Baton Rouge, LA — The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) celebrated the grand opening of the Cypress River Lofts located on the corner of Duane and Oklahoma streets near Downtown Baton Rouge.
The 19 units in the Cypress River Lofts feature housing appliances such as washers, dryers, and ceiling fans. Residents will have the option between one-bedroom or three-bedroom units. The location of the affordable housing complex provides easy access to the Highland Road/Nicholson Drive Exit which recently received renovations from the Louisiana Department of Transportation. The Office of Community Development helped fund 15 of those units featured in the 19-unit apartment complex.
LHC awarded $5,015,000 through HOME funds, and the Office of Community Development awarded $1.5M in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery funds through the Neighborhood Landlord Rental Program (NLRP). LHC created the Neighborhood Landlord Rental Program to assist eligible landlord applicants in developing infill residential rental housing in areas affected by the 2016 severe storms and floods.
"At the time, we saw the complete devastation brought to the capital region, and we knew our resources and funding could help bring back quality housing for those who lost so much after the 2016 weather-related events," said LHC Executive Director Kevin Delahoussaye. "Applicants under the Neighborhood Landlord Rental Program had to construct new residential rental housing or renovate existing units. Our ultimate goal was to design a program that gave back to the community and its residents."
NLRP is funded through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR). LHC and the Office of Community Development worked together to provide the necessary funding for developments like the Cypress River Lofts.
“The Louisiana Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery is pleased to invest $1.5 million in disaster recovery funding into the Cypress River Lofts affordable housing complex through the Neighborhood Landlord Rental Program,” LOCD-DR Executive Director Gina Campo said. “In partnership with LHC, we created this program to help landlords develop rental housing in areas affected by the 2016 severe storms and floods. This complex will provide 19 units of affordable housing with easy access to the amenities of downtown Baton Rouge, filling a critical need to replace affordable units lost or damaged by the storms.”
Partners Southeast Development has focused on revitalizing the South Baton Rouge area since 2002 when the East Baton Rouge Housing Authority received a grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Cypress River Lofts is just one of a few projects that have been built in South Baton Rouge in the last twenty years.
Milton J. Womack, Inc. and Legette Construction Joint Venture performed the general contract work. The architecture was done by RHH.
There is a waitlist for application acceptance. For those interested in applying for the Cypress River Lofts, go to the Roosevelt Terrace Apartments located at 1255 W. Roosevelt St., Baton Rouge, LA 70802.
To learn more about this project, please visit the Partners Southeast's Website.
