The residents of Country Club Place, a small development of upscale townhomes on Brentwood Drive near Jefferson Highway, are suing The Powell Group, Brentwood Development Co.—which owns Country Club Place—and CCP Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with St. James Place retirement community.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in 19th Judicial District Court, the plaintiffs say their property has been devalued and their ability to sell or market their townhomes has been negatively impacted because of actions taken by the defendants. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
The allegations in the lawsuit are centered on a 2013 donation, in which Nanette Noland—who owns The Powell Group and is the manager of Brentwood—transferred her ownership stake in the development to CCPF. Though the foundation did not disclose its plans for the property, it suggested in a press release issued at the time that it might develop an upscale senior housing development on the remaining undeveloped lots.
Residents of the development, who paid more than $1.3 million each for their townhomes, threatened to sue, saying the donation violated the covenants they had signed when they bought into the development and that CCPF’s plans potentially devalued their property.
That led to negotiations throughout much of 2014, according to the lawsuit. Earlier this fall, the plaintiffs found a private developer who offered to buy the property from CCPF for $1.3 million. But the foundation declined the offer and gave the donated property back to Brentwood, according to the lawsuit.
“Due to (a) the first 180-degree turn in the concept and the publicity caused by the press release issued in December 2013 regarding the donation, and (b) the subsequent renovation of the donation, the actions of Powell, Brentwood and CCPF have created a complete and total lack of certainty with regard to the future of the development,” the suit alleges. “The value of the plaintiffs’ properties has diminished to the point that potential buyers will not even consider buying in the subdivision.”
In a statement, Nanette Noland says, “We’re frustrated and disappointed that this lawsuit has been filed. In this instance, it seems that reasonableness and common sense have been trumped by legal rhetoric and attempted intimidation. Country Club Place remains a best-in-class residential development in Baton Rouge. Nothing that The Powell Group, Brentwood or CCPF has done or not done is contrary to the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions set in place for the development …”
The statement goes on to say, “If impact has been made to the valuation of any property at Country Club Place, including the property remaining to be developed, you need to look no further than to the actions by the plaintiffs and their attention-hungry efforts, which have hindered progress over the past year.” See Noland’s complete statement. —Stephanie Riegel
