SLIDELL, LA - St. Tammany Parish leaders announced a massive new development near I-10 in Slidell near the new Fremaux interchange. It is part residential, part business and is supposed to feature a research and development facility for the University of New Orleans. For decades, Fremaux Avenue has been lined with trees, small businesses and individual homes. "Now it's going to change," said Slidell Mayor Ben Morris, "It's not just going to be one of the big box standard things that people throw up. It's going to be a beautiful site with amenities that will satisfy just about everyone."
St. Tammany Parish leaders, developers and land owners Robert and Debi Levis broke ground on the 400-acre development on the south side of I-10 Wednesday morning. "It'll have a retail component, residential, office, UNO," said developer Jeffery Bayer, "We'll have hotels. We think we'll have a medical facility here."
The first major retail part of the development is expected to open by 2010, according to Bayer. "This is, from the best I can tell, one of the largest developments going on in the state of Louisiana right now," Morris said. The developer, Bayer, said he's already signed with department stores like Dillard's and Barnes & Noble to make up part of the retail mix. "We'll probably end up with about seven or eight restaurants, some of them almost done, so, I'm not really at liberty to say, and some of the retailers that you'd find in Lakeside, Lakeside mall," said Bayer.
Research and technology are also planned for the site, including a new University of New Orleans facility. University Chancellor Tim Ryan said Slidell provides a good location for the facility, between the NASA facilities at Michoud and Stennis in Mississippi. He said they're two facilities playing a role in the development of the replacement for the space shuttle.
"This is the number one project of NASA," Ryan said, "It's going to be built here. The University is already involved in Michoud and when we develop this facility as a research park, we hope to be able to attract businesses into this area who wouldn't come."
UNO's Chancellor said the new research facility won't cost the university anything to build because the land owners donated the site, and UNO's Research and Development Foundation will develop the building. In all, at full build-out, the developer said "The Summit Center" could be nearly a billion dollar project.
Source: WWLTV.com