Nicholson Drive Corridor

[dan326]

Note trying to defend them but I think that was the evening they had the torrential rain and hail storm.

[greg225]

                                  Baton Rouge to study proposed streetcar route                  

East Baton Rouge City-Parish leaders are about to launch a study that would determine whether Baton Rouge would benefit from a streetcar system. 

Baton Rouge is one of 25 cities in the country to be awarded a federal grant that is providing the grease to get there. Through the Tiger Grant, the city-parish gets $1.7 million to evaluate mass transit. $1 million in traffic fees generated along the corridor will be used to match the grant. 

From the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol through historic downtown Baton Rouge, the serene Mississippi River or the much-welcomed, loud Saturday nights at Tiger Stadium, people are finding more reasons to visit. Construction crews are moving dirt on even more attractions. However, getting to and from those popular spots can be a nightmare. 

City-Parish Chief Administrative Officer William Daniel said he was forced to ride a street car during a trip to Houston and something clicked. 

"Once I saw it, I visualized it and I said, 'God, I could see that in Baton Rouge,'" said Daniel. 

Daniel said he and city-parish leaders agreed the Nicholson corridor, which is undergoing a big transformation, would be a prime location for a modern-day streetcar. 

"If the streetcar is slow or doesn't have enough stops, people won't use it. So it's all in the design," said Daniel. 

The proposed route runs from LSU near Tiger Stadium, up Nicholson to St. Ferdinand, through downtown Baton Rouge with several stops including the State Capitol and the IBM campus. It loops back down Nicholson passing the Water Campus and the River District for a total of 3.5 miles. 

"There's a lot of people that use that corridor every day," said Daniel. "The convenience of a streetcar would be where they don't have to get in their cars and find a parking place. It’s something very reliable, on time, gets to destination quickly. I think it's going to be a hit." 

Daniel said if all goes as planned, Baton Rouge could be riding the rails in just five years. 

The East Baton Rouge Metro Council will consider a resolution to approve the federal grant at its meeting on Wednesday. 

The study is expected to take 12 months.                http://www.wafb.com/story/29537635/baton-rouge-to-study-proposed-streetcar-route                        

[greg225]

River House developer secures financing, hopes to break ground later this summer                        

The developers of the River House—the mixed-use development planned for a site at the intersection of Nicholson Drive and Oklahoma Street that once housed the Prince Murat Hotel—have secured financing for their project and applied for construction permits with the city-parish.

Though a ground-breaking date has not been set, developer Marc Blumberg says he hopes to get the long-planned project underway some time in August.

“It’s going to feel great when we finally move dirt,” says Blumberg, who began working on the project in 2008. “But until we have the permit in hand, it’s too soon to celebrate.”

The River House was originally approved by the Planning Commission in 2009 and will include 224 multifamily units, 15,000 square feet of retail space and a 3,400-square-foot office building. Among the reasons for the delay were the recession and, more recently, a change in the financing plan for the project. Federal U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development dollars were originally going to be used, but last year Blumberg decided to go with conventional bank financing instead.

The River House is not to be confused with the River District, a much larger mixed-use development also planned for Nicholson Drive. The developer of that project, Lafayette businessman Michael Moreno, was dealt a blow earlier this month, when lenders sued him for defaulting on a $58 million loan and filed a motion to seize his River District property.

Blumberg says the fate of the River District and any other projects along the Nicholson Corridor are unrelated to his project, which he believes will benefit from nearby downtown developments and the 36-acre Water Campus, planned for River Road.

“We’ve always wanted to be the first mover, and we will still be first mover,” he says. “We have felt strongly about this area and this location for many, many years, and we’re not at all concerned about being the first mover there.”            

      https://www.businessreport.com/article/river-house-developer-secures-financing-hopes-break-ground-later-summer

[greg225]

1010 Nic adds artistic flair to up-and-coming stretch of Nicholson Drive between LSU, downtown          

Situated next to the future site of The Water Campus and just down Nicholson Drive from the planned River District development is a unique new retail center that’s helping revitalize the up-and-coming area south of downtown.

As featured in this month’s issue of 225 magazine, the 1010 Nic development occupies about 18,000 square feet of space that was formerly home to a St. Vincent de Paul warehouse on Nicholson Drive between LSU and downtown. Its tenants will include Mercer Supply Company—a full-scale salon, barbershop and mercantile offering handcrafted and U.S.-made goods—as well as Denicola’s Furniture & Upholstery, the eco-friendly gift shop Noelie Harmon, architectural and interior design firm The Front Door, Jeannie Frey Rhodes Photography and new contemporary art gallery CONTEMPORAIN Bankston/Adams Gallery. In addition, the space will be the new home for contemporary furniture store Monochrome.

“All the people we pulled together are very creative and give it this kind of young, energetic feel,” says Carol LaCour, one of the building’s owners and co-owner of Monochrome.

Projects like The Water Campus and River District are expected to spur even more housing and retail developments in the neighborhood. The city-parish is even exploring options for a streetcar line that would run along Nicholson from LSU to downtown, as envisioned in its FuturEBR master plan.

While much of this is years away, the 1010 Nic crew isn’t worried about the risks of being the first retail center in years along a somewhat desolate corridor.

“I know we were taking a chance going into the area,” LaCour says. “But I really think people are going to come, because it’s a new shopping experience for Baton Rouge and a cool, fun place to go.”     https://www.businessreport.com/article/1010-nic-adds-artistic-flair-coming-stretch-nicholson-drive-lsu-downtown

[greg225]

The Center for River Studies model and exhibits will bring the wetlands crisis to life

 

 

 

(All renderings courtesy Coastal Sustainability Studio)

Louisiana’s wetlands are washing away at the frightening rate of 24 square miles a year, or, as it’s put, the equivalent of a football field every 38 minutes. A sports-related calculus helps to convey the situation’s urgency, but it doesn’t come close to communicating the real complexities of the coast in crisis.

A new interpretative center aims to change that.

The 45,000-square-foot Center for River Studies, part of the forthcoming Water Campus on Nicholson Drive, will feature educational exhibits, learning kiosks and a 120-by-90-foot changing floor model of the lower Mississippi River system. Each component is meant to expand public understanding about why the Louisiana coast is slipping away and what is being done to stop it. The $17.9 million building is funded via the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, a federal program through the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife that funds projects from federal offshore lease revenues to oil-producing states.

The project is being led by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, a Water Campus partner. CPRA Executive Director Kyle Graham says that explaining coastal challenges visually has become an important strategy worldwide as low-lying communities grapple with water management.

“Physical modeling has been a large component of large scale coastal restoration efforts around the globe,” Graham says. “This center and its exhibits give us the ability to communicate very complex issues and raise the level of conversation about them across the state.”

The exhibit space is being designed by the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio, an interdisciplinary program among university scientists, engineers and designers that was established in 2009. The studio’s projects focus the ecology, settlement and economy of the Louisiana coast as it continues to change. CPRA awarded the CSS a three-year contract of $1.5 million to create interpretative visual materials that explain how the coast reached its state of distress and how science can be applied to arrest the problem. The exhibits in the center represent the first phase of that work and will total about $660,000.

“The benefit of what we bring is that we have design as a framework, but we also draw from the sciences,” says CSS director and associate professor of architecture Jeff Carney. “For us, it’s always a multidisciplinary approach.”

Graham says the Center for River Studies is “not just a welcome center,” but is a facility with “lots of moving parts that appeal to a wide variety of people, including lawmakers and granting agencies.”

Students and researchers will be a key constituency, Graham says. The exhibits will present a “50,000-foot view” as well as more detailed information, he says.

“School groups will be able to tour the space, and faculty will use space differently, as a research center,” he says. “It will have library area, a conferencing area and meeting space.”

THE DESIGN TEAM

The Coastal Sustainability Studio is designing 9,000 square feet of exhibition space. A major component is the “Coastal 101” story, an exhibit that will span the interior walls. Visitors will enter the building and immediately take in large panels such as one entitled, “Shifting Foundation,” which shows cross sections of sediment from the Gulf of Mexico to Baton Rouge, and how they have changed. Another, called “Losing Ground,” shows the loss of wetlands over the course of the 20th Century on a large map and in photographs.

Coastal 101 also features interpretative information about history of coastal erosion, which stems from two main sources: the Army Corps of Engineers diversion project, which changed the course of the Mississippi River after the flood of 1927, and later, the perforation of the coastline with channels for the purpose of oil exploration and transport.

“The central theme of the exhibits is to show the complexity in a way that people can understand,” Carney says. “In a lot of cases that means combining compelling photographs with the hard data.”

CPRA’s director of outreach and engagement, Jenny Kurz, says the exhibits will also show what is currently being done by Louisiana authorities to stabilize the river, and what might be done in the future to create sediment through possible new diversions, part of the Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast.

“One of more exciting parts of the project is that it helps us communicate what’s being done throughout the state,” she says. “We can’t get the public physically out to remote locations where things are happening, and this space provides the opportunity to show that.”

Learning kiosks sprinkled throughout the floor of the facility are aimed primarily at high school and graduate level students interested in working on coastal issues. Indeed, the Water Campus itself represents South Louisiana’s push to become a global expert in coastal preservation research using the lower Mississippi River system as its laboratory.

“One of the messages we want to get across is that there is a living to be made and it’s a worthwhile field of study,” Graham says. “Spending has gone from $80 million to $800 million a year, and we think that’ll be sustained as long as we have communities on this active delta.”

The wall and floor exhibits are meant to be thought-provoking and stirring, but they’re also a warm up to the center’s biggest draw: a massive floor model of the river, viewable at ground level and from surrounding catwalks. Graham says it will be one of the largest “moving bed” physical models in the country. It will depict 14,000 square miles of the coastal zone, from Donaldsonvillle to the Gulf of Mexico. The goal of the model is to demonstrate what the river looks like now, how it will change and what land-building will look like through sediment diversions that could take place. The model is constructed of 216 high-density foam panels that can be reshaped using a Computer Numerical Controlled, or CNC, router.

The model is being fabricated by an outside vendor offsite.

Graham says the Center for River Studies should open by the end of 2016.   https://www.businessreport.com/realestate/center-river-studies-model-exhibits-will-bring-wetlands-crisis-life

[greg225]

[dan326]

Where did this picture come from?

[greg225]

Where did this picture come from?

The Advocate I tried to uploaded it  2 months ago, but it wouldn't let me upload.                     http://theadvocate.com/news/12187152-123/streetcar-line-along-nicholson-drive

Edited August 23, 2015 by greg225

[greg225]

Nicholson Drive developers square off over failed HUD financing      

As developers Emanuel “Manny” Organek and Marc Blumberg begin work on River House—a mixed-use development at the site of the Old Prince Murat Hotel—a lawsuit they filed against its financing firm is working its way through Baton Rouge federal court.

Their company, River House Partners, sued Grandbridge Real Estate Capital in December, alleging the North Carolina financing firm failed to obtain and close on a U.S. Housing and Urban Development-secured loan River House was seeking for the project.

The suit—which seeks unspecified millions of dollars in damages for breach of contract and negligence—claims that Grandbridge failed to obtain a $32.5 million HUD-guaranteed loan for the project, and as a result River House lost out on $8 million in New Market Tax Credits the Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority had allocated for the project.

River House Partners, which last year secured conventional bank financing to move the project forward and broke ground last week, alleges it is spending $3 million more in construction costs and must pay higher costs for the financing it ultimately secured.

Grandbridge agreed to work on River House’s behalf for HUD-insured long-term financing for the project at below market rate in the summer of 2009. HUD ultimately retracted its “Firm Commitment” for the loan. Attorneys at Fishman Haygood, who are representing River House Partners, write that Grandbridge “proved itself to be utterly inept at the task of securing HUD-insured financing.”

But in a motion asking that the case be dismissed, attorneys for Grandbridge argue that the financing firm only stated that it was “willing to consider” a HUD-insured loan and that the company “never entered into a formal commitment to loan funds” to River House Partners. They also note that Grandbridge made no guarantees as to a specific outcome or timeline for the loan application.

Grandbridge’s lawyers also allege that River House’s decision to seek $8 million in tax credits to help finance the proposed project was a “new wrinkle” that caused “a seismic shift in the structure of the proposed financing specified in the application.”

The motion to dismiss is pending. River House will feature 224 luxury apartments within two four-story buildings, a 4,600-square-foot community clubhouse, 15,000 square feet of retail space and a 34,000-square-foot office building.             https://www.businessreport.com/article/nicholson-drive-developers-square-off-failed-hud-financing        

[greg225]

Groundbreaking means transformation for Nicholson Drive Corridor          

Properties along Nicholson Drive have sat untouched for years, but now the area is coming back to life. Developers have several projects in the works to restore that section of Baton Rouge and bring in more development and growth.

Wednesday, city leaders and developers of the River House project broke ground on a $26 million project.

The mixed-use development will include 224 luxury apartments, as well as 50,000 square feet of office and retail space.

River House will be located at 1480 Nicholson Drive, where the Prince Murat Hotel once was.

The development falls in EBR councilwoman Tara Wicker's district. She says everyday she gets phone calls asking what's going on.

"People have been anticipating this for years," she said. "Something's happening. It's alive, it's well and it's growing."

The work, play, live build will be located across from the Water Campus, which broke ground earlier.

Wicker says with all the projects in the area mean businesses are willing to invest there again.

The River House developers say the project should be complete in 12 to 14 months. They say they chose the area to take advantage of the closeness to LSU and downtown.

According to their research, 11,000 people live in the Nicholson Corridor. Most are young with lower-income. They believe with the access to jobs, like those that will be available at the Water Campus (which is right across the street from River House) and plans for a street car down Nicholson, they are building on prime real estate.

"For people who will live here it's perfect. Work downtown, LSU, this is a possibility," said Davis Rhorer, with the Downtown Development District. He says what's coming means more connectivity between the two areas.

The River House project is expected to be complete by the end of 2016.        http://www.wafb.com/story/29887426/groundbreaking-means-transformation-for-nicholson-drive-corridor

[cajun]

Do they have any retail tenants yet or is this purely speculative?

[greg225]

Do they have any retail tenants yet or is this purely speculative?

I don't think they have

[greg225]

LSU asks five developers to bid on Nicholson Gateway Project  

The LSU Property Foundation has issued a request for proposals to five developers interested in developing LSU’s Nicholson Gateway Project—a mixed-use retail and residential project that will be developed on 28 acres along Nicholson Drive between Skip Bertman Drive and West Chimes Street.

The foundation selected the five developers from a pool of 10, who had responded in August to a request for qualifications issued by the foundation earlier last summer.

“We were very pleased with the quality of the responses,” says LSU Foundation spokeswoman Sara Crow.

The RFPs are due Nov. 2. From those, a short list of two or three finalists will be selected to visit the campus. A finalist will be named in early 2016, with an estimated groundbreaking some 18 months later.

The LSU Property Foundation is the arm of the LSU Foundation that handles property-related matters, and it is handling the development of the Nicholson Gateway on behalf of the university. The project is one of several key development projects expected to revitalize the Nicholson Drive corridor.

No final price tag for the project has been determined, nor has the specific number of apartment units been nailed down. Those crucial details will be finalized as part of the negotiations with the developer.

Target completion for at least the first phase of the project is fall 2018.   https://www.businessreport.com/article/lsu-asks-five-developers-bid-nicholson-gateway-project

[richyb83]

New Retail downtown! 1010 Nicholson Drive Located on the southern end of downtown, 1010 Nic is downtown's newest retail development. Owners, developers, and partners have brought together a truly unique group of tenants to this up and coming area of downtown. With renovations this past year of the former St. Vincent de Paul Warehouse, 1010 Nic is open and ready to serve! Located on the Nicholson Corridor between LSU and downtown, 1010 Nic will soon be neighbors to the 40 acre Water Campus development and planned residential & street car projects. 1010 Nic is home to a variety of businesses such as Contemporain Art Gallery, Denicola's, Jeannie Frey Rhodes Photography, Mercer Supply Co.(American Barber Shop), Monochrome (Contemporary Furniture), Noelie Harmon (Eco Friendly Gift Shop), The Front Door Architecture Studio. Click here to see 1010 Nic in action! You Are Invited! Join 1010 Nic for the Grand Opening Party on Thursday, October 8th from 5-9PM. Each venue will be serving up a signature cocktail in their new spaces! This event is FREE and open to the public. Come out for Live Music, drinks, and shopping! Parking is available on site and there is a planned Social Bike Ride leaving from City Park at 7PM to attend the event.

A MESSAGE FROM THE DDD

Edited October 6, 2015 by richyb83

[Mr. Burnham]

Shops! Restaurants! Shows! 

Now all we need are some more festivals and this place will be hoppin!

[greg225]

LSU names five firms that will submit proposals for LSU Gateway Development    

The LSU Property Foundation this morning released the names of the five firms that will submit proposals to develop the LSU Gateway Development, a mixed-use project of student housing and retail space that will be located on a 28-acre site of the Nicholson Drive Corridor between West Chimes Street and Skip Bertman Drive.

All five firms, which were selected from a list of 10 that responded earlier this year to a Request for Qualifications, specialize in developing mixed-use student housing projects. They include:

• American Campus Communities, a publicly traded student housing REIT, which is based in Austin, Texas. The firm has developed more than 70 campus projects worth $4.2 billion and bills itself as the largest developer of student housing in the U.S.
• Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions, a Malvern, Pennsylvania-based firm that has developed dozens of student housing and mixed use projects across the country. The firm is part of Balfour Beatty Investments, Inc.
• Capstone Development Partners, a Birmingham, Alabama-based firm that for more than 25 years has focused exclusively on working with colleges and universities.
• Corvias Campus Living of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, which specializes in university and military housing developments.  
• RISE, a Valdosta, Georgia-based firm with more than 20 years experience financing and developing student housing developments and multi family properties.

The team selected to develop the LSU Gateway project will enter into a public-private partnership with the university to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Gateway project. As envisioned, it will include 1,260 apartment-style beds and 410 suite-style beds with associated residential support spaces, such as lounge spaces, study areas, community gathering places and retail food service. The project also is expected to include 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of new retail space. A final price tag has not been determined.

“We were delighted with the quality of the responses to the RFQ,” says Rob Stuart, chair of the Nicholson Gateway Development project committee, in a prepared statement. “We’re looking forward to evaluating the RFP responses as we work to select an outstanding partner for this exciting project.”

The RFPs are due Nov. 2. From those, a short list of two or three finalists will be selected to visit the campus. A finalist will be named in early 2016, with an estimated groundbreaking some 18 months later.

The LSU Property Foundation is the arm of the LSU Foundation that handles property-related matters is handling the development of the Nicholson Gateway on behalf of the university. The project is one of several key development projects expected to revitalize the Nicholson Drive corridor.  https://www.businessreport.com/article/lsu-names-five-firms-will-submit-proposals-lsu-gateway-development 

[greg225]

River House mixed-use development on Nicholson Drive expected to open in final quarter of 2016   

After workers broke ground on the River House mixed-use development in August on the site of the old Prince Murat Hotel, co-developer Emanuel “Manny” Organek says he hopes construction will be completed by the final quarter in 2016.

Organek and Marc Blumberg recently received the permit to begin full construction on the $26 million project at 1480 Nicholson Drive, after beginning site work in August. The project has been beset by delays since being approved by the Planning Commission in 2009, including a financing change.

The five-building development will feature 224 apartments—112 single-bedroom units, 56 studio apartments and 56 two-bedroom units—in two buildings, as well as 34,000 square feet of office space and 15,000 square feet of commercial retail space.

For the retail space, Organek says they are looking to bring in businesses that the residents will need, like restaurants, a coffee house and a bank. He adds that they have had some serious conversations with businesses, but no contracts have been signed.

“Once the construction starts and people can start to look at a date we can open by, they become serious about their own open date,” Organek says.

Ty Gose, a real estate broker with NAI/Latter & Blum who is handling leasing for the River House, says they will lease the office and retail space for $26 per square foot monthly and will offer a monthly allowance for the build-out.

See the rendering of the project here.    https://www.businessreport.com/article/river-house-mixed-use-development-nicholson-drive-expected-open-final-quarter-2016

[greg225]

Transportation head Foxx to push for funding for Nicholson streetcar project, Baton Rouge leaders say       

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx will push for full funding in the 2016-17 federal budget for Baton Rouge’s proposed Nicholson Drive streetcar project, according to city and civic leaders who met with Foxx last month when the secretary was in the city.

“Secretary Foxx told a rather large group of us  … that it is a priority of his to get (the project) in next year’s budget,” Baton Rouge Area Foundation President John Davies told the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge today in a speech that highlighted BRAF’s plans to develop alternative forms of transportation for the region. “We’re thrilled with that.”

Foxx, who has ties to Baton Rouge through his wife and is a personal friend of Mayor Kip Holden, was the keynote speaker at last month’s Center for Planning Excellence’s Smart Growth Summit. Both Davies and city-parish Chief Administrative Officer William Daniel say Foxx made clear his intention to include construction dollars for the proposed 3.2-mile streetcar project in the president’s budget.

That’s not necessarily as easy as it sounds. The city-parish must first submit a detailed proposal to the Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration, which will evaluate the proposal and grade it. Provided the proposal receives high enough marks, however, Foxx will recommend it for inclusion in 2016-17 budget, Daniel says.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Daniel says. “But we’re optimistic and very excited.”

It is unclear exactly how much the city-parish will ask for in its proposal to the feds. The total price tag for the streetcar project, which would link LSU with downtown, has been estimated at $100 million. Daniel says the city-parish would not expect to receive the full amount nor will it ask for it. He says key stakeholders involved in the project are meeting Thursday afternoon to iron out more details relative to funding.

The Nicholson Drive streetcar project, which has already received $1.7 million in federal planning dollars, has been hailed as an example of the kinds of alternative forms of transportation the traffic-plagued city-parish needs to develop.  BRAF will focus much of its energies in the coming months on such projects, Davies told the Rotarians.

In addition to the streetcar, BRAF is exploring several other potential options to help alleviate the area’s gridlock, including a car-sharing program, a bike-sharing program and even a gondola.

“We are studying gondolas,” Davies said. “We have had one round of meeting with providers and are getting ready to start a second round. That is the most far-out idea.”

Exploring alternative forms of transportation, what Davies called “The New Mobility,” will be one of BRAF’s key priorities in 2016 and beyond, he said.

“We are just starting on getting this done, and we don’t have the data yet to argue which alternatives are preferable,” he said. “But we are well on our way.”     https://www.businessreport.com/article/transportation-head-foxx-push-funding-nicholson-streetcar-project-baton-rouge-leaders-say

[greg225]

Public to have say on proposed Nicholson streetcar project later this month       

Mayor Kip Holden and other city-parish officials will hold a public meeting on Thursday, Jan. 28, at the River Center to give the public a chance to voice their opinion on three downtown routes being considered for the proposed Nicholson Drive streetcar project, TramLinkBR, that would link downtown and LSU.

Rannah Gray announced the public meeting at this morning’s Downtown Development District Board of Commissioner’s meeting on behalf of HNTB Corporation, the architectural, engineering and planning firm selected to lead the project. She said development is being fast-tracked by federal Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, and public input is needed on the routes because federal funding will be used for the modern streetcar system.

As previously reported by Daily Report, Foxx met with Holden and other city leaders in November while in town to speak at the Center for Planning Excellence’s Smart Growth Summit, and pledged to push for full funding in 2016-2017 federal budget.

The long-proposed project would pass by The Water Campus and Old South Baton Rouge. It is unclear how much the 3.2-mile project would cost, but estimates have put the total price tag around $100 million.

The public meeting will be held from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 in River Center rooms 9 and 10.

     https://www.businessreport.com/article/nicholson-streetcar-project-public-meeting-set-jan-28-river-center

[greg225]

Georgia-based company selected as master firm for Nicholson Gateway Project      

RISE Real Estate has been chosen as the master development firm for the Nicholson Gateway Project, and it could also be the lead firm for the possible redevelopment of six 1960s-era residence halls on LSU’s campus, the LSU Property Foundation announced today.

RISE Real Estate, based in Valdosta, Georgia, beat out one other finalist, Austin, Texas-based American Campus Communities, to lead the public-private partnership to design, build and operate a mixed-use retail and residential project on 28 acres along Nicholson Drive between Skip Bertman Drive and West Chimes Street.

“We were very impressed with the four firms that were interviewed during the process, and especially with RISE Real Estate,” Rob Stuart, chair of the Nicholson Gateway Development Project Committee, says in a statement. “We look forward to making this exciting project a reality for the LSU community.”

RISE Real Estate has proposed a project team that includes Baton Rouge-based Remson Haley Herpin; The Lemoine Company, which has a Baton Rouge office; and Niles Bolton Associates. The firm will choose its own team for the project.

Ten firms responded to a request for qualifications issued for the project during the fall, and five of those 10 were asked to submit a request for proposals.

LSU officials visualize more than 1,600 beds in a mix of apartment- and suite-style units. The project will include residential lounge, study, community and food service spaces, as well as between 30,000 and 50,000 square feet of new retail space.

LSU will not fund any portion of the project—it’s 100% privately funded—but the Board of Supervisors will have some say in the scope of the project.

Construction on the project is slated to begin later this year, with businesses and students moving in around fall 2018.

RISE Real Estate also will have the opportunity to bid on replacing six, 1960s-era residence halls on campus. LSU’s housing master plan calls for replacing Miller, Herget, McVoy, Acadian, Broussard and Kirby Smith halls with some 2,100 new beds—an expensive process that could take 15 years or more.   https://www.businessreport.com/article/georgia-based-company-selected-master-firm-nicholson-gateway-project

[richyb83]

LSU seeks high-demand public dollars -- to tune of $23 million -- for Nicholson Gateway development

http://theadvocate.com/news/education/15565978-123/lsu-seeks-scarce-state-funding-for-nicholson-drive-development

LSU is charging ahead with plans to build Nicholson Gateway, a mixed-use development concept that is intended to add much-needed student housing while expanding LSU’s footprint west across Nicholson Drive. Yet the project, which is a public-private partnership, needs an infusion of public dollars to the tune of about $23 million to kick-start construction. LSU officials hope to get that money from the state out of the legislative session and start construction by the end of the year. The hope is that students can move into the new housing by 2018.

LSU officials expressed urgency in starting the project on time in order to open up the housing units for students by 2018. Dan Layzell, vice president for finance and administration, said last week that LSU can hardly provide housing for its roughly 5,300 freshmen. The public portion of funds is designated for the build-out of initial infrastructure, including the underground utility network, needed to develop the 28-acre site between West Chimes Street and Skip Bertman Drive where the former Alex Box Stadium and old Nicholson Apartments were. The public dollars also are needed for a parking garage.

There’s also a lack of graduate student housing since LSU demolished the Nicholson Apartment complex. Droddy said the loss in those units, which typically have been used for international students and graduate students with families, has stymied their graduate enrollment, something LSU has hoped to grow.

Nicholson Gateway calls for 1,260 apartment-style beds and 410 suite-style beds “The total project is over $300 million dollars that will be funded through private markets,” Layzell said. “What we’ve asked for is a small fraction of that.”  It also calls for study areas, green spaces and 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of retail space.

“It will transform the western edge of campus, extending LSU’s campus character and student-life experience across Nicholson and creating a distinct entrance corridor for the university,” said Sarah Whittaker, a spokeswoman for the LSU Foundation, a partner in the project.

The area, which is across from Tiger Stadium, is expected to be a popular location for visitors and students to tailgate for home football games. It also contributes to the city’s plan of developing Nicholson Drive, one of the last undeveloped stretches in the city between downtown and LSU. “It’s going to upgrade the curb appeal of that part of town and campus; it’s going to have students living out there generating an economic impact for the state, for the city and that region,” Layzell said. “And it’s going to be a focal point for those seven or eight weekends in the fall when we have 100,000 visitors on campus for football.”

 

New LSU Foundation HQ's

 

Edited April 25, 2016 by richyb83

[greg225]

DOTD has Nicholson Drive transformation in the works                                                                                                          https://www.businessreport.com/article/dotd-nicholson-drive-transformation-works

Edited July 26, 2018 by greg225

[dan326]

Coming to Nicholson Gateway: Frutta Bowls, Starbucks, Private Stock Sneakers and Apparel Boutique

CAITIE BURKES

AUGUST 2, 2018

  

Frutta Bowls, Starbucks and Private Stock Sneakers and Apparel Boutique will move into the roughly 50,000-square-foot retail component of LSU’s Nicholson Gateway development, LSU officials announced this morning.

The space within the development under construction on a 28-acre site of the Nicholson Drive Corridor, will mark the first Louisiana location for Frutta Bowls. Billed as a “quick-service eatery offering acai, pitaya, oatmeal and kale bowls topped with fresh ingredients like fruit and granola,” Frutta Bowls’ menu also includes smoothies and other grab-and-go items.

Owned by LSU alumnus Donnie Alfred, Private Stock will offer a selection of “upscale sneakers and trendy apparel in a fashion-forward, hip atmosphere.”

Starbucks will operate a licensed location at LSU with indoor and outdoor seating, according to the press release, in an effort to foster a neighborhood gathering place for residents.

The tenants join anchor retailer Matherne’s Market, which will occupy a 17,000-square-foot space, and Wendy’s.

The development broke ground in October 2016 and is slated to open for students this month.

https://www.businessreport.com/article/coming-nicholson-gateway-frutta-bowls-starbucks-private-stock-sneakers-apparel-boutique

[richyb83]

Yes indeed Dan...just rode by there today....west side of Nicholson is being totally transformed over at LSU with rows of 4 & 5 story buildings. .   Took two pics from car; low quality;  in a construction zone down to one lane southbound.. Matherne's Market is a game changer...can't wait to see what TD Plaza ends up looking like!

[dan326]

I agree! My friend and I always joked that they probably showed the football players' accommodations in the brochure but put them in those old, ugly married student-foreigner apartments. They've definitely built something to be proud of this time. Glad another Wendy's is opening up.

What is TD plaza?