Della Guidry
February 12, 2008
Robert Mike
February 14, 2008
Barring any last-minute complications, the president of a St. Mary Parish land development company believes his group will break ground on a River Ranch-type development, located south of Bayou Vista, by summer 2008.
Emerald Land Corporation President Michael Fogarty said the Village of Idlewild was given a non-conforming use variance – a formality to clear the way for the project to proceed – by the St. Mary Parish Board of Adjustments in January.
The next hurdle, however, may not be as simple.
Fogarty said the St. Mary Parish Council will have to establish a comprehensive zoning ordinance next to allow the 151-acre subdivision to be built. The ordinance will have to include commercial service businesses to accommodate Fogarty’s plans for the property, which include a diverse mix: agriculture, recreation and heavy industry encompassed by wilderness.
“We haven’t sold any lots or locked any deals as of yet, but there’s been lots of interest,” he said.
In recent weeks, Fogarty has been working with the parish to pave the way for the subdivision.
“I have to applaud St. Mary Parish government,” Fogarty said. “While they are excited and have been most cooperative with us in getting our needs met, they have their residents’ concerns foremost in their minds.”
“I would imagine there would have to be a public hearing or two on our project,” he said.
The Village of Idlewild will be located on U.S. Highway 90 in Bayou Vista, across from a local hotel, the Plantation Inn, and one of the parish’s industries, Cameron Iron Works. It will also be near a CLECO substation.
Fogarty said the subdivision would include 600 single-family lots measuring 5,000 square feet. The 1,500-square-foot homes will include all the familiar amenities, including fireplaces and wooden floors, he said.
The development will also include 300 apartments or condominiums, a 100- to 200-square-foot hotel, which will also include meeting room space, and 200 commercial sites for businesses or office space. It will also provide a fitness center as well as walking and jogging tracks on the property.
Fogarty said the architectural rendering includes an Amtrack station within Idlewild, but noted that the train company would have final approval of such an addition.
“We’re still studying the needs of this area. What we do with this project is going to be determined once that study has been completed,” Fogarty said.
Emerald Land is also looking to capitalize on the natural setting with the development, Fogarty explained. He said the community’s larger conservation land would be used for appropriate natural and recreational uses. A wildlife preserve and conservation area for birding, hunting and fishing, a preserve/research center and a modern equestrian facility would also be available to subdivision and parish residents, Fogarty said.
“St Mary Parish and Emerald Land specifically embody the Louisiana motto, ‘Sportman’s Paradise,’ and this development will reflect that because we will strive to promote a balance between community and nature,” he said.
St. Mary Parish Director of Economic Development Frank Fink sees the project as a boost for the area.
“Unlike similar projects, such as River Ranch in Lafayette, which had to get more than 100 variances issued before it could begin, we have been working with Emerald to facilitate this project in order to avoid timely and expensive delays,” Fink said.
“Our chances to have big box retailers locate across from our Wal-Mart Superstore are incredible,” he added.
Fink said parish access to the subdivision’s golf course, the Atchafalaya at Idlewild, and other amenities would be a boon.
Emerald Land owns the property on which Idlewild will be built, Fogarty said. Descendants of the Pharr and Clark families, the original landowners, first settled on the property in the early 1800s.
Slated to be built near Bayou Vista, the 151-acre Village of Idlewild will include 600 single-family lots, 300 apartments, commercial development and a proposed Amtrak station. * Rendering courtesy of EMERALD LAND CORPORATION
