BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The first phase of a new community development in North Baton Rouge has opened after more than 10 years of planning, with the first residents moving into Cypress at Ardendale.

Olivia Alder recently moved into one of the 170 units that mark the completion of phase one of Partner Southeast’s multi-phase development.

“I just think it’s like perfect here,” Alder said. “It’s about 15 minutes from campus, but I feel like if you have a car, like it’s not that bad. And it’s close to all the grocery stores anywhere I go.”

Alder said residents in the neighborhood are welcoming and noted the recent completion of a business center that will include a gym and pool.

Expansion plans underway

Over the next two to three years, 434 more units will be added to the development. Partner Southeast has closed on phase two and started construction on the Ardendale Senior Community, which will add another 70 units for seniors adjacent to the current development.

CEO J. Wesley Daniels Jr. said the community was designed with intentionality across four phases to provide families a place to live and thrive while embracing education from cradle to career.

“When you walk down the street, you’ll notice the intentionality of even the street names. Imagination Parkway, Scholars Avenue, Vision,” Daniels said. “These names and these words evoke positivity. It evokes vision. It evokes all the different aspirational goals that we want our families that live here.”

Broader redevelopment goals

The development is part of a larger initiative to reshape and redefine North Baton Rouge by connecting families to educational opportunities.

Daniels said the level of detail in design and construction makes this a place where anyone with any income level would want to live.

“When we complete this overall redevelopment transformation in this community, there’ll be over $400 million invested directly in this zip code, and we’re proud of that,” Daniels said. “That’s public and private partnership. That’s strategic leveraging of dollars from the public and the private side, ensuring that the people and the families that live within this community have an opportunity to live and thrive.”

Applications are open for those interested in living in the community.

‍