Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[dan326]

7 hours ago, cajun said:

This is symbolic in nature.  If they were serious about it, they'd have pushed for it last year.     A judge already ruled that the boundaries of St. George won't/can't change until incorporation, which has been delayed due to the Pandemic.     Baton Rouge is free to annex other unincorporated areas though.   

Also quoted in the article: 

“Any annexations are null and void at this point because when the incorporation is certified, it will be retroactive and so any annexations that are filed now will be null and void,” he says.

What is this symbolic of?

[cajun]

On 3/10/2021 at 7:23 PM, dan326 said:

What is this symbolic of?

They are making a political statement; not a practical one.   St. George's borders are frozen by the courts at this point; and they are currently in those borders.

[dan326]

5 hours ago, cajun said:

They are making a political statement; not a practical one.   St. George's borders are frozen by the courts at this point; and they are currently in those borders.

Oh ok, I get it.

[dan326]

Construction permit filed for multifamily development on Bluebonnet

A developer wants to build a 509-bedroom multifamily complex on Bluebonnet Boulevard near its intersection with Burbank Drive, according to permits recently filed with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’s office.

 

I wonder if they're "affordable"?

[richyb83]

^ Guessing they will be 3 stories?

Bon Carré getting $10 million renovation with green spaces; looks to attract restaurants

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_77178c48-97db-11eb-ac5f-bb3f51637661.html

[dan326]

Most likely.

[Mr. Burnham]

On 4/7/2021 at 8:20 PM, richyb83 said:

^ Guessing they will be 3 stories?

Bon Carré getting $10 million renovation with green spaces; looks to attract restaurants

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_77178c48-97db-11eb-ac5f-bb3f51637661.html

I'm interested to see if this is successful, especially in light of the recent Amazon announcement. Would be quite the historical irony if the redevelopment of Cortana into an Amazon facility gave a second lease of life to the old Bon Marche site. 

[cajun]

11 hours ago, Mr. Burnham said:

I'm interested to see if this is successful, especially in light of the recent Amazon announcement. Would be quite the historical irony if the redevelopment of Cortana into an Amazon facility gave a second lease of life to the old Bon Marche site. 

It's going to help.    I do think there is going to be significant demand for truck/big rig focused businesses on Airline near Cortana.   And also additional demand for fast casual restaurants along the routes leading to Cortana that will be geared towards the workers commuting in and out all day.  So I hope to see everything from a Love's Travel Stops store in the Cortana area to new Starbucks/Panera/ALDI Grocery Store/ McDonalds along Airline or Florida.   I don't think the big-rig oriented businesses will be anywhere near Bonne Carre, but the new restaurants and stores certainly will be.

I know these jobs are not the same as a major corporate HQ, but I'm very excited for them.    Baton Rouge has never had a problem attracting skilled industrial employers.   In fact the region has a very robust middle class and a powerful industrial base thanks to all the petrochemical jobs, refineries, and manufacturing.     

The area struggled to attract employers for unskilled labor as well as high paying white collar jobs.    Amazon moves the needle on the unskilled labor market, which feature low wages and high unemployment in Baton Rouge.     If we can get Target, Lowe's, and other e-commerce related fulfillment centers into the metro area, we would be shorting up a big part of the area's economy while also diversifying it to some extent.    Then we can hopefully focus on growing our white collar job market with a few regional HQ or tech center recruits.

Edited May 11, 2021 by cajun

[Mr. Burnham]

7 hours ago, cajun said:

It's going to help.    I do think there is going to be significant demand for truck/big rig focused businesses on Airline near Cortana.   And also additional demand for fast casual restaurants along the routes leading to Cortana that will be geared towards the workers commuting in and out all day.  So I hope to see everything from a Love's Travel Stops store in the Cortana area to new Starbucks/Panera/ALDI Grocery Store/ McDonalds along Airline or Florida.   I don't think the big-rig oriented businesses will be anywhere near Bonne Carre, but the new restaurants and stores certainly will be.

I know these jobs are not the same as a major corporate HQ, but I'm very excited for them.    Baton Rouge has never had a problem attracting skilled industrial employers.   In fact the region has a very robust middle class and a powerful industrial base thanks to all the petrochemical jobs, refineries, and manufacturing.     

The area struggled to attract employers for unskilled labor as well as high paying white collar jobs.    Amazon moves the needle on the unskilled labor market, which feature low wages and high unemployment in Baton Rouge.     If we can get Target, Lowe's, and other e-commerce related fulfillment centers into the metro area, we would be shorting up a big part of the area's economy while also diversifying it to some extent.    Then we can hopefully focus on growing our white collar job market with a few regional HQ or tech center recruits.

I think you hit the nail on the head. 

Baton Rouge has always been a rather middle-class city. The Amazon center allows us to diversify our economy, expand economic opportunities, and will probably open the door to a decent revitalization of commerce and industry along Florida.

[cajun]

Proposed office park at the SW corner of Siegen Ln @ I-10.  

Smaller single level buildings towards the rear near the existing houses, larger 2-3 story buildings closer to I-10 or Siegen.   

[cajun]

A look at how the south tower will look at the Chase campus downtown:

 

 

[dan326]

Nice.

[richyb83]

Discussed a month or two ago....wonder what will become of the new LWCC property acquired along I-10/Acadian Thruway where the hotel was demolished?  They are keeping the gas station as is for now...

LWCC buys Acadian Thruway Chevron station, adding to its list of recent big purchases

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_5ba7d824-d466-11eb-b3dc-17c3f9661931.html

 

[cajun]

20 hours ago, richyb83 said:

Discussed a month or two ago....wonder what will become of the new LWCC property acquired along I-10/Acadian Thruway where the hotel was demolished?  They are keeping the gas station as is for now...

LWCC buys Acadian Thruway Chevron station, adding to its list of recent big purchases

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_5ba7d824-d466-11eb-b3dc-17c3f9661931.html

 

I thought they were up for expansion, but I am hearing they wanted to get rid of the hotels and fuel station next door because they were becoming pretty serious crime problems.   

[dan326]

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_678e6f9a-d5e2-11eb-9c64-cfa41c4fce79.html

Campus Federal Credit Union is set to begin construction later this summer on a Siegen Lane branch.

The credit union applied for a permit Thursday to build a two-story, 27,519-square-foot office building at 6108 Siegen Lane. The branch will be built in front of the Bristol Place Apartments on a 2.3-acre site Campus Federal bought in March 2020 for nearly $2.7 million.

 

[cajun]

2 hours ago, dan326 said:

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_678e6f9a-d5e2-11eb-9c64-cfa41c4fce79.html

Campus Federal Credit Union is set to begin construction later this summer on a Siegen Lane branch.

The credit union applied for a permit Thursday to build a two-story, 27,519-square-foot office building at 6108 Siegen Lane. The branch will be built in front of the Bristol Place Apartments on a 2.3-acre site Campus Federal bought in March 2020 for nearly $2.7 million.

 

That's a very decent looking building IMO.  I like that they appear to be using brick instead of that EFIS crap.

[richyb83]

^ Nice!   Should look good on the green tract of undeveloped land near the Palm tree entrance to Bristol Place Apts.

Is that a taller 2nd/top floor? Or is that 3-stories?   Y'all know me 'i'd be curious to see what this would look like at 4 stories?

 

The future 3 -story office building on Main Street @ I-110 still has not started  construction behind the fenced barriers ; so i did not bother to take a pic. Wonder when construction will begin?

[cajun]

2 hours ago, richyb83 said:

 

The future 3 -story office building on Main Street @ I-110 still has not started  construction behind the fenced barriers ; so i did not bother to take a pic. Wonder when construction will begin?

The Association of Realtors building?  I haven't seen the updated plans.    I wouldn't be upset if they stuck to the original design.

I keep hearing that it may have changed.  

Edited June 29, 2021 by cajun

[richyb83]

Yes that is it !  Thanks Cajun.  Had posted this same rendering last July 2020...figured they would have started construction by now! Like everything ; building materials co$t have gone way up...maybe that's the reason for delay?

Here was the other rendering i posted

[cajun]

The new Floor and Decor store that is taking the place of the old Amazon DC near Celtic Movie Studios.  

 

 

 

 

Silverside Cove - a single family home development going up near Dawson Creek on Staring Lane (south of Perkins)

 

 

 

 

 

Eliza Gardens - a single family home development coming up in the Burbank area near Staring Lane (under review)

 

Edited July 19, 2021 by cajun

[richyb83]

Nice to see the infill development  being re-used in the Airline Hwy/I-12 area.....

Thanks for the graphics Cajun.....new subdivision's next to creek always interesting since 2016....

Three proposed neighborhoods in high-risk flood zones set to get go-ahead

Among the controversial projects on tonight’s agenda:

• The Park at Jones Creek, a 23-unit development of single-family townhomes on a nearly 4-acre tract on Jones Creek Road that is 50% in the AE flood zone.

• Eliza Gardens, a proposed 150-unit single-family development on Burbank Avenue that is 100% in an AE flood zone.

• Gardens at Forest Park, a proposed 26-unit development of zero-lot-line, single-family homes on South Harrell’s Ferry Road that is about 20% in the AE flood zone. 

Granted, all three projects call for flood mitigation measures, specifically deep retention ponds, which Planning Department staffers have deemed sufficient to sign off on the projects. 

Daigle says that misses the larger point.

“The mitigation that’s required for these projects does not address the fundamental problem, which is the loss of the natural floodplain to development,” he says. “Retention ponds capture rainwater from a newly elevated area, but that doesn’t help surrounding neighborhoods. The water just gets displaced and backs up, flooding other areas.”

https://www.businessreport.com/business/three-proposed-neighborhoods-in-high-risk-flood-zones-set-to-get-go-ahead

 

AND.....These residents would rather the 7-story building (would be interesting in that location!)...than what is being proposed ....would like to see RENDERINGS of this tooo....there is already a nice  3-story glass office building there now.  7 stories is not technically a "High-Rise" but for that area i guess it is.

Homeowners attempt to stop rezoning of @Highland property over flooding concerns

https://www.wafb.com/2021/07/19/homeowners-attempt-stop-rezoning-highland-property-over-flooding-concerns/

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A group of homeowners along Highland Road is attempting to halt the rezoning of property at the corner of Bluebonnet Boulevard and Highland over concerns new development will cause increased flooding.

The owner of the @Highland property is seeking to rezone the property, paving the way to build a 240-unit apartment complex, along with commercial space for retail and restaurants. The owner, Mohit Vij, already has approval from the parish to construct a seven-story high-rise building on the property. It would include equal parts commercial office space and apartments. An office building is already on the property.

“Building another unit with more concrete that runs water four times as fast off, which it has nowhere to go, basically the system is clogged up and that needs to be addressed,” said Brent Honore, a Baton Rouge developer and spokesman for the group of homeowners opposing the rezoning efforts.

District 12 Councilwoman Jennifer Racca said the strife over the proposal is complex but she believes the new proposal is likely better in terms of flood risk. She cited the plans increased green space and flood mitigation measures. She added she has not made a decision on how to vote on the rezoning measure, though.

“They say they can put a seven-story building there right now. Ok, we’d rather see a seven-story building than what they want to change to,” explained Honore.

At its core, Honore and the group of homeowners are betting the property owner would not build the high-rise immediately, giving time for East Baton Rouge Parish to address its drainage woes, mitigating any flooding impacts neighboring residents would see.

WAFB reached out to developer CSRS about the concerns. As of now, no one has responded to those requests.

The proposal goes before Metro Council on Wednesday, July 21.

 

 

[dan326]

Well I can't completely disagree with em on the second article.

[richyb83]

This is probably better than the proposed 276 lot neighborhood.

Use empty Sherwood Forest golf course to help tame Jones Creek floods? State gives $6 million to try

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_30fbb12c-f671-11eb-b31f-27fcfcbdaf15.html

[richyb83]

I like how the Top Map shows I-12 as "West Florida Republic Parkway"....pretty cool to think if we were living in 1803 - 1812 we would have been West Republic of Florida.    Ascension = Isle of Orleans w Bayou Manchac as it's northern border.

Hard to believe nearing 5 years since the Great Flood of 16'......what Jones Creek and Lively Bayou and other tributaries  did were game changers!

[richyb83]

Wasn't sure where to put this....

Guess that's the Monument Tower (far right end? of rendering ) with Pelican Motif?

DOTD selects design for I-10 bridge over City Park Lake 

https://www.businessreport.com/business/dotd-selects-design-for-i-10-bridge-over-city-park-lake

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development today announced it has selected designs for the new Interstate 10 bridge and tower over City Park Lake, after seeking public input on the span 

The selected designs are called bridge “Option C”—the “arched panel” design, and monument tower “Option A,” which prominently features a pelican motif. They were the top-scoring designs from the public, which responded to a poll offered online and in-person during a community open house event 

The selected bridge design provides arched and rectangular exterior fascia panels and arches between its columns so that the design is visible from beneath the bridge and from the side. The design for the monument tower will pay tribute to the art deco style of the state Capitol building. 

 

Guess that's the Monument Tower (far right end? of rendering ) with Pelican Motif?