New megadevelopment to break ground on Friday

The John Good Jr. developed community of Villaggio (Italian for Village) is that much closer to becoming a reality in Bossier City.
In fact, the upscale 64-acre development will have an official groundbreaking this coming Friday.
In my opinion, this community is a good thing because of its new urbanism point of view. Who wouldn't like to live in a place where you can literally walk or even skip merrily to shopping, dining, swimming and boating venues - right next to your home.
I lived in a "new urbanism" community in Tampa, Fla. There, neighbors would walk their children to school, within the community, and then meet for coffee at the local Starbuck's (within the community). It was great and I'm not kidding. You could walk to dinner on a Friday night and then walk home - no traffic, no hassles. You could even pick up dry cleaning along the way.
Villaggio will be on Highway 80 East, just east of Swan Lake Road and west of Bossier Parish Community College. In fact, the property will be within walking distance of Bossier Parrish Community College. Phase 1 construction is slated to cost of $80 to $90 million.
The mega-development will feature a sandy-beached lake, 55,000 square feet of retail space, multi-family housing with two and three bedroom apartments, town homes, dining, office and commercial space, and a lakeside promenade with the property’s trademark 45-foot clock tower. There also will be jogging/walking trails, swimming in designated areas, and paddle and sailboat rentals.
All this, Good said, for apartment rentals of about $700 to $1,300 per month.