Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[cajun]

I kind of like the "slightly overgrown" look that Baton Rouge has. I hope that the only clearing they do is to get the cudzoo off the pine and oak, and maybe throw out some of the garbage that's all over the interstate interchanges.

I think it's cool to feel like you are in the middle of a forest while you are in a huge city. It makes it nicer looking...the LSU ave, garden district, capitol heights, zeeland gardens, and southdowns area are the nicest looking parts of town because of the trees. Atlanta really did a good job with this...kind of wish Baton Rouge would too.

I think more trees should be planted to create a wide buffer zone on the edge of all freeway right of ways. the I-12/I-10 split is going to look pretty cool when all those oaks mature in the neutral ground. I still kind of wish the sign ordinace would have sticked, and maybe we could encourage more trees to be planted at businesses and what not. It would be nice to be able to look down the street and see more trees than those trashy, ugly signs.

Edited July 7, 2007 by cajun

[BRPJ]

8,000 + is a great number for growth. Considering thats after katrina its seems low. Now if next we see that same growth from 2006 to 2007, then i'll really be excited!!! If we grew like that for the next ten years we'd be at 300K + for the 2020 census. about the trees, i do think we are a little tooo green. The fact of the matter is, Baton rouge is a green city, cutting down a few trees here and there near the interstate wont change that!

[twstdndmntd]

8,000 + is a great number for growth. Considering thats after katrina its seems low. Now if next we see that same growth from 2006 to 2007, then i'll really be excited!!! If we grew like that for the next ten years we'd be at 300K + for the 2020 census. about the trees, i do think we are a little tooo green. The fact of the matter is, Baton rouge is a green city, cutting down a few trees here and there near the interstate wont change that!

I totally agree, thanks BRPJ, I'm not saying we should go throughout the entire city and cut down all the trees. BR is a "green city" and I DO like that, but I think we are a little to green. Green space is nice but I do believe we are a bit overwhelmed with it. We have parks all over the place, that no one uses. I believe the park commission needs a good restructuring. I think they need to consolidate the parks into more centralized locations where people will actually utilize them. Take for example on Old Hammond Hwy, there is a "Jones Creek Park" that no doubtably they pay to maintain, there is nothing on it but a sign. It's a waste of our taxpayer money, that could be better used to enhance the parks that get more use. Back to the subject at hand, if the city isn't going to thin out some of the trees they could at least clean the underbrush and trash along the interstates and make it look a little more dare I say, cleaner.

[dan326]

I got this from the Mall of Louisiana website. The number has raised from 19 to 25. Well ok, that's only 6 more stores , but hey, but better than none!

The Boulevard will grand open Spring 2008 and include pedestrian friendly center will play host to 25 upscale and unique retailers and restaurants in an open-air park setting with tree lined walkways and gorgeous fountains.

Edited July 10, 2007 by dan326

[richyb83]

^ Looking forward to seeing the completion of The Boulevard. Open-air Malls is the going trend; however the heat/cold and T-Storms make this interesting....What about a compromise with more glass/plexi-glass roofs to allow more sunlight inside the mall?? The entranced area of the Mall of La. does this near the giant carousel/food-court, implement this through-out the mall.

Impressive to see the "expansion" of Mall of La. (The Boulevard) so close to Perkins Rowe. This is truly becoming a regional destination All of this has triggered the 300+room 12-story Renaissance Hotel centered between these major developments. The Bluebonnet corridor has nearly everything in place including restuarants like J Alexander, CheeseCake Bistro, Boutin's, Ralph & Kakcoo's,etc.

*Not to mention the east-side of the medical corridor: Oschner Clinic, expanded BR General @ Bluebonnet; NeuroMedical Center, and Surgery Specialty Clinic.

Making it a no-brainer that Picardy connects Essen and Bluebonnet.....

Edited July 9, 2007 by richyb83

[richyb83]

Another one of these developments......

Site work and new construction for a mixed-use building in Baton Rouge. Completed working drawings call for a four-story building with ground floor retail and residences above. General contractor bids are due to the architect on July 10.

*bidclerk.com

Another episode of "Name that Development"....(a) Kress, Levy, Welch bldg. (b) Acadian Village © Perkins Rowe (d) Perkins Palms (e) none of the above??

[twstdndmntd]

Yeah the are really making progess at the mall. I was just there yesterday and had no idea that they had already done so much. I think it's gonna look great once they are done. What's going on with the clearing of land on the side of the service road heading towards Siegen Ln? A new development maybe? Great location tho. But just how are people supposed to get there, there are no roads linking Bluebonnet and Siegen in that area.

[richyb83]

Urban Districts to rehab Baton Rouge

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/8415197.html

"The idea is to be able to look at all the areas that need work in the parish,

[dinner roll]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/8424087.html

Random bits from the Advocate:

In other DDD news:

[*]John Spain of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation said a five-member East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority board should be appointed by the Metro Council by year

[twstdndmntd]

I love the plans for Downtown, with the color coded signs for the two neighborhoods. I am very excited with them replacing those god aweful aluminum street signs and traffic poles. Those things are so ugly. I really wish the would do that throughout the city. Especially, Capital Heights, Garden District, Broadmoor and Sherwood Forest at key intersections. Richy think you can find out what's going on with the property between Bluebonnet and Siegen heading East?

[richyb83]

^ I believe it's probably the large development we talked about yesterday in the New Urbanism thread, The Grove?? I have lived in BR and have really seen the "Greenbelt" along I-10 really shrink. They cleared alot of land when I glanced that way a couple weeks ago. I'll be out that way tommorrow and check-it out some more.

The greenbelt is actually Wards Creek which runs under I-10 on the other side of Siegen; that parallel's I-10; there's a fork between Bluebonnet & Siegen that's Dawson's Creek; and between Bluebonnet & Essen forks again into the north branch of Wards Creek....Wards Creek continues to parallel I-10 til it goes back under I-10 at CitiPlace.

Several months back Bryde posted asking what all the cleared land was between Bluebonnet and Essen?? We could only guess as it still remains empty; my best guess was LSU's University Hosp. would go there. Essen Park Ave. would be extended.

Edited July 12, 2007 by richyb83

[richyb83]

Some development pics....

The changing streetscape at the Northgate of Nicholson Drive just 600 yards from Tiger Stadium

Fieldhouse condo's(right); Victory Commons(left edge)

Getting things ready in time for LSU Football season I'm diggin' the Purple & Gold!

Across the street, Victory Commons is going up quickly

[twstdndmntd]

Great pictures. It's been a while since I've been on that side of campus. I think that kind of style should be all along Nicholson and Highland. You could even throw in some Brownstones. LOL.

[richyb83]

Thanks for the props twstdndmntd Brownstones would also look cool near the Miss. River Bridge further down Nicholson; and St.Joesph's near the Atrium.

"Before & After" on Third Street

*Before (looking South)

*After(looking North)

Boudreaux's and Thibodeaux's added the awning complete with festival lights and fans; and to the left, the old jagged brick has been replaced by this smooth new mixed-use (Old Gordon's Bldg). Chenevert Architects will move it's firm from Perkins Rd. to downtown. With residential lofts on the third floor.

Now time to transform the next block!

Edited July 17, 2007 by richyb83

[dan326]

Great pics Richy!

[cajun]

Not sure if I can grow to like that mustard yellow paint covering so much of those gameday lofts on Nicholson. The should have picked something else for that corner unit.

[richyb83]

^ The corner unit will be retail I believe??

The new 5-story, 80,000sq.ft' LACAP building was completed a few months ago.

I like the location in the eastern CBD near the Federal Courthouse. The eastern CBD needs more development like this. Definetly better than the dreaded surface parking lot that once stood there.

Main Street at Seventh Street

Edited July 17, 2007 by richyb83

[dan326]

Thanks for posting this pic,Richy. This buildng really interests me. This was also one of those that when I saw the rendering the building was already half way done. I would have liked to see an atrium like the atrium on Macy's at the Mall of Louisiana and maybe a more dark orange/tan color, but I do like the all the vertical lines which give it a tall look and the way the letters light up at night.

Edited July 17, 2007 by dan326

[richyb83]

Thanks Dan, I'm glad you liked the pics

Some unexpected good news....

I-10 Widening Nears; work begining sooner than planned??

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/8566102.html

Widening Interstate 10 from the Interstate 10/12 split to Siegen Lane will begin earlier than planned as part of the area

[BRPJ]

Thanks Dan, I'm glad you liked the pics

Some unexpected good news....

I-10 Widening Nears; work begining sooner than planned??

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/8566102.html

Widening Interstate 10 from the Interstate 10/12 split to Siegen Lane will begin earlier than planned as part of the area

[byrde]

They don't need to study widening I-10 out to Hwy 22. Everyone that travels that stretch knows it needs to be done pronto.

Edited July 18, 2007 by byrde

[richyb83]

True Bryde and BRPJ, so true! No study needed..just "START"!!!! It's hard to believe they have left I-10 as is(4-lanes) for so long!?!?! How do build all those big new developments over the years like Mall of. La/Bluebonnet, Siegen Village, Essen, new neighborhoods, hospitals, etc. And keep the road the same?? This should have been done 10 years ago; from the split to at least Siegen. And they should be starting on the next phase NOW from Siegen to Hwy.22 or Tanger Mall!!

Edited July 18, 2007 by richyb83

[twstdndmntd]

Totally agree, I10 should have been more than 4 lanes for years now. Study or not I'm just glad they finally gonna do something about it. What I find interesting is they have already widened it to "3" lanes between Bluebonnet to Siegen when they did the new interchange and service roads. Thats one less stretch they have to work on. I do think that along with this they need to rework our signs on the surface roads at their interchanges. The exit/entrance signs really need to be 1/4 or 1/2 mile up the road before the actual exit begins. This would truely help direct some of these idiots of where they really need to be.

[richyb83]

"Mix of Old and New"

Moving from the burbs; MAPP Construction(right) completed their new HQ's on Third Street a while back. Adding a modern third floor on top of the old Belisle bldg. There offices will be on the 2nd & 3rd floor; not sure if a martini bar or retail will be on street level? The Fuqua bldg. is to the left where RiverPlace hospitality center is on ground level. The Wine Loft is on the back side on Laurel Street.

The 8-story black building (left) is the Commerce Bldg. where the Palms on Third was supposed to go. Bob Dean supposedly has similar plans. They definetly need to renovate the ugly building; and the building to the left of that is Capital One Bank...they really need to fix that up too!

[Rardy]

Some development pics....

The changing streetscape at the Northgate of Nicholson Drive just 600 yards from Tiger Stadium

Fieldhouse condo's(right); Victory Commons(left edge)

Getting things ready in time for LSU Football season I'm diggin' the Purple & Gold!

Across the street, Victory Commons is going up quickly

Damn! I don't recognize the old place!

Looks terrific