Capstone at the Oaks senior living complex nearing completion
Published 4:01 pm Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Capstone at the Oaks Senior Living at 2401 6th St. will have 120 total units — 66 of the units will have one bedroom and 54 of the units will have two bedrooms. Residents will be required to be 62 or older, and meet the requirements outlined by the low-income housing tax guidelines. (Crystal Stevenson / American Press)
Jackie Green, executive director for the Calcasieu Council on Aging, said the council’s partnership with The Banyan Foundation will improve the quality of life for future residents of Capstone at the Oaks. (Crystal Stevenson / American Press)
Calcasieu Parish Police Juror Anthony Bartie tours the porch of a two-bedroom unit under construction. (Crystal Stevenson / American Press)
The Capstone at the Oaks Senior Living complex will have 120 total units — 66 of the units will have one bedroom and 54 of the units will have two bedrooms. This a bedroom still under s two-bedroom unit. (Crystal Stevenson / American Press)
The Capstone at the Oaks Senior Living complex will have 120 total units — 66 of the units will have one bedroom and 54 of the units will have two bedrooms. This is the kitchen area of a two-bedroom unit. (Crystal Stevenson / American Press)
Spray foam insulation lines hallways of the Capstone at the Oaks Senior Living, under construction now on 6th Street. (Crystal Stevenson / American Press)
Construction on the Capstone at the Oaks senior living complex — a partnership between the Calcasieu Council on Aging and The Banyan Foundation — is expected to be complete this summer.
CCOA Executive Director Jackie Green said during a “topping off” ceremony Tuesday at the 6th Street site that 85 seniors are already on the waiting list for one of the 120 units available. Staff members have also applied.
She said 66 units will have one bedroom and 54 will have two bedrooms. Residents will be required to be 62 or older, and meet the requirements outlined by the low-income housing tax guidelines.
“We’re going to have our CCOA family here to make sure we have local people on site who are familiar with the area who can say, ‘I know where the pharmacy is, I know who to call if you can’t pay your light bill, I know who to call if you’re running short on groceries.’ We’re going to be feeding folks daily here, we’re going to be coordinating transportation and making sure they’re playing bingo once or twice a week in the common room. We’re very excited and looking forward to it.”
The Banyan Foundation is a non-profit affordable housing development organization based out of Santa Barbara, Calif., that specializes in multi-family housing with an emphasis on senior housing.
Mayor Nic Hunter said when he originally met with The Banyan Foundation about possible locations in Lake Charles, he asked if their group would be willing to invest in an area of the city that hadn’t received such an investment in decades.
They were.
“And now we have the complex nearing completion, we have a park being built adjacent to the complex and the Lake Charles Fire Department Training Center being built around the corner,” Hunter said. “That’s about $35 million in investment dollars in a two- to three-block area. That’s unprecedented.”
Green said Banyan Foundation members — who took the time to connect with the culture and needs of the area before developing the project — have become like family.
“They care about what we care about and what’s important to us and our community,” she said. “This is our community and they are now part of that community and they listened and they understood what we were telling them of what was important to our Calcasieu residents.”
Rob Coats, president and CEO at The Banyan Foundation, said the project is using local supplies and local construction crews. It’s also being built to Fortified Home gold standards — including enhanced nailing, a sealed roof deck and locked down edges to give the complex the best chance of weathering a storm.
“When we have the next hurricane, this particular building will be standing and it will be in good condition,” he said.
