LeBlanc's Food Store to anchor development on Airline in Ascension

Published Jun 29, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated Jun 29, 2012)

A retail development to be built on 15 acres of vacant land at the corner of Airline Highway and Duplessis/Germany Road in Ascension Parish will be anchored by a LeBlanc's Food Store, says Alex Knight of Donnie Jarreau Real Estate. Knight represented Ranmar LLC in its purchase of the 15 acres on Thursday for roughly $3.3 million, or about $221,900 per acre. "Right now it's pretty bare around there for retail, but this will definitely jumpstart retail development in that immediate area," Knight says. Plans are in the preliminary stages for the grocery store and the rest of the retail development; and though no specific timeline has been set, he says, one tentative goal is to have the grocery store open by fall 2013. It will likely measure between 40,000 and 50,000 square feet, Knight says. Headquartered in Gonzales, LeBlanc's Food Store is Associated Grocers of Baton Rouge's largest operators. It will be LeBlanc's ninth store overall and its first new build-out of a store. Three of the four sellers of the 15 acres—Theo and Blanche Bueto and Lori LeBlanc Anderson—were represented by Ronnie Comeaux with Real Estate America Inc. Robert Svendson with Beau Box Commercial Real represented the other seller, Sydney Snyder. —Steve Sanoski