Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[byrde]

A sign has recently been posted on Harding Blvd announcing the future site of the Springhill Suites in Howell Place.

Another sign has been posted on Mickens Rd. announcing a new development called North Pointe. 80 lots.

Nice to see new developments on the northside.

[richyb83]

Yes it sure is Bryde. Thanks for the update. Howell Place is a perfect fit near the airport/ I-110. I had read of some developments in NBR a while back; but never got details. Brookstown Ave and McClleland have also had some new residential development.

[byrde]

Yes it sure is Bryde. Thanks for the update. Howell Place is a perfect fit near the airport/ I-110. I had read of some developments in NBR a while back; but never got details. Brookstown Ave and McClleland have also had some new residential development.

There are two new neighborhoods that have been built within the last 5-7 years in the McClelland/Hollywood intersection area. They are not very large homes but they new compared to what was in that area.

I also read somewhere recently that Wal-Mart is building a new Superstore in the Burbank/Bluebonnet area and they are also looking into building a store in Howell Place. That would be nice for the area, but I'd much rather see a SuperTarget in Howell Place.

Edited April 20, 2007 by byrde

[richyb83]

Hey Bryde, I posted this to back on March 30th in a reply to Trel-ellis in BR Welcome Forum

Since starting Howell Place has lead more development across on Harding Blvd. I know they are supposed to expand the airport, and relocate the intersection of Plank Rd at Blount Rd. Coca-Cola is moving their production and distribution facilities near the airport from the Airline/I-12 location.. The BR Zoo is about ready to expand too. The new medical clinic is supposed to have started up at the old K-Mart shopping center on Airline blocks from EKL.

* Veteran's Memorial Blvd. will be extended to Blount Road.

* Fairchild/Bradley Street will be widened with curbs and sidewalks.

* Elm Grove Garden will be improved as well.

* Ford Street will get improvements with a raised median between the two-lanes; this will make a better connection from Plank to Mickens.

* Part of Glen Oaks Drive will be three-laned with sidewalks

I like the new condo's on Senic Hwy. at the entrance to Southern U.

Southern U. dreamed big on campus wide enhancements thanks to a sucessful $60million municipal bond issue. This should help attracting more students. Improvements to AW Mumford Stadium; Lee-Hines Field; 178,000 sq.ft.' 3-story apartment-style dormitory and intramural facility.

You are right, the growth the southern sections of BR has been on a break-neck pace. It's good to see some of the developments shifting NBR's way. Howell Place mixed-use development on Harding at I-110 near the airport just down the road from Southern is a great location. The Hilton Garden Inn is nice; a couple more hotels are on there way...more condo's and medical offices too.

[richyb83]

BR housing market "robust";

commercial office market to see some fluctuation this year in Class A office space

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/7112876.html

[richyb83]

Widening I-12 off-ramp at Sherwood Forest Blvd

"Bursting at the seams"...one big mess

Reconfiguring (widening) the chaotic intersection of Sherwood Forest Blvd./So.Harrel's Ferry Rd. @ the I-12 off-ramp

Be interesting to see the new road design for this mess!

[richyb83]

Maybe not worthy for a thread yet...

Friday mornings Advocate front page was titled "BR Movie Studio planned"; but I was unable to locate the article on the website for some reason. This project was been previously mentioned on earlier threads threads a couple months back.

This is HUGE!!! mixed-use development at $1.6 billion anchored by a $955 million movie studio- on a 1,200 acre tract near O'Neal Lane/I-12 and a smaller parcel nearby. The name is "RedStick Studio Development". The main campus would be located on the tract that runs behind Ochsner Med. Ctr.-to the Amite River and South Harrel's Ferry Road. That part of the studio would take-up about 1/3 of the development with retail and residential on the northern 2/3.

It would have about 18 sound stages, ranging from 18,000sq.ft' to 50,000sq.ft' Also on the site would be a $30million educational facility that would operate as a consortium to work w/ LSU, Southern U.,and BRCC to train workers in film and video production. Also a 2 mile canal will run thru the development; which could possibly be used for transportation. 340-condo units will be used to support the studios operations.

[dan326]

What I tink would be neat was if they could something lie th RiverWalk in San Antonio with that canal.

[richyb83]

^ You are right Dan, that would be really cool

Didn't you say you have visited the RiverWalk in San Antonio?? Other cities that come to mind that emulate something similar to RiverWalk:

*The Woodlands TX (30-35 miles north of downtown Houston)

*Bricktown- Oklahoma City

*CanalWalk- Richmond VA

Of course these are all in the downtown areas; unlike this at RedStick Studios which is in the fringes. Another "edge city" for BR??

It would be cool for something like Cross Bayou in Shreveport to consider this too?? Call it "BayouWalk".

[dan326]

Have you ever been to the RierWalk in San Antonio? It is soooooo cool! They have lots of shopping and restaurants and nice architecture.

[richyb83]

Yes, but only briefly. I stopped there on my way to the Grand Canyon(Arizona) and Zion National Park(Utah). It was really nice. Every urban area should have something similar to a RiverWalk IMO.

[dan326]

This is great. We finally have a direct flight to the west.

B.R. airport lands its first discount airline

After years of trying, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport has landed its first low-cost air carrier.Airport spokesman Ronnie Pickard declined to identify the specific airline, though Frontier Airlines is a likely candidate. The Baton Rouge Metro Council earlier this year approved a $1 million incentive to attract any low-cost carrier interested in establishing direct service between Baton Rouge and Denver. Pickard says several cities and/or airports were vying for service for this particular carrier, and the $1 million is what clinched the deal for Baton Rouge.

Also

B.R. leaps up in Inc. rankings

Baton Rouge has jumped up 219 spots in Inc. magazine's listing of the best cities for doing business. The city went from 278th last year to 59th in this year's survey. That was the second biggest jump, only Sumter, S.C., which went up 280 spots increased more.

Link to list

Edited April 24, 2007 by dan326

[JPKneworleans]

Guys....Whatever happened to the highrise apartment building in downtown BR? I believe it was slated to be taller than the capitol. I haven't heard anything about it lately.

[dan326]

Guys....Whatever happened to the highrise apartment building in downtown BR? I believe it was slated to be taller than the capitol. I haven't heard anything about it lately.

Actually, it is a condo tower.It was to be taller tha the capitol before Katrina. I had to be reconfigured. Richy says he talked to the developer several months ago and the floors were lowered fom 36 to 30. But the number of units has risen from 99 to 119, which makes me think that maybe they figured out a way to keep the height the same. Also a website that posts construction leads said it was 36 stories, but who knows. Doesn't hurt to have wishful thinking.

Edited April 25, 2007 by dan326

[richyb83]

Thanks Dan. The project was originally set for $50million, but increased to $75million since the hurricanes causing an 18-month delay. Groundbreaking for River Place will be sometime this Summer.

Even at 36-stories+ parking deck it would be very close in height with the State Capitol, it wold have been interesting to see bec. the State Capitol is at a higher elevation. Even at 30-stories it will become BR's New 2nd Tallest.

[dan326]

I hate to sound petty, with this continued talk of highrises and height, but when you think abot it RiverPlace doesn't really seem like a "tallest" tower. Something a little more glittery and flashy. Maybe like the RSA in Mobile. Maybe we'll have one by 2020. Of course, what I really want to see more than that is a thriving street level. In fact I was riding through the midcity yesterday and I saw a recently completed convience store like the one at the corner of Old Hammond and Flannery and a nice small strip mall. An I know what you're probably thinking "A stip mall and a gas station? What's the big deal." But the way I see it they start with little things like that and as they become successful bigger things come like the Neighborhood Wal-Mart. Now that I think about it, I'm glad B.R. Community College and others decided to choose midity, instead of Siegen or O'Neal which will be the same as the rest in 15 years. :0

Edited April 26, 2007 by dan326

[richyb83]

There is plenty of infil projects going on in BR. And it's good to see; unfortunately sprawl is just a fact of life around here. (Really Ascension Parish needs a thread if Livingston does).

You are right Dan, they built BRCC at a perfect location. And it's still growing too. Nice new development can trigger more new growth! Bonne Carre/La.Technology Park(old Bon Marche) is another great example. Look at the very nice new HomeSmart Kornmeyers. They intended on moving to Siegen, but decided to (upgrade)stay instead when Bonne Carre was built. It would be nice for Westmoreland to get re-developed.

Mid-City has turned into the cities premier Arts & Design Dstrict too!

The Shaw Center for the Arts helped spur the renovated Hilton Capitol Center that will trigger more nice projects.

Back in the 70's the Hilton(now the Mariott) started an explosion of new hotel growth what is now easily BR's Largest hotel district. I am curious to know how many rooms are in that area??

Edited April 26, 2007 by richyb83

[dan326]

Develobits

The hotel on Acadian and I-10 is being renovated and having the facade redone. It looks like it will be fancy.

Chucky Cheese and a housing complex have started wok in Siegen Market Place.

A convience store like the one on Old Hammond/Flannery is coming to Millerville.

They have recently finished eveling and a large drain opening for he outparcel of the several hundred acre O'Neal project.I have also herd rumors that the land on the side of the Office Depot/Hobby Lobby on O'Neal is going to be developed too.

A huge apartment complex on Jones Creek. It's even built behind the library and the shopping center.

A 216 apartment complex is going up on O'Neal behind the Autozone.

A new cafe is coming to downtown.

Does anybody know what this might be?

Site work and new construction for a hotel in Baton Rouge. Design plans call for a five-story, 55,000-square-foot, 100-unit hotel.

Edited April 28, 2007 by dan326

[richyb83]

Would that be the Cambria Suites?? Or possibly a hotel on Siegen?

Thanks for the develobits Dan.

There is so much going on everywhere it would fil-up this page! I was by Towne Center today; The hotel is coming along nicely...with the "stone" theme that has been so popular that you mentioned. The Enclave is going up fast. It's about 270-units and 3-stories. Books-A-Million has started and Banana Republic is about to start. Omni Bank is nearly finished looks nice. A lot is being cleared across Jefferson Hwy. for a real-estate company moving from Perkins Rd. The LaSalle condominiums are finished now.

Coursey Blvd./ Bluebonnet fills up more day-by-day. Like you said O'Neal Lane is filing up. Millerville is booming.

Summer can't come soon enough downtown.

[hagetaka]

Bon Carre was supposed to be a town center; the development went wrong, scandal. It was too much, too fast, in the wrong area, at the wrong time. I never doubted it would happen, all I wanted was a Gameworks in walking distance of home.

Years later we get Perkins Rowe, not enough, not fast enough, in the right area, at the right time. I never doubted this would happen either, I don't see a Gameworks on the tenant line up either.

One thing I can say about development in BR is we have a lot of Town Center type developments, in the city. Pretty unusual in my eyes, but if it they type of construction to get folks from the outlying areas to move back, keep building!

http://www.metavision.com/BonCarre.html

Edited April 28, 2007 by Louisiana Thunder

[richyb83]

^Very nice! Thanks for posting this. I like the first rendering with the future buildings on each side of Bonne Carre. That would be nice to see that happen.

Developer Wampold sells two United Plaza office buildings; in one of the city's biggest post-Katrina real-estate deals to date.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/7232726.html

Maybe with the extra $$$ Wampold made from this; now he can implement the parking deck back to the new II City Plaza?? And bring it back to 17-stories?? And this should also help his 300-room Bluebonnet hotel too??

[dan326]

^Yeah I was wonderind about that, when they said 16/17 stores.

Does anybody know what is going up on the left of the Advocate site, in front of River Road, behind the goverment building(LaSalle I think)?

[richyb83]

That is going to be another multi-level parking deck. It will be for Capitol Park & the Visitor's Center. Downtown Baton Rouge is doing a much better job now with more parking structures. Now if they could fil-in somemore of the surface parking lots.

[dan326]

We all know that plain,70's 4/5 story hotel at Acadian Throughway and I-10. Well ug-nomore, as it is having a completely facade renovation into something very special. Even the inside is beign renovated.

One of the rooms before and after.

My crappy rendering of what I saw going up.

Here is something I found on a website for Baton Rouge. I don't think it is for us though because it was listed as Oakwood Baton Rouge and is location is near the spot of Perkins Palms.

Edited May 1, 2007 by dan326

[richyb83]

That hotel know's it's got to step it up with the new hotels being built adjacent to the area.

The pic on the bottom would be a nice looking hotel for Perkins Rowe.