Construction is set to begin Monday on the Manchac Lakes Apartments complex, a 272-unit upscale development that will be located on a 23.3-acre site on the north side of Airline Highway in Ascension Parish, just across the parish line.
The development will consist of 132 one-bedroom, 128-two bedrooms and 12 three-bedroom units, with a mix of direct access, garages and standalone garages. It will also have a clubhouse and pool.
“There’s a lot of growth in that area on both sides of the parish line,” says Matt McKay, who acquired the property for the project nearly seven years ago and is developing the complex. “We think it’s going to be a good spot.”
Though East Baton Rouge Parish has dozens of multifamily developments totaling more than 1,600 units either under construction or on the drawing board, Ascension Parish has relatively few. That’s likely to change, given the growth in commercial and single-family development that continues to creep from the east.
“There aren’t a lot of upscale apartment complexes in Ascension, so we think this will fill a niche,” McKay says.
McKay began planning for Manchac Lakes in 2009, but the project was twice delayed, first because of the collapse of the national real estate market and then because of environmental and regulatory hurdles.
Securing financing for the project also took time. The development will be financed with federal HUD loans. Closing on the financing is scheduled for Friday.
Amesbury Companies is managing the project. Womack Construction is the general contractor. Construction is expected to take 18 months, though McKay says the clubhouse and first building should be completed by the end of the year.
—Stephanie Riegel
