By Lauren Pope
Old Scenic Highway continues to experience its boom, and Michael Stricklin of Stricklin & Porter (and nearly a dozen other local businesses) says it’s Highway 19’s turn.
The new Zachary Police Station will soon anchor the area with an $8 million, 21,000-square-foot campus. The Montegudo Boulevard bypass and its offshoots offer travelers a quick way to zip from Hwy. 19 to the new amenities coming to Main Street, like Starbucks. And Stricklin has his eyes set on several revitalization efforts along the thoroughfare leading into Slaughter that will add up to a big difference.
It’s All in the Details
If you’ve driven past the old Rip’s Photography building lately, you might have seen this facelift in action, as it’s the new office for Stricklin & Porter. Gone is the gravel parking lot, replaced by smooth concrete. A fresh brick facade and new windows give the building a modern feel. That brick isn’t any ol’ builders grade brick, either. Stricklin is particular about materials. “I wanted something that will look good for a long time to come,” he explains. “This brick isn’t meant to be painted over.”
That passion for details extends to his other projects as well. He wants his buildings to have a sense of permanency and weight.
“When they built the subdivisions off 64, a lot of new businesses were built up to support that area. I want to bring that to 19.”
His talk of housing isn’t incidental. Stricklin & Porter is currently building in the Clairmont subdivision off Rollins Road, but they’ve also recently announced a new 59 lot custom subdivision called Munson Hills.
This 106 acre development will be located off Highway 19 just past Pride Port Hudson in the Zachary school district. With Munson Hills, Stricklin & Porter promises a full spectrum of custom designs, precision craftsmanship, and innovative features and amenities.
There’s a big difference between when a big corporate builder comes into an area, versus a guy like Stricklin. He’s building the places he’d like to see in his community, and he and his partners and family have the crews, the expertise, and the suite of equipment and portfolio of businesses to do so. Arms of the business now include residential and commercial new construction and remodeling, earthwork and land clearing with land development, demolition, dumpster rentals, custom cabinetry, a Bull appliance distributor, Zachary Tree Service, Zachary Fence and Paradigm Home Staging – so it’s safe to say, they’ve got what it takes to make their visions a reality.
Bringing the Vision to Life
Back on Highway 19, that means pouring concrete and bricking over metal buildings. In addition to Rip’s, he’s currently renovating the location that previously housed Parker’s Meat Market and Premier Produce, several homesites, and is almost ready to announce the acquisition of one very exciting property in the heart of the district, as well as a tract of land.
If anyone has land they need cleared in the area or a great idea for a business, he’s listening. And he and the crews stand ready to help visions come to life, old properties find new meaning, and bring growth and revitalization to another main artery of Zachary.
For more stories about local developers and their projects in Zachary from the RenaiZance special section, click here.
