A 276-unit multifamily complex at Long Farm represents the first of several projects Birmingham, Alabama-based Arlington Properties has planned for the Baton Rouge market.
The company is also planning to develop a 124-unit multifamily complex on a four-acre tract off Jefferson Highway called Tapestry Park. The firm recently applied for permits with the city parish and if all goes well, it will close on the property and begin construction before the end of the year.
When it was proposed early this year, Tapestry Park met with opposition from residents and some nearby businesses, who were concerned about increased traffic in the area. Eventually, the Metro Council approved the necessary rezoning measure, due in large part to extensive outreach efforts on the part of the developers with neighborhood groups.
Arlington Properties Vice President Dave Ellis says the experience did not dampen the firm’s enthusiasm for the Baton Rouge market, which it has been eyeing for nearly a decade.
“We love the market,” Ellis says. “We tried to do something before the recession but it never materialized, so we let things settle a while. Then about three years ago we started looking at the market again.”
Ellis says Arlington Properties executives believe there’s pent-up demand in the Baton Rouge multifamily market and that plenty of opportunity exists for companies that want to expand in that sector.
“We love the area, we love the job growth and we really feel there is excessive demand for apartments,” he says. “We think we are filling that demand.”
Ellis says the apartment complex at Long Farm, which broke ground last week, and Tapestry Park, which should break ground in the fourth quarter of 2015, are the first of several Arlington Properties hopes to develop locally.
—Stephanie Riegel
