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Future BR (non related to ongoing project)

timelordnerd

By timelordnerd
in Baton Rouge

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timelordnerd Whistle-Stop

timelordnerd

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The purpose of this thread is to evaluate what future BR can become, the city is growing rather quickly and it's now starting to attract the attention of filmmakers. On top of that more money is pouring into the city and future projects look like they are all going well, the problem is how will the city respond and improve as a result. Below are a few ideas of how we can become better: 

 

1. International Airport; I don't care where, hell for all I care they could keep the metro or clear it and start over. The city needs one, NOLA is too small and the metro will never meet the growing demand for direct connections. I think we need a large International Airport that can serve literally the whole state and more due to the states growing film industry, economy, and overall attraction. 

 

2. Green Space; looking at a map of BR you can see that we really are a rather green city, however it is not organized well and lacks what I believe to be an important component of any rising city; a central city park. Like NOLA, BR needs a large park for recreation, gatherings, public events, and improved beauty. On top of that our park system could be connected more fashionably than it is now. More greenery along Florida and other streets and stripmalls would be nice too. 

 

3. Versatile City Travel Options; BR is city of cars, if you want to get anywhere you better have a car. We need to change this, CATS is going in the right direction with the new terminals, but I should be able to walk from my house to Towne Center or Citi Place (I'm only five minutes away) I can not even safely walk to CHS even though it's a short bike ride from my house. On top of that we need light-rail, plain and simple. 

 

4. More Museums; Maybe I'm just a museum guy, but seriously I'm tired of "Political Museums". I want to see art, and historical museums downtown. Maybe music museums, I don't know we just need more museums. 

 

5. Better Downtown; I know they are doing everything they can, but I do not want Downtown to become a hotbed for modern architecture. I like it, but I also love some traditional French stuff too. I feel that if Downtown tried to combine the two it would really look stunning. 

 

6. A Park on the River; One word = Desoto Park

 

7. Improved design in the State Capitol region; As historic as the Pentagon is, it does not fit, maybe they can move it the Rural Life Museum. In it's place build a new museum or Louisiana Wildlife Museum. 

 

8. Out of City Transport; In addition to an new Airport, I would like to see the LASM renovated back into a new Train Station for a line to NOLA, maybe in the future it can have links out of state. 

 

9. A Theater District; In BR there are three big theater groups: Theater Baton Rouge, Playmakers, and Center Stage. We need incentives to get them closer to each other and Downtown. With them Downtown it could help jump-start a theater atmosphere and provide a nice setting to the film festival. 

 

10. Organized regions; we need an organized Medical, Film, and Commercial Districts. They need to be organized and flow fluently together. 

 

11. What are some ideas you guys have?

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Antrell Williams Town

Antrell Williams

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1. The airport is out of the question unless North Baton Rouge begins to grow by large amounts. Maybe you didn't know, but MSY is adding a brand new terminal and runway. It will continue to be our most useful airport.

 

2. I do believe we lack proper greenery on major roads and I think we lack one major central, urban park. If the golf course at City Park is closed, it will take that place.

 

4. Agree'd.

 

7. The Pentagon is on the National Register of Historic Places. With that said, the Rural Life Museum needs to be moved.

 

8. LASM would be a great place for another train station, afterall, it was built as one. Although the old Entergy buildings on Government were donated to the city and will probably be the train station for the BR-NO rail.

 

9. Not a bad idea.

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timelordnerd Whistle-Stop

timelordnerd

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1. The airport is out of the question unless North Baton Rouge begins to grow by large amounts. Maybe you didn't know, but MSY is adding a brand new terminal and runway. It will continue to be our most useful airport.

 

2. I do believe we lack proper greenery on major roads and I think we lack one major central, urban park. If the golf course at City Park is closed, it will take that place.

 

4. Agree'd.

 

7. The Pentagon is on the National Register of Historic Places. With that said, the Rural Life Museum needs to be moved.

 

8. LASM would be a great place for another train station, afterall, it was built as one. Although the old Entergy buildings on Government were donated to the city and will probably be the train station for the BR-NO rail.

 

9. Not a bad idea.

I did not know about the new terminal and runway, I'm glad they are doing that. 

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timelordnerd Whistle-Stop

timelordnerd

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MSY is getting a whole new airport to replace the existing one. It will be placed where the current private terminal is. The private terminal will then be moved to what is currently concourse d.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/design_of_louis_armstrong_airp.html

What I'm saying is that BR will need it's own, especially in the future. Not to mention as my grandmother put it: "Build an airport and they will fly". 

 

Timelordnerd, with plans for this new airport and a regional rail, you might be able to add a new museum to Baton Rouges list: Baton Rouge Aviation Museum.

That would be amazing! 

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Antrell Williams Town

Antrell Williams

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What I'm saying is that BR will need it's own, especially in the future. Not to mention as my grandmother put it: "Build an airport and they will fly". 

 

Why do you think we will need a bigger airport? We are as far away from MSY as many cities are from their airports, and more and more of the population lives nearly equidistant from MSY as BTR.

Baton Rouge would have to begin growing in the norther part of the metro, and probably all the way up Hwy 61 to Natchez. I don't see BTR expanding for at least 20 years.

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richyb83 Megalopolis

richyb83

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Not to be confused with FuturEBR on page 2...ha....Actually Dan326 did a similar Christmas Wish list thread several years ago...I like the ideas :shades:

 

#1) With NOLA airport upgrades/proximity seems Doubtful....if they could have moved closer between BR & NOLA like  DFW Metroplex type it would have been more doable...

 

#2) Greenspace along downtown has been improving...I think City Park is the closest thing to Central Park BR will ever have...

 

#3)Towne Center was poorly planned with no walking paths connecting to the large Condo complexes nearby.

 

#5) NO DOUBT a nice Iconic millennial-type high rise tower in the middle of the CBD along Forth Street showing to the rest of the world that BR is open for business!

 

#6) Hope DeSoto Park happens soon

 

#9)A Theatre District would be cool....the old Paramount Theatre should never have been demolished....next to the Shaw Center for the Arts(Manship Theatre) would have made for a nice start!

 

Sorry did not get to them all...will add more in the future :thumbsup:

 

---------------------------------

A Southern By-pass/Hurricane evacuation route for NOLA connecting Hwy 415 in WBR with new Intracoastal Canal bridge; over the Miss River near Brusly/Addis hooking & paralleling Hwy 30/Nicholson down past L'Auberge  (around the Spanish Lake/Bluff Swamp preserve to I-10  near Tanger Mall....

 

More autonomy for sub-school district in SE BR

 

-----------------

 

*Here is what I posted way back almost 7 years ago on Dan's Christmas Wishlist

 

*Upgrade the Interstate System in BR with extra lanes; and continous turn lanes. More frontage roads too. And extend the extra lanes to Gonzales(I-10) & Walker (I-12)
*The Green Light Plan has already been a gift IMO; just wish things moved a little faster. More turn lanes on the surface streets
*Synchronized traffic signals for the entire city!!!
*A vibrant 24/7 downtown! With Lamar Digital Billboard for the Third Street parking garage
*More high-rise towers in the CBD for a legit skyline (see example below)
*Tall hotel along the riverfront downtown
* A Dave & Buster's type venue
*Something really nice at the old Advocate site
*A bike-path from Olympia Park to University Lake
*Some 10 to 12-story condo's for Perkins Rowe
*Some new mid-rises near the Marriott and CitiPlace(office or hotel) like W aLoft??
*More mixed-use villages; hopefully Rouzan and maybe for the old Westmoreland shopping center in Mid City.
*A huge Science Park at Pennington
*Light-rail transit system; bring back scrapped Laurel Tower plans..guess I can dream

This 400'+ old never built Fidelity Bank Tower would look nice between One American Place & the Chase Towers
Posted Image

 

And most importantly, "no more crime"! Well...guess I can  dream!!

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timelordnerd Whistle-Stop

timelordnerd

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Also to all of those saying that BR does not need an international airport and better infrastructure then we have now is missing the larger picture. Many in the film industry say that while LA is number one for now, the state needs to get more television here. Currently Georgia is #1 in the category and many cite it to the states amazing infrastructure and Atlanta's massive Airport. The Baton Rouge region (this means BR proper and Livingston) has two of the states largest film studios, so anyone who says BR does not need a new airport is completely wrong. 

 

I step off my soapbox...

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itsjustme3 Burg

itsjustme3

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Also to all of those saying that BR does not need an international airport and better infrastructure then we have now is missing the larger picture. Many in the film industry say that while LA is number one for now, the state needs to get more television here. Currently Georgia is #1 in the category and many cite it to the states amazing infrastructure and Atlanta's massive Airport. The Baton Rouge region (this means BR proper and Livingston) has two of the states largest film studios, so anyone who says BR does not need a new airport is completely wrong.

I step off my soapbox...

Baton Rouge is not getting a freaking international airport. Tell that to anyone and they'd laugh in your face.

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Antrell Williams Town

Antrell Williams

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Also to all of those saying that BR does not need an international airport and better infrastructure then we have now is missing the larger picture. Many in the film industry say that while LA is number one for now, the state needs to get more television here. Currently Georgia is #1 in the category and many cite it to the states amazing infrastructure and Atlanta's massive Airport. The Baton Rouge region (this means BR proper and Livingston) has two of the states largest film studios, so anyone who says BR does not need a new airport is completely wrong. 

 

I step off my soapbox...

If Baton Rouge needed an international airport, it would be built. We don't need the airport, most filming is done in New Orleans, most actors will stay in New Orleans as well. We do need improved infrastructure, but an airport is faaarrr down the list. We are simply too close to MSY, if the rail comes on line, BTR will probably loose flights.

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dan326 City

dan326

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BTR is actually pretty nice, the bathrooms don't smell like toxic waste dumps. Really though BR probably won't get expanded and we should really be grateful for what we even have although I think flights to a big city in the east and north would be neat.

I do think BR needs some fancier parks too, with statues and landscaping and what not.

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Antrell Williams Town

Antrell Williams

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BTR is actually pretty nice, the bathrooms don't smell like toxic waste dumps. Really though BR probably won't get expanded and we should really be grateful for what we even have although I think flights to a big city in the east and north would be neat.

I do think BR needs some fancier parks too, with statues and landscaping and what not.

Looks pretty good now too.

 

Hoepfully City Park Golf Course gets shut down. So much potential and a dying golf course still sits there.

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timelordnerd Whistle-Stop

timelordnerd

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BTR is actually pretty nice, the bathrooms don't smell like toxic waste dumps. Really though BR probably won't get expanded and we should really be grateful for what we even have although I think flights to a big city in the east and north would be neat.

I do think BR needs some fancier parks too, with statues and landscaping and what not.

I do agree, I just think at some point BR should expand and construct a larger Airport. 

Looks pretty good now too.

 

Hoepfully City Park Golf Course gets shut down. So much potential and a dying golf course still sits there.

I completely agree, it would be so nice to see City Park expanded.

Living off HEY 42, 95% of the time I fly MSY over BTR. Traffic is less risky. Time wise MSY is about the 10 extra minutes from my house. BTR is a nice airport but the flights are limited.

That why I think we should expand, to have more flights than the limited number we have now. 

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timelordnerd Whistle-Stop

timelordnerd

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Do you understand supply and demand?

Yes, when there is demand for something you must have the supply. They go hand in hand, I understand the BR does not have the demand expected for and international airport, what I am saying is that they should expand the airport to have more 'supply'. If BR can offer direct routes to more major US cities then the demand for people here in using BTR will expand, It can also help BR when trying to get more companies and the film industry here. 

 

By having more direct routes it makes it more tempting for me to fly BTR than New Orleans. For example, if I want to fly to DC with the least number of layovers adn BTR offers a direct flight, I'm going to fly BTR. With more people using BTR it then creates a bigger demand for more flights, a simple change can lead to a huge boom. 

 

Not to mention airports today are like trains of yesterday, if you have a large airport with multiple national and/or international flights businesses become more interested in staying or going to your city. 

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Antrell Williams Town

Antrell Williams

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Yes, when there is demand for something you must have the supply. They go hand in hand, I understand the BR does not have the demand expected for and international airport, what I am saying is that they should expand the airport to have more 'supply'. If BR can offer direct routes to more major US cities then the demand for people here in using BTR will expand, It can also help BR when trying to get more companies and the film industry here. 

 

By having more direct routes it makes it more tempting for me to fly BTR than New Orleans. For example, if I want to fly to DC with the least number of layovers adn BTR offers a direct flight, I'm going to fly BTR. With more people using BTR it then creates a bigger demand for more flights, a simple change can lead to a huge boom. 

 

Not to mention airports today are like trains of yesterday, if you have a large airport with multiple national and/or international flights businesses become more interested in staying or going to your city. 

Airlines aren't interested in flying empty planes just hoping that people in Baton Rouge will suddenly need to fly to Washington or London or wherever. The demand won't expand without serious growth in the northern part of the metro, and a serious increase in white-collar jobs. We really do have a decent airport for our sized city and with MSY being nearby.

BTR is more expensive to fly out of, and it's pretty much just as far and it offers more amenities as well.

 

You are right about the business aspect, but again, MSY is an hour or less away from Baton Rouge.

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timelordnerd Whistle-Stop

timelordnerd

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Airlines aren't interested in flying empty planes just hoping that people in Baton Rouge will suddenly need to fly to Washington or London or wherever. The demand won't expand without serious growth in the northern part of the metro, and a serious increase in white-collar jobs. We really do have a decent airport for our sized city and with MSY being nearby.

BTR is more expensive to fly out of, and it's pretty much just as far and it offers more amenities as well.

 

You are right about the business aspect, but again, MSY is an hour or less away from Baton Rouge.

There will be no increase in White Collar jobs if we can not get some 'anchor' businesses here. That then brings the reason why I believe that if BR wants to become bigger and better the city will be in direct competition with NOLA, if MSY is there why not use it and stay in New Orleans. 

 

Baton Rouge needs to make itself a viable city for future growth. One of the many (and more important ways) it can do that is by expanding our airport. I'm not even saying BR gets an International Airport, just expand the size of the current one. In addition to that the city should try and get a few more fortune 500 companies here (two or three). Another more vital step is to make North BR more attractive, something I touched up on in this list. The main thing is that BR makes itself attractive, that can be accomplished with a bigger, more affordable, accessible, and more routed airport. 

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