Lea Rutter Homes: A Simple Kind of Life

The effects of living in a fast-paced world are filtering out of the cities and into our once-peaceful suburbs. It all began in the eighties: the rise of cell phones carried with it a lifestyle emphasizing constant multitasking and activity. Through the next decades, life got only faster. However, in recent years a backlash has begun against this busy-bee existence. It has surfaced in a rise of new developments that return to a Cleaver-type neighborhood, a community of neighbors, where the town square is a walk away. This is the dream of Lea Rutter.

Soon to become a reality, Rutter, of Lea Rutter Homes, is in the process of developing Sugar Mill Olde Towne, a community in Houma that incorporates these traditional small-town ideas. It combines a residential neighborhood with a mini-commercial district to create a town within a town. While one may need to venture elsewhere for certain items, most of one’s everyday items can be found within walking distance.

The heart of Sugar Mill Olde Towne is this commercial district. Residents and visitors alike will be able to shop among locally owned stores for things that once required a visit to a mall. Already confirmed stores include Lorna Farrar, which carries women’s clothing; Shoe B’s, a women’s shoe store; and Bella Cosa, which sells fine gifts. Two stores offer more specialized items: visit Courtney Crozier’s Writefully Sew for handmade invitations and Angie Brown’s Designs in Windows for window treatments. Rutter is also working to include an antique store, completing the dream shopping center for women—easy and close.

In addition to prime shopping just a walk away, Sugar Mill Olde Towne will also have stores that carry those last minute everyday items. If you associate “everyday items” with a monstrosity like Wal-Mart, don’t worry—there are no Wal-Marts in Sugar Mill Olde Towne. The closest thing to a store of that size will be the local Walgreens, which will be designed to fit right in with small-town atmosphere.

Rutter’s development plan includes everyday health and beauty providers. There will be a local dentist and a hair salon, even a fitness center. Some space has been set aside for other professional offices for anyone else who might want to share in this dream of walking to work along five-foot, tree-lined sidewalks. Even more convenient would be the section of the commercial district that would have retail shops on the first floor and condominiums on the second. A trip to the dentist or even one’s own store could be a walk down the stairs.

The only transportation encouraged by the design will be either walking or riding a bike. Excessive use of cars is discouraged with speed bumps and street turns, emphasizing walking over today’s usual choice of driving. Residents will have a better opportunity to get to know each other as they walk or ride their bikes to their destinations; knowing who is a stranger and who is not could aid in reducing crime.

The perfect place for those who want to get back to easy living, Sugar Mill Olde Towne will hopefully lead the way to similar developments in the future. In essence, Rutter’s Sugar Mill Olde Towne will bring back the picturesque past, infusing it with the modern day. ✦

Lea Rutter Homes
Houma, La
(985) 446- 1903