wampold now hopes to have the development completed in November. He was originally eyeing a May 2016 opening when ground was broken in January 2015. Wampold blames the delay on the high-end apartment complex—which is adjacent to his luxury condominium development, Crescent at University Lake—on challenges with building the foundation, cost overruns and weather delays. Last April, Wampold estimated the project would cost some 15% more than the original $42 million price tag.
Bayonne will be a four-floor gated community with one- two- and three-bedroom units, garage parking, a resort-style pool and clubhouse, and fitness and business centers.
“We were hoping to be done by the fall” he says. “But it’s going to be a little longer.”
—Stephanie Riegel
