The Mandeville Trailhead will soon enjoy the authentic Italian cuisine of a local restaurant owner – Giovanni “Gio” Vanchere – who was also a high-profile chef in Vegas while operating award-winning restaurants and briefly acting as the catering director at Caesars Palace. Vanchere will be moving his 10-year-old restaurant Gio’s Villa Vancheri to the corner of Woodrow and Lafitte Streets at 690 Lafitte St. in Mandeville.

This well-known Mandeville treasure has been located on the East Causeway Approach next to a Vietnamese

restaurant for over 10 years and has had a steady and loyal clientele, especially considering that getting to the restaurant was sometimes hampered by the road construction that had been an almost 3-year ordeal for people living and working off of Florida St. and Hwy. 190.  The new location previously housed the Opal Basil restaurant, which served its last meal April 29th.

The new location of Gio’s Villa Vancheri will open around June 17th. Vanchere is pleased to now own a location, instead of renting one, and he is going to use all of the available square footage to showcase his wares.  The bottom level of the new restaurant will features tapas – European-style – and an antipasti bar.  Outdoor seating will be available on the second floor and will be the main part of the restaurant serving the authentic Italian dishes that have made Vanchere popular over the last 10 years.

“It’s been very gratifying to have the following of friends we have now and our new location will have more room for them,” he said. “And, it will be my own building.”

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The Candy Bank, located in Mandeville at the corner of Claiborne and Carroll Street, famous slogan is “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!” This sweet filled store sells candy and ice cream and is owned by Thomas and Lisa Keiffer. Why they chose this catchy phrase can be explained by the history of this well-known Old Mandeville

landmark.

St. Tammany Banking Company and Savings Bank was founded in 1905. The first president and one of its founders was Harvey E. Ellis.  The bank opened a branch in Mandeville and was the first tenant to occupy the building in 1907.  The company opened its doors with $5000 in stock on January 1, 1907.

The building was built in the Beaux Arts style that was popular from 1880 to the 1920’s and was not only the largest building around but also the sturdiest.  Along with its decorative touches such as a gable roof with exposed rafters and intricate cornices, the building was built like a “German Bunker.”  Locals knew this was the place to go when inclement weather was upon them. “The old vault is the place to go,” said current owner Thomas Keiffer. A well-known 20th century author Arthemise Goertz refers to the large bank building in her novel, “New Heaven, New Earth.” The main character, Dr. Victor duRocher, declares: “When the fences go, we must go too. We must get out. We must go to the bank building.”

With the change in the commercial corridor of Old Mandeville from Carroll Street to Girod Street the bank building has since housed many different tenants and businesses. The building has been a previous owner’s residence, a legal office, a medical office, a photography studio, a pet supply store and a coffee house. Many Mandeville residents even remember when the building was part of Windhaven Antiques owned by Ms. Dale Gale. Luckily this old historical landmark has kept up with the times and has held its purpose.

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As Andrew Grant the famous author puts it, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”  This is a focal point when it comes to the streetscapes on Interstate 12 interchanges in St. Tammany Parish.

“The first impression of St. Tammany needs to be a positive one. We want them to like it and come back. This is our one good chance to make a good first impression”, says administration spokesman Ronnie Simpson.

 

St. Tammany Parish has six economic districts that are focusing on improving.  Parish officials point out that improving these districts by giving each district their own unique design standards will enhance St. Tammany’s appearance making it more attractive for residents, visitors, and potential home buyers. Each district will be given its own name, custom sign, unique banners, landscaping, tree preservation, sidewalks and the use of swales and rain gardens to manage the storm water.

“The vision for each of these districts is to underscore the distinctive identities of each of these communities and to entice the visitor or the resident driving by to come into that community,” Parish President Pat Brister. “This is a proven strategy for increasing economic development by enhancing the attractiveness of the community and the businesses within the community, and as a result, commerce and revenue are increased.”

Potential names and designs are already on the horizon for the six districts’ I-12 interchanges.  A list of names include, Coquille District at the interchange of Louisiana 1077, Arts District at the interchange of Louisiana 21, Little Creek District at the interchange of Louisiana 59, Fontainbleau District at the interchange of Louisiana 1088, Centerpoint District at the interchange of Louisiana 434 and Crossroads District at Airport Road.  Concept designs

are already in place for some which include Coquille District’s logo of the lighthouse along Lake Pontchartrain in Madisonville and Little Creek District’s logo which shows a bicyclist along Tammany Trace.

A 3/4 cent sales tax, approved by the parish earlier this year, is anticipated to bring in approximately $4 million which will be allotted to economic development projects.

“Essentially what we’re talking about is each of these districts are the front door of our parish as people come in and out of our parish,” Simpson said.

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When it comes to the bustling population of a community, senior citizens are often over looked but the 55 and over make up a good portion of the St. Tammany population.  With this in mind, the Archdiocese of New Orleans has built a unique senior living community in Covington called St. Anthony’s Gardens. The community is located on 24 acres and sits approximately 100 yards from Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church. The $40 million dollar community will rent the apartments on a monthly basis with no large cash buy-in required making it the only private pay senior living community on the Northshore.

St. Anthony Gardens can be compared to a resort with its many resort style features and amenities.  The Garden Center Commons area has it all.  As with any resort, there is an elegant dining room and private dining room. Residents can stay fit and healthy in one of the multiple exercise rooms, cardio and strength training rooms,

walking paths and Wellness clinic with medical exam room.  They can stay busy at the theater, library with resident business center, beauty salon, barber shop, and arts and crafts studio.  For solitude and reflection there is also an On-site chapel and covered porch.

Archbishop Aymond said, “There is a great deal of growth that continues on the northshore, and we, as church, realized there was a demand for a senior living facility. It’s important for the church to reach out and create a home for its citizens.” There are three new home residential options.  According to Ken Swartzfager, asset manager for the project, “This is considered a Continuous Care Residential Community (CCRC), where you can easily transition from one stage of life to the next.”

The first option is “Independent Living” where residents can enjoy a healthy, active independent lifestyle along with the amenities and services provided by St. Anthony’s Gardens.  Residents will be provided with housekeeping, lawn service, 24-hour concierge service, complimentary transportation to scheduled events, basic cable, HDTV digital audio/video output, high-speed internet, free local/National long distance calling and home repairs.  The 120 independent living units (studio, one bedroom or two bedroom) feature 9 ft. ceilings with crown molding in living and dining areas, gourmet style kitchen with island and breakfast bar, full-sized kitchen appliances plus washer and dryer, generous walk-in closets and best of all they are pet-friendly.

The second option is “Assisted Living” which consists of 57 studio, one bedroom or two bedroom floorplans.  According to the community website, residents are “Home but Never Lonely.”  The assisted living residents will enjoy a kitchenette, 24-hour security and emergency call system, individual heating and cooling controls and plenty of storage space in each unit.  The residents will be provided with assistance with activities and daily living, medication management, weekly housekeeping and linen services, three meals daily in restaurant-style dining room or room service, transportation to (medical care, stores and community services), and social and recreational activities.

The third option is called “Memory Care” and is dedicated for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.  The 36 spacious suites include 24-hour security and emergency call system, three meals a day served family style or room service, medication administration, weekly housekeeping and linen services, daily activity programming, physical and occupational therapy, and a full calendar of resident activities. This area not only has full time loving care staff, but also keeps their special residents in mind with dedicated secure walking areas, scheduled transportation and specialized activities in the craft room.

John Eckholdt, former chief executive officer of the archdiocese says, “It’s state of the art and very safe. There’s a nice neighborhood and a major hospital almost within walking distance. The church is there. And, the fact that the archdiocese’s name is attached to it is a sign to people that it’s going to be well-done and people will be cared for.”  Those that are looking to downsize from a larger home and live on the Northshore now have a new residential option. In fact, Covington’s new development already has its first resident.  Stanley and Frances Bridges have moved into an independent living home and feel blessed that they are able to stay in the community they have lived in.  Stanley Bridges grew up in Covington and retired as a pharmacist at Herbert Drugs. When asked about his new home, he said, “It’s fantastic – they treat you like royalty.” The development is not only a great place for Northshore senior citizens but will also be a hub for employment for Northshore residents. “When the community is fully occupied, St. Anthony’s Gardens should employ nearly 100 people”, Swartzfager said.

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One of the key factors to success in any kind of business is supply and demand. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) agrees that this principle has boosted home pricing in the current housing market. NAR’s chief economist Lawrence Yun believes the housing market is still going strong because of the lack of inventory even though data shows a modest growth rate reduction.

Yun states,”…with homebuilding activity still failing to keep up with demand and not enough current homeowners putting their home up for sale, prices continued their strong ascent – and in many markets at a rate well above income growth.”

In the second quarter of last year the peak existing single-family home price was $229,400, this year however, the second quarter single-family home price has risen 4.9% with a median single-family home price of $240,700.

According to NAR findings, new construction cannot keep up with the demand for new homes.  In the second quarter this year 40% of the listings sold over their listing price. “Many listings in a majority of markets – and especially those in lower price ranges — had multiple offers and went under contract quickly because of severely inadequate supply,” Yun added.

This coupled with low mortgage rates have many potential home buyers wanting to purchase a new home now.  In the Northeast region there was a 7.6% increase in existing homes sales and the median home price increased to $273,600. The Midwest, though not as high of an increase, was 10.4% in total existing-home sales with a median price of $191,300. The West came in next with a 1.4% increase in total existing-home sales with a median home price of $345,500.  The South came in last with a 0.3% increase with a median home price of $214,900.

Whether you are in the market to sell a home or purchase a home, now is the right time.  The housing market is holding strong and is a great investment for your money.  Locally in St. Tammany Parish, Ron Lee Homes, a new home builder in Covington, Louisiana, is building new homes for sale as well as completely custom homes designed completely from your vision of how you would like your new home to be.  We have been keeping a steady pace of new construction for the past 2 years, and we are constantly meeting with new custom home buyers as well as buyers who are looking for homes to buy immediately.  If you are interested in building or buying a new home, Contact Us at 985-626-7619 or E-mail Info@RonLeeHomes.com.

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