Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[richyb83]

THANKS for posting Greg225  Nice to hear the good news...it's been sad watching Cortana's demise;  NICE Re-use + location like you said!

[cajun]

I don’t think we could have realistically hoped for a better outcome for Cortana than to have a large regional Amazon facility on site.  That’s a good spot without flooding problems and it’s far enough north to avoid the worst of the hurricanes  

Amazon is also looking for smaller (40,000 sf), permanent service locations in both Baton Rouge and New Orleans.  

Same day delivery is coming to the bayou state!

[richyb83]

Spencer Callahan office nearly complete looks pretty good at night

Edited October 16, 2019 by richyb83

[richyb83]

The Retail component for the renovated Chase Towers project should improve streetscape dramatically!

TOWERING OVER

Iconic Chase South Tower being prepped for a remodel and tricked-out additions

A rendering of the Chase South Tower’s east side addition. Courtesy Wampold Companies/Gensler.

Status: Waiting on historic building tax credits to begin first phase

When developer Mike Wampold scooped up the 21-story Chase South Tower in early 2018, it expanded his already large portfolio of downtown buildings that includes its sister office building—Chase North Tower—and the refurbished Watermark Hotel.

At press time, Wampold was waiting on approval for historic building tax credits to offset the cost of the projected $50 million overhaul. That includes a first phase of roughly 75 luxury residential units on the top five floors and a rooftop pool. After that, Wampold envisions expanding the base of the 1960s building with two-story wings extending over the recognizable red brick plazas to the east and west.

One side will comprise retail and office space, the other potentially housing an event ballroom. Both wings would be encased entirely in glass, giving passersby a glance inside what’s otherwise a brutalist concrete monolith.

https://www.225batonrouge.com/our-city/imagining-future-whats-horizon-baton-rouge-tomorrow

[greg225]

Amazon plans moving forward at Cortana Mall, deal not yet done                                                  https://www.businessreport.com/newsletters/amazon-plans-moving-forward-at-cortana-mall-deal-not-yet-done

[cajun]

On 11/18/2019 at 5:30 PM, greg225 said:

Amazon plans moving forward at Cortana Mall, deal not yet done                                                  https://www.businessreport.com/newsletters/amazon-plans-moving-forward-at-cortana-mall-deal-not-yet-done

Amazon building a major distribution hub in Baton Rouge could really be the catalyst for a big transformation there.   It's a lot of jobs with minimal emissions/pollution.   The jobs are higher paying than what was seen at Cortana in its heyday.   

This could also trigger more cargo flights out of BTR and additional logistics service companies in the area - not to mention same day deliveries for the gulf-south region.   The Baton Rouge area should be begging/stealing/borrowing to get this Amazon facility constructed ASAP.

Edited December 27, 2019 by cajun

[dan326]

3 hours ago, cajun said:

Amazon building a major distribution hub in Baton Rouge could really be the catalyst for a big transformation there.   It's a lot of jobs with minimal emissions/pollution.   The jobs are higher paying than what was seen at Cortana in its heyday.   

This could also trigger more cargo flights out of BTR and additional logistics service companies in the area - not to mention same day deliveries for the gulf-south region.   The Baton Rouge area should be begging/stealing/borrowing to get this Amazon facility constructed ASAP.

You would think so but somehow I can't believe it until I see it. They aughta just build the center for them like they did with the IBM building.

[richyb83]

 This is off I-10 btwn Industriplex ; Siegen Lane & Pecue (South Baton Rouge Distribution Center)34-acre site plan

Atlanta-based developer with Amazon ties gets OK for Baton Rouge facility; see details

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_418ba5d2-3c8d-11ea-97cd-9b91cea46ca6.html

 

[dan326]

Is Amazon planning two Baton Rouge facilities?

Tuesday night’s decision by the Planning Commission to approve a 111,000-square-foot distribution center on Industsriplex near Siegen Lane for an Atlanta developer with ties to Amazon suggests the e-retail giant is moving forward with plans to up its investment in Baton Rouge.

What’s also known, though also being kept quiet, is that Amazon, separately, continues to work on developing a much larger distribution and fulfillment center at the site of the recently shuttered Cortana Mall.

While the status of the Cortana project is unclear, sources have told Daily Report it is moving forward. In order to finalize its plans, however, Amazon has to close on at least six separate deals for the site—one for the center of the mall and one each for the five anchor tenant sites, which are individually owned. That process is long and tedious.

 

https://www.businessreport.com/article/is-amazon-planning-two-baton-rouge-facilities

Well that'd be nice. Hopefully they're able to develop one or both of the planned centers.

[richyb83]

These Strip Shopping Centers rule BR (along with the faux French suburban garden offices)...they are BOTH everywhere!

Not an "Insider"  on Business Report...prolly an interesting story ...NOT much "BIG"  going on these days lately;  slowing BR Forum on life-support....

Perkins Rowe; Towne Center; Southgate Towers; RiverPlace;  Downtown / Courthouse ; II City Plaza ; IBM ; Hotels etc kept BR Forum humming steadily  ...

STRIP SHOPPING CENTERS BOOMING

https://www.businessreport.com/business/retail-strip-centers-booming-baton-rouge

Edited March 11, 2020 by richyb83

[dan326]

On 3/11/2020 at 3:29 PM, richyb83 said:

These Strip Shopping Centers rule BR (along with the faux French suburban garden offices)...they are BOTH everywhere!

Not an "Insider"  on Business Report...prolly an interesting story ...NOT much "BIG"  going on these days lately;  slowing BR Forum on life-support....

Perkins Rowe; Towne Center; Southgate Towers; RiverPlace;  Downtown / Courthouse ; II City Plaza ; IBM ; Hotels etc kept BR Forum humming steadily  ...

STRIP SHOPPING CENTERS BOOMING

https://www.businessreport.com/business/retail-strip-centers-booming-baton-rouge

 

Yup,  this have gotten pretty slow since the retail apocalypse and what not and now where looking at a recession. I won't consign us to life-support yet, some state threads haven't had posts since 2017 so I think we're doing pretty well to keep chugging along. Those developments kept us around for sure but its been our very small but loyal team that's kept this operation going.  I do miss some of the people that no longer post from our hay-day circa pre-Recession though.

Hopefully both the suspected Amazons centers will come to fruition, that'll be "BIG" for sure, !

Edited March 14, 2020 by dan326

[richyb83]

Yes indeed Dan!  Appreciate your long time loyalty & valuable contributions  here on UP!  We keep  this Forum chugging along ...wonder whatever became of the Louisiana Founder of UP...NCB (Nate)? Without him ; would have never found this place!

 

Looks like this Amazon development at the South BR Distribution Center is already moving dirt   ....ummm  ...but is this not in the proposed city of St. George??

Developers with Amazon ties purchase 34.3 acres from Bethany Church in Industriplex in Baton Rouge

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_7e3e69ce-7428-11ea-b513-b3496209ad8d.html

[richyb83]

Economic slowdown, advances in telecommuting likely to reduce local office space demand

While real estate’s commercial and multifamily sectors have initially been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, the office market has been relatively insulated so far.

Don’t expect that to continue, experts say. Between the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus crisis and the plummeting price of crude oil, demand for office space will likely soften at a time when it was already soft.

Commercial real estate brokers point out that Baton Rouge’s office market—like its multifamily sector—has been overbuilt in recent years, with no fewer than eight new garden office parks having been developed in the past two years alone.

Most of the new inventory that has come on line has been absorbed not by new businesses moving into Baton Rouge but, rather, by existing tenants in the market, who have merely left their old office towers for newer, upscale digs.

“Things were slow throughout 2019,” says Branon Pesnell, a commercial broker with Transwestern, who is based in Houston but represents local office properties. “South Louisiana is so dependent on offshore oil and gas and that’s been slow as can be. Plus, there’s been a little bit of economic uncertainty and not a whole lot of growth in Baton Rouge—and that was before any of this.”

https://www.businessreport.com/realestate/economic-slowdown-advances-in-telecommuting-likely-to-reduce-local-office-space-demand

The high-tech office park @Highland has been slow to land additional tenants. (Photo by Tim Mueller)

[dan326]

I was wondering about that @Highland. Now that I've been telecommuting, I realize we could have been doing this all along. Hopefully we're able to implements telecommuting days permanently. 

[richyb83]

Still under construction  New Pelican State Credit Union HQ's on O'Neal Lane  (nearly a mile south of I-12) ; on the eastern fringe of BR

Pretty impressive considering most all of the other offices in the area are the over done suburban garden offices

When 1st announced ; reading the plans for a  office building this "Size"  was going on this tract of land ; wondered if it might be 4 floors??  There's also a small glass building on behind this office ; they could have built it on the top,... that's me always trying to add another floor!

[dan326]

It's long good. I was wondering what that little glad building was for, maybe a guard station? But then they have multiple entrances.

[dan326]

https://www.businessreport.com/realestate/cortana-property-owners-playing-hardball-with-amazon-proxy-potentially-threatening-major-deal

Cortana property owners playing hardball with Amazon proxy, potentially threatening major deal

For nearly a year, a property development firm with ties to Amazon has been trying to acquire the properties that comprise the now-shuttered Cortana Mall from their respective owners as part of a plan to redevelop the site into a 1 million-square-foot regional fulfillment and distribution center for the e-retail giant.

But while the project—which would be a huge economic development win for Baton Rouge—is not dead yet, at least one property owner is playing hardball and threatening to derail the whole deal, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

Those working directly on the deal have signed a nondisclosure agreement with the property firm, Atlanta-based Seefried Industrial Properties, precluding them from discussing the project, but two sources tell Daily Report that Dillard’s department store is the holdout.  

[dan326]

https://www.businessreport.com/realestate/amazon-deal-at-cortana-stalled-as-buyer-backs-out-of-virginia-college-purchase

Amazon deal at Cortana stalled as buyer backs out of Virginia College purchase

[dan326]

Popular grocery chain Aldi purchases 11-acre site on O’Neal Lane in Baton Rouge

Aldi, a fast-growing discount grocery store chain, has purchased an 11.1-acre site on O’Neal Lane.

Aldi Inc. paid $1.35 million for the property at 2327 O’Neal Lane in a deal that was filed Wednesday with the East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court’s Office. The seller was All American Realty Corp. of Baton Rouge.

The property was most recently home for a Hardee’s.

 

Aldi specializes in only fast-moving grocery items instead of the wide variety carried in traditional supermarkets. The typical store size is 22,000 square feet, smaller than a traditional supermarket. About 10 employees work at each store.

 

[richyb83]

Mixed-use land proposal for Perkins Road property goes before Planning Commission

Among the items the Planning Commission will consider at its meeting this afternoon is a proposal to reclassify nearly 20 acres of land for mixed use on Perkins Road, near Siegen Lane. 

https://www.businessreport.com/newsletters/mixed-use-land-proposal-for-perkins-road-property-goes-before-planning-commission

[dan326]

Nice.

[richyb83]

[greg225]

Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge moving onto land, adding Shaquille O'Neal restaurant, sports bar                                                                                                                                       https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_91dc06f0-e3c5-11ea-bc03-2fd5c66dbe8d.html

[dan326]

Cool, I saw the story on businessreport.com. I saw they removed the comment section though, I guess with elections coming up they said they're not even going to go there.

[richyb83]

Not sure what this is a pic of?  But if this will be 4 stories that will be cool! 

New apartment complex proposed at Bluebonnet and Burbank

The Planning Commission next month will consider the site plan for a proposed multifamily development at the intersection of Bluebonnet Boulevard and Burbank Drive. 

https://www.businessreport.com/insider/new-apartment-complex-proposed-at-bluebonnet-and-burbank

 

Pic not showing up...see here

Edited October 13, 2020 by richyb83