08/21/2026
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๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ซ ๐
๐ซ๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐
FRANKLIN, LAโ A building where generations of St. Mary Parish residents were born, treated and cared for is being given a new purpose.
Community leaders, developers and project partners gathered Thursday for the groundbreaking of The Avenue, a $37 million senior housing development planned inside the former Franklin Foundation Hospital at 1501 Hospital Avenue.
The historic building, which closed in 2007, will be converted into 72 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments for residents ages 55 and older. The project is being led by New Orleans Restoration Properties LLC and Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation. โFor decades, this building was Franklinโs hospital, the place where generations of St. Mary Parish families welcomed their children into the world,โ developer Paul Irons said during the ceremony. โToday, we break ground on its next chapter.โ
๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ $261 ๐ต๐ฐ $859
Monthly rents at The Avenue will be based on household income and the affordability level assigned to each unit. According to project representatives, rents are expected to range from $261 per month for the most deeply discounted one-bedroom units to $859 per month for two-bedroom units designated for households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income, or AMI. Actual rent and eligibility will depend on the applicantโs income and the unit for which they qualify.
The property will be managed by HRIM Property Management, which will oversee the application and qualification process. Project representatives said application information will be made available to the community.
๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ช๐ด๐ช๐ข๐ฏ๐ข ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ
Each apartment is expected to include a washer and dryer, stone countertops, central air and heat, and energy-efficient appliances. Developers said the property will also include features intended to help residents remain safe during hurricanes and other emergencies. Plans include a fortified roof, backup power for elevators and emergency lighting, a dedicated cooling room and emergency refrigeration support for apartments.
The goal, Irons said, is to help residents protect refrigerated food and safely shelter in place when evacuation is unnecessary or difficult. The building is also expected to meet Enterprise Green Communities standards, which focus on energy efficiency, resident health and environmentally responsible construction.
๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด
Plans for The Avenue include approximately 3,000 square feet of flexible community space where local organizations can provide services directly to residents.
Developers said the space could be used for health screenings, wellness programs, Meals on Wheels services, transportation assistance, utility support and other programs offered through organizations such as Teche Health, St. Mary Council on Aging and St. Mary Community Action Agency. โWeโre creating a hub here that really puts a cocoon around the seniors and provides them everything they need in a convenient location,โ Irons said.
Dr. Gary Wiltz, who spent years working inside the former hospital, described the redevelopment as a โgame changer,โ particularly for older residents who can face disruptions in health care and transportation during hurricanes. Wiltz said the projectโs storm-related safety features could provide greater stability and confidence for seniors and their families.
๐ ๐บ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ด-๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ฉ
Beverly Domengeaux, executive director of the St. Mary Council on Aging, said efforts to turn the former hospital into housing for seniors date back several years.
Domengeaux recalled approaching the hospital board with the idea and later gathering more than 60 preliminary applications from seniors interested in living at the property. Those early efforts did not immediately secure the funding needed to move forward, but she kept the applications and continued pushing for the project. โI thought deep in my heart one of these days it was going to come to fruition,โ Domengeaux said. โAnd it did.โ
She described senior citizens as part of the foundation of St. Mary Parish and said the project represents a major accomplishment for the community.
๐๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ
The former hospital was constructed in the early 1950s and later expanded. After hospital operations moved to a newer facility, the property remained vacant for years while local leaders searched for a viable way to preserve and reuse it.
Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard said the building carries deep personal meaning for many residents, including himself and his wife, who were both born there.
Foulcard said revitalizing Franklin cannot be limited to Main Street or one section of the city. It must also include finding productive new uses for vacant, deteriorating and underused properties throughout the community. โInstead of watching this historic property remain vacant and deteriorate, we are seeing it being given new purpose and new life,โ Foulcard said.
St. Mary Economic Development Director Evan Boudreaux said the project demonstrates that older community landmarks do not have to be abandoned. โWith vision and partnership, there can be new purpose,โ Boudreaux said. โWeโre not simply breaking ground. Weโre renewing a promise that Franklin honors its history, values its seniors and is willing to work together to build a stronger future.โ
๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐บ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ
Financing for The Avenue includes tax-exempt bonds, federal low-income housing tax credits, federal and state historic tax credits, a construction loan from Home Bank and funding connected to the Federal Home Loan Banks of Dallas and Atlanta.
The St. Mary Parish Industrial Development Board also approved a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement to help make the affordable housing project financially feasible. Speakers acknowledged that the redevelopment faced rising construction costs, changing investment markets and the difficulty of restoring a building that had been vacant for years.
Despite those challenges, the project reached the construction stage through cooperation among developers, financial institutions, health care providers, senior-service organizations and city, parish and state officials.
For Franklin, Thursdayโs groundbreaking marked more than the beginning of another construction project. It marked the return of a building that has already played a role in thousands of local lives. The former hospital once welcomed generations into the world. Its next chapter will provide members of those generations with a place to call home.
Parish Plug will share application dates, income eligibility requirements, move-in timelines and other leasing information once those details are officially released.
