BATON ROUGE – The Metro Council has voted in favor of creating a new developmental district near the intersection of Nicholson Drive and Bluebonnet Boulevard.  

According to The Advocate, Mike Wampold, founder and owner of Baton Rouge’s Wampold Companies, is behind the venture. 

The community is expected to include single and multifamily homes, commercial offices, and retail space.

The Metro Council okayed Wampold’s request to create the Harveston Economic Development District, which would allow him to apply tax incremental financing to fund a portion of his project.

The project isn't completely finalized at this point, still in its elementary stages, it has yet to be submitted to city-parish for planning and zoning approval. 

The district’s creation allows Wampold to receive annual rebates from the city-parish on all the revenue collected within its boundaries from the parish’s 2% sales tax, an estimated $2.3 million annually.

Wampold’s preliminary plans for the development will include more than $56 million in construction of new roads, utilities installations, and other improvements to the area.

Councilman, Dwight Hudson, spoke to The Advocate before Wednesday’s unanimous council vote, saying, “I see this as a way to get some infrastructure in place that we’re not going to get otherwise.”

According to the project synopsis submitted to the council, the site will bring significant commercial development to an area that's primarily residential.

The area will also include a K-12 charter school, church, more than one health and wellness facility, a retirement community, and a grocery store.

The area may also be designated as a crime prevention district, which would include space for a sheriff’s substation and a fire station.

The project’s construction is projected to create more than 1,000 jobs.