Pointe-Marie, the 120-acre riverfront community straddling River Road and Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge, has opened a new chapter roughly a decade into its build-out. The developers have launched Phase III of the neighborhood's Village Estates District, pre-selling 59 larger homesites on the community's northern side after already moving more than 120 homesites in earlier phases.
The 120-acre development was designed around Louisiana small-town character, according to WBRZ. Phase III brings 59 larger homes along with three large ponds and new green space to the mixed-use development, which The Advocate describes as sitting on the southern edge of the parish. As The Advocate reports, Pointe-Marie is headed by brothers Rhaoul and Randy Guillaume, and homes there are priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million.
Construction Timeline and Buyer Demand
Randy Guillaume told the station construction on Phase III is already underway and is expected to wrap toward the end of the year, per the same report. The Guillaumes prepared the third-phase infrastructure while interest rates were high, with the hope that builders will buy lots once rates fall, The Advocate notes. Randy Guillaume added that some buyers are investing in a lot now and may not build for a year or two.
That patience tracks with a broader slowdown the paper flagged: construction across development types has slowed in recent years amid high operating costs and loan interest rates. A separate account from businessreport.com describes a Greater Baton Rouge housing market showing signs of shifting toward buyers, with homes taking longer to sell and sellers offering concessions amid affordability pressures.
From RV Resort to Bigger Family Lots
The shift toward larger homesites is not new for Pointe-Marie. The developers previously shelved plans for an RV and motorcoach district in the rear of the community, choosing instead to build larger single-family lots after concluding that demand for the RV concept wasn't there. In explaining the pivot, the developers said simply, according to Business Report: “People wanted bigger lots and bigger homes and we responded accordingly.”
That earlier reconfiguration turned 35 planned RV lots into 27 estate lots ranging from 6,000 to 8,000 square feet, the outlet reported. At the time, more than 30 single-family lots in The Central Square had already sold, with 22 homes completed or nearing completion. The Guillaumes, led by Rhaoul Guillaume Sr. alongside sons Rhaoul Jr. and Randy, originally acquired the Pointe-Marie land in 2011 for $4.1 million, per Business Report's reporting.
A Louisiana Take on a Florida Blueprint
Rhaoul and Randy Guillaume have said they drew inspiration from traditional neighborhood developments along Florida's Highway 30A, including Seaside and Rosemary Beach, according to The Advocate. Rhaoul Guillaume said the brothers adapt lessons from those places for a local audience, even as location-specific attributes differ. The Guillaumes describe their design approach as “21st century Louisiana” and say they want builders to bring their own strengths to the community while developing homesites according to Pointe-Marie's southern-architecture design principles.
The full development is meant to combine homes, cottages, townhomes, condos and hospitality accommodations with shopping, dining, health and wellness spaces, offices and entertainment, all within walking distance of one another, per WBRZ. Amenities already in place include a pool with cabanas, parks, playgrounds, a community garden and a dog park. Pointe-Marie also includes three residential neighborhoods extending to Nicholson Drive and a commercial district along River Road, The Advocate reports.
A Village Square for Nonprofits — and Casino Neighbors
Beyond the housing stock, Pointe-Marie has built a village square that functions as an outdoor event space hosting nonprofits and community gatherings, including Flower Fest, which benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Rhaoul Guillaume said he hopes the square helps nonprofits raise money and speak with donors in a comfortable, safe setting, according to The Advocate's reporting.
The community sits adjacent to L'Auberge Casino and is accessible via River Road to downtown Baton Rouge and the LSU campus. The Guillaumes have said they chose the property for its proximity to the river and its status as one of the parish's last undeveloped areas. Randy Guillaume said the development is intended to feel like a destination unlike anywhere else in Baton Rouge.
Other Traditional Neighborhoods Taking Shape Nearby
Pointe-Marie is one of several traditional neighborhood developments rising around Baton Rouge that pair residential and commercial components with walkable streets, often anchored by a grocery store or school. Rouzan, developed by Engquist Development, is anchored by a Sprouts Farmers Market; the Settlement at Willow Grove was developed by Richard Carmouche; and Long Farm Village is anchored by a Rouses grocery store, The Advocate notes.
Rouzan offers a useful point of comparison. Engquist-Rouzan Residential Development LLC paid $21 million for 65 acres intended for 375 to 400 additional lots, according to liverouzan.com. Rouzan itself sits on a 120-acre tract near Perkins and Glasgow roads where about 75 homes had been built, with a planned $50 million multifamily complex designed to add 280 high-end rental units and 15,000 square feet of retail space. John Engquist, the outlet notes, led a group that bought the 413-acre Americana development out of bankruptcy back in 2009.
Bigger Plans for the Nicholson Drive Corridor
Developers and local organizations are also investing further afield along the Nicholson Drive corridor, where talks about redevelopment have continued for more than a decade, The Advocate reports. Among the ideas on the table is bringing a carbon-capture startup incubator to the former Tin Roof Brewery site, with developers hoping it could help link downtown Baton Rouge and the LSU campus. A broader proposed corridor development would include residences, retail and office space, and the Guillaumes say they hope to eventually add shops, hotels and entertainment to Pointe-Marie's own commercial district as that larger vision takes shape.
