Jarreau set to start work on Spanish Town development

Donnie Jarreau’s plans to build a TND on Spanish Town Road are on hold due to the tough lending climate. But he is going ahead with plans to build environmentally friendly houses on the land he owns east and south of Interstate 110. Jarreau says he hopes to start work on 13 green houses within the next four to six months. He has sold the lots, and the homes are in the design process. Plans are to build 1,200-to-1,500-square-foot houses in the $225,000 to $250,000 range. The houses would be two stories with a garage on the side of each. “These are going to have a different type design and be energy efficient,” says Jarreau. According to plan estimates, the houses would cost 25% more than standard stick frame houses but be 50% more energy efficient. “That s the future,” he says. Jarreau says the homes will be a big plus for Downtown since there’s such a demand for housing. The homes will be similar to Nicholson Rowe, a cottage development that Jarreau plans for Old South Baton Rouge, at Nicholson Drive and Oklahoma Street. One difference, however, is Nicholson Rowe will be made up of three-story cottages, each with a garage on the first floor. Construction on Nicholson Rowe will start in the next 60 days. Eventually, Jarreau would like to put 140 houses in his Spanish Town TND. “There’s a lot of vacant land, and it’s kind of a dead area,” he says.—Timothy Boone