Soon after the storm KB Homes and the Shaw Group announced their intention to build 20,000 new homes on a 3,000 acre tract of land near Avondale. Jefferson Parish seems thrilled. I wonder what the Urban Land Institute would recommend for this tract of land.


Calmer heads ultimately prevailed. Even though Jefferson Parish leaders enthusiastically supported the deal (why?) the project was abandoned in December 2006. Why? Could it have been the change in leadership at KBHomes or was it just common sense?



This is one of the few big undeveloped tracts of land remaining in the area.

• It is inside the westbank hurricane protection levee and technically eligible for development and flood insurance.
  
• It is on some of the most rapidly sinking land in the area having only been drained for about 20 years.
• It is on the Marcello property known as Churchill Farms
• It is due north of Lake Catahouatche, connected directly to Barataria Bay and the Gulf,  protected by zero miles of wetlands and a six foot high levee.
• It is just to the east of the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion Project.

Perhaps the new homes will all be concrete block houses on hydraulic jacks. Building slab on ground home would be a travesty. Click the satellite button to see exactly where the construction will take place.

Do the math. Placing 20,000 homes on 3000 acres requires 7 homes on each acre. With an acre being roughly a 210 foot square, seven lots of 60 feet by 105 feet could be placed on each acre. If that seems pretty small consider what happens when you allocate 30% for the streets, green space and commercial buildings. You end up with 20,000 lots 60 feet wide by 70 feet deep. Its going to be be tight. KB Homes says they are targeting a price range of $150,000 to 250,000 per home.