Recent Expansion Complete

What Goes On At Southside Gardens ?

Southside Gardens will celebrate its 20^th anniversary next year and some people who drive by every day still wonder what goes on there.

“From time to time I still have people ask me what kind of place it is,” said Administrator Mark Calvit. “They have been driving by for years and wondering.”

For those who may have wondered, we will solve the mystery by explaining that in 1989 Southside Gardens opened as a small retirement center designed to cater to the needs of the aging community of South Baton Rouge. It has grown over the years and today provides 138 units for approximately 150 people.

Independent Living
Southside Gardens offers ninety-seven independent living retirement apartments and 41 for people who require an assisted living situation.

“Of course it started with a feasibility study that identified the need for a retirement facility in this area,” explained Calvit. “The fact that we generally run at over 95 percent occupancy proves the study was on target.”

Calvit said the corner of Perkins and Lee has turned out to be an ideal location. It is near the population center of East Baton Rouge Parish, plus it is close to the medical complex just off I-10 in the Essen and Bluebonnet area.

“My work is very rewarding,” said Calvit who received a degree in journalism from LSU and who resides with his family in Woodstone subdivision in the Highland Road area. “I was at a similar place in the Sherwood Forest Boulevard area for four years and I have been here for eight years.”

New Assisted Living Units
Southside Gardens recently completed a 6,000-square-foot addition that provided eight more assisted living apartments for a total of 28,000 square feet in that portion. The independent living units cover 75,000 square feet. “That’s about it for this facility,” said Calvit. “We are out of land.”

Calvit said the increasing cost of food and supplies is affecting Southside Gardens right now just as it is many other businesses. “We are doing everything we can to assure the comfort, safety and security of our residents every day,” he said. “It is very challenging and at the same time very rewarding work.