North Oaks first in a series of Satsuma developments

The economy hasn’t stifled development in Satsuma. Officials broke ground this morning on North Oaks Livingston Parish Medical Complex, a $32 million, two-story, 47,000-square-foot outpatient medical facility. But look for construction to begin on more than just that. Suma Crossing, a 1,037-acre New Orleans-style traditional neighborhood development being built by Baton Rouge developer Garry Lewis, also remains on target. Sherman Messer of Messer Real Estate says construction is scheduled to begin in the next 30 days on 80 condominiums, once permits are issued. A shopping center is finished and has two tenants —a bridal shop and an insurance firm. An ExxonMobil convenience store will go up shortly, and there’s a pending contract for a Holiday Inn Express. The 800-seat Suma Hill Conference Center begins offering Branson, Mo.-style shows in May. And the Livingston Parish School Board is considering construction of an elementary and a middle school on donated land. In all, Suma Crossing will consist of 610,000 square feet of retail and 1.1 million square feet of medical and office space, with 11 restaurants and two hotels. A total of 380 multi-family units and 605 single-family homes are planned in the second phase of the project. Says Messer: “It’s coming along satisfactorily.”—Penny Font