There's a little something for everyone at the up-and-coming Enclave development, a community of townhouses situated around parks and plazas with contemporary twists located in Lafayette's historic Pilette settlement on West Pinhook Road.
There's a little something for everyone at the up-and-coming Enclave development, a community of townhouses situated around parks and plazas with contemporary twists located in Lafayette's historic Pilette settlement on West Pinhook Road.
Photos by Robin May
The trio behind Enclave: Jay Chauvin (with son Eli), Jacob Landry and Stephen Ortego
Spanning 8.2 acres, Enclave will have a youth soccer field doubling as a rainwater detention pond, pedestrian friendly sidewalks lined with 100-year-old live oaks and 90 eco-friendly townhouses - some in the plaza will be mixed use commercial units and live/work spaces where the bottom floor functions as a retail or business; others are randomized townhouses catering to people from all walks of life.
"The whole point was to try and create a community where you don't have everyone the same," says designer Stephen Ortego, who has a master's degree in architecture from Tulane. "So often, a conventional design separates young professionals here, divorcees here, families here, retirees here - we're trying to put all those people together like you'd see in old towns."
There are three prototypes ranging from $1,300-1,600 per month to rent: La Pilette, La Nique and La Liberté.
La Pilette, geared toward young professionals, is 1,610 square foot, comprising two bedrooms, two baths and a two-car garage. Its living room, dining room and kitchen are on the top floor overlooking the parks and plazas. These sell for $169,000, or $104.97 per square foot.
La Nique features three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a two-car garage and space to work or play comparable to a conventional suburban home. This 1,870-square-foot space is $195,000, or $104.28 per square foot to purchase.
La Liberté, designed with retirees in mind, has three bedrooms with the master on the first floor, two baths and a two-car garage. At 1,760 square feet, La Liberté is $182,000, or $103.41 per square foot.
"The three prototypes are repeated in random patterns," explains Ortego, who also serves in the Legislature as a state representative. "Everyone will have their own unit, so no one will be exactly the same. The layout will be the same, but the material pallet that we use on it will change with each one - the colors will change - it will really feel like a real neighborhood and not just repeating the same thing."
The townhomes are energy efficient with Low-E windows, low VOC paint, spray foam insulation and durable material pallets.
"The walkability is also a green feature. They can walk down the street and grab their groceries, or go to a sandwich shop or café," says Ortego. "We'll have tree-lined, wide sidewalks so that it increases pedestrianship, and we'll also have street parking, which makes pedestrians feel more comfortable because they're protected by the cars that are parked from the cars that are driving by."
The backyards are small, but the shared spaces like the parks, soccer field, basketball/tennis court and sidewalks are a good place for kids to run and neighbors to meet one another and increase the traditional community vibe while enjoying a contemporary backdrop.
At the site's ground-breaking at 2903 W. Pinhook Road, real estate agent Jacob Landry says after the first phase is completed, sometime during the end of May and beginning of June, four units will be available on the market ready to be rented or purchased.
"These next four will be available probably about a month after," notes Landry. "Four [units] in a row will follow each other every four to six weeks."