Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[Antrell Williams]

I agree that our transportation infrastructure is in severe need of upgrade. As much as there is an "urban movement" and a strong focus of recentralizing living and work to downtown, its obvious that these jobs are the type that will cause the city to geographically grow.

I hope that growth in undeveloped EBRP and into Ascension/Livingston is better planned than the way EBRP is now. Dallas and Houston and Atlanta are mammoth suburben metropolitan areas. But each has a strong downtown center with thoughtful planning out.

Baton Rouge can be that way as Gonzales and Denham Springs become the major metropolitan suburbs of the greater BR region, better highway infrastructure leading to smarter city streets will allow the area to flourish quickly.

Downtown Houston is horribly designed, there was no planning involved except the many skyscrapers. Atlanta and Dallas are better but they don't hold a candle to the CBD, downtown SF, Manhattan, downtown Seattle, downtown Chicago, Boston, Philly, or DC.

[jefften10]

Downtown Houston is horribly designed, there was no planning involved except the many skyscrapers. Atlanta and Dallas are better but they don't hold a candle to the CBD, downtown SF, Manhattan, downtown Seattle, downtown Chicago, Boston, Philly, or DC.

My bad. I meant a strong downtown in the economic sense. A solid job market business central area from which the rest of the city can strategically grow from.

The actual layout of most downtown areas is pretty worthless. Baton Rouge actually has a simple and straightforward downtown layout and design, ironically enough.

[Antrell Williams]

I think the idea of downtown being the job center is an outdated one. Growth in south Baton Rouge is too heavy to make downtown a job center in the traditional sense.

[timelordnerd]

I think the idea of downtown being the job center is an outdated one. Growth in south Baton Rouge is too heavy to make downtown a job center in the traditional sense.

Downtown needs to become a mix use center.

[itsjustme3]

I think the idea of downtown being the job center is an outdated one. Growth in south Baton Rouge is too heavy to make downtown a job center in the traditional sense.

Nope. All the growth in south BR doesn't (nor ever will) compare to the wealth earned and generated downtown. Is this the same for all cities? No. But in Baton Rouge being the capital city it is.

Downtown needs to become a mix use center.

lol. It IS mix use.

[timelordnerd]

Nope. All the growth in south BR doesn't (nor ever will) compare to the wealth earned and generated downtown. Is this the same for all cities? No. But in Baton Rouge being the capital city it is.

lol. It IS mix use.

By that I mean a large financial area, political area, cultural area, residential area, and commercial area.

[Antrell Williams]

Nope. All the growth in south BR doesn't (nor ever will) compare to the wealth earned and generated downtown. Is this the same for all cities? No. But in Baton Rouge being the capital city it is.

 

This is a good attempt at satire.

 

By that I mean a large financial area, political area, cultural area, residential area, and commercial area.

It already is heading in that direction.

[itsjustme3]

By that I mean a large financial area, political area, cultural area, residential area, and commercial area.

Large? Not every downtown can be NYC or Boston or Dallas.

[jefften10]

I think the idea of downtown being the job center is an outdated one. Growth in south Baton Rouge is too heavy to make downtown a job center in the traditional sense.

I disagree. I think a balance of industry and corporate will lead to a solid and stable downtown. It will obviously never be a corporate power center, but I think that downtown Baton Rouge is a solid job center...and will continue to be in the near future

[timelordnerd]

The 'perfect' balance between all those things are the key to making Downtown a perfect community and entrance to the city like it's supposed to be. Downtown needs to continue on its current path.

[all2neat]

Lack of cooperation between parishes doesn't help.

[timelordnerd]

Lack of cooperation between parishes doesn't help.

Why is there such a lack?

[itsjustme3]

For starters its because Ascension and Livingston don't want a interstate loop barreling over their homeowners subdivisions, thus creating the reason why people moved to Ascension and Livingston to begin with.

[Antrell Williams]

For starters its because Ascension and Livingston don't want a interstate loop barreling over their homeowners subdivisions, thus creating the reason why people moved to Ascension and Livingston to begin with.

I wonder what they will think 10 years from now. It would be nice to go to Denham without using many different surface roads or going through Port Vincent.

[itsjustme3]

I wonder what they will think 10 years from now. It would be nice to go to Denham without using many different surface roads or going through Port Vincent.

Depends if Denham looks like EBR with crappy public schools, crime and high taxes. If it does look like that then they'll think "it's time to move".

[cajun]

I disagree. I think a balance of industry and corporate will lead to a solid and stable downtown. It will obviously never be a corporate power center, but I think that downtown Baton Rouge is a solid job center...and will continue to be in the near future

Antrell is right.

 

The idea of a CBD is an outdated one.   Downtowns are increasingly becoming more like giant mixed use neighborhooods and less of a shopping/business district. 

 

The recent trend in corporate office construction is sprawling office campuses in the suburbs.....not giant single use towers in downtowns.  

For starters its because Ascension and Livingston don't want a interstate loop barreling over their homeowners subdivisions, thus creating the reason why people moved to Ascension and Livingston to begin with.

It still makes them complete hypocrites to complain about traffic, IMO.

 

And to be fair....AP and LP aren't complaining so much as loud, vocal pockets of NIMBYs in Watson and Central.  

[Antrell Williams]

Depends if Denham looks like EBR with crappy public schools, crime and high taxes. If it does look like that then they'll think "it's time to move".

Has nothing to do with that. Has to do with traffic congestion.

 

Antrell is right.

 

The idea of a CBD is an outdated one.   Downtowns are increasingly becoming more like giant mixed use neighborhooods and less of a shopping/business district. 

 

The recent trend in corporate office construction is sprawling office campuses in the suburbs.....not giant single use towers in downtowns.  

It still makes them complete hypocrites to complain about traffic, IMO.

 

And to be fair....AP and LP aren't complaining so much as loud, vocal pockets of NIMBYs in Watson and Central.  

Well skyscrapers now are generally mixed use unless they are built in suburban areas like Shaw.

 

It does make them look silly in the long run, in 10 years they will complain about traffic and then it'll take nearly 10 years to build any sort of regional freeway to relive traffic.

[itsjustme3]

Has nothing to do with that. Has to do with traffic congestion.

If that's what helps you sleep at night

[Antrell Williams]

If that's what helps you sleep at night

What does a loop have to do with crime and schools?

[cajun]

What does a loop have to do with crime and schools?

I'm curious to know as well.

Tight zoning and building codes can prevent a number of the problems Baton Rouge has today...

[itsjustme3]

Slippery slope that will start with a loop. First a loop, then exit/on ramps, then undesirables driving around, then blight, then its all down hill.

Edited July 28, 2013 by itsjustme3

[itsjustme3]

I'm curious to know as well.

Tight zoning and building codes can prevent a number of the problems Baton Rouge has today...

You're going to leave that up to Ascension and Livingston powers? no thanks

[Antrell Williams]

Slippery slope that will start with a loop. First a loop, then exit/on ramps, then undesirables driving around, then blight, then its all down hill.

Yeah. That's what happened when they built I-12. I'd never drive through Covington, ever again, too many thugs. Don't get me started on Slidell and Northshore Square Mall.

[itsjustme3]

Yeah. That's what happened when they built I-12. I'd never drive through Covington, ever again, too many thugs. Don't get me started on Slidell and Northshore Square Mall.

Apparently you have not seen the designs of some people wanting the loop to cross Spanish lake and join LA 928.

Apples and Oranges. Nothing was in those areas when I-12 was built. And Slidell already had I-10 in it. So what's your point? A loop will drastically alter Prairieville if its added to it. It would only drive people away.

Edited July 28, 2013 by itsjustme3

[all2neat]

Living in Prairieville I support making airline a freeway from I10 to 110. You can cross the river into WBR if you want to loop it back with I10.

I also support making Florida a freeway past walker. Between these two changes you get the benefits of a loop while working with an existing route to minimize land acquisitions.