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Work is underway on an 82 apartment, affordable-living Bayou Cane complex.
Terrebonne Parish is partnering with Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans and the Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation (RNDC) on the development, which is located on Synergy Center Boulevard. Officials gathered last Wednesday to celebrate the project.
The one- and two-bedroom living facilities will come equipped with major appliances, including a washer and dryer.
Terrebonne presented its $5.7 million Block Grant to RDNC, which is a subsidiary of Volunteers of America, to build the complex. The subsidiary formed in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina with the goal of getting back workforce housing destroyed by the storm.
“We are not a high-end market rate developer. We do not do all low-income (housing),” RNDC Executive Director Victor Smeltz said. “We try to serve people who earn anywhere from minimum wage to $35 or so per hour. That is what this project is designed to do.”
Smeltz said the Bayou Cane complex is not a high-end market rate property but does have amenities normally associated with more expensive apartment living.
“We have high ceilings and lots of windows so they feel a lot bigger,” he said. “The rooms were thoughtfully laid out so there is no wasted space.”
According to Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet, as the economy in Terrebonne Parish continues to grow, the need for affordable housing has grown.
“This is great. We need housing for our workforce because our economy is expanding,” Claudet said. “We need quality-of-life improvements to keep up with what is going on in Terrebonne Parish.
“This is a place that you could move your mother in if she needed a place to stay at some point in time. This is a great opportunity for Terrebonne,” he added.
The complex will include a playground with a giant chessboard, along with a pirate ship that children can climb. It will also have a nature trail and dog park with a dog wash station and a community center.
