Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[dan326]

Pennington gets funds for new research building

"LSU

[cajun]

This is what the Stroube's Chophouse will look like. I love it. It combined with the other modernized building down the street, will really give 3rd street a progressive feel.

This isn't that chain "The Chop House", is it? If it is, then it's way nicer than the ones that I have seen.

I kind of liked the independent retailer atmosphere downtown.

[byrde]

This isn't that chain "The Chop House", is it? If it is, then it's way nicer than the ones that I have seen.

I kind of liked the independent retailer atmosphere downtown.

I've never read anything that said this will be a part of a chain.

[justin538]

It's actually the owners of Capital City Grill that are creating a new dining concept. It's not part of a chain and should be a nice addition to the independent restaurant/venue scene downtown.

[richyb83]

The Stroubes Restaurant rendering looks great! Love the roof-top deck! Nice addition for Third Street and the Shaw Arts Block.

Great news for Pennington Biomedical Research Center! This expansion is a "MUST" if they are going to continue to compete Nationally & Internationally! Not just for BR, but the entire state of Louisiana!

[BRPJ]

That looks awesome for downtown!

[richyb83]

I think this answers my question from post #1601. Should see construction at anytime now; but wonder why they announced grounbreaking would happen back on 1st of March; but didn't.

This should be a nice looking building along the Essen Lane corridor! This office buildings footprint is only just over 11,000sq. ft. If the same were true for II City Plaza being built now; it would be about 23-stories.

LPFA sells bonds for Summa building

The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority has completed a $20 million bond sale to build an eight-story, 90,000-square-foot Class-A office building off Essen Lane for Summa Associates LLC.

Spatz Development, which is managing the project, is building the energy-efficient building using environmentally friendly construction techniques.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/18137254.html

[byrde]

CarMax to open a dealership in BR.

CarMax plans location in BR

$4.5 million project could take 1-2 years

By CHAD CALDER

Advocate business writer

Published: May 3, 2008 - Page: 1D - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

Richmond, Va.-based CarMax, the nation

[Southdowns]

From the BR Business Report:

Fortune 1000 firm Albemarle moves HQ to BR

Baton Rouge has snagged the headquarters of another Fortune 1000 firm. By year's end, specialty chemical giant Albemarle will move its executive offices from Richmond, Va., bringing with it 30 professionals and a $7 million annual payroll. Already based in Baton Rouge are the company's administrative offices, which employ 300 workers in sales, marketing, engineering, finance, customer service and other areas and a research and development office on Gulf States Road, which also has 300 employees.

But Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret says bringing the executive headquarters to the Capital City is a serious coup. "In the world of economic development, nothing is more exciting than landing a major corporate headquarters-especially a Fortune 1000 company," he says. "This is definitely a home run."

This is a huge coup for Baton Rouge!

Edited May 5, 2008 by Southdowns

[cajun]

Good news about Albermarle....More office jobs in Baton Rouge means that more folks with higher education will be needed.

This increases the job market and helps attract other young proffesionals, which will increase the average income in the area and shake up the demographics a little. Baton Rouge is turning into a mini-Atlanta....almost no one in town is from Baton Rouge where Lafayette and New Orleans have more distinctive cultures.

This should be big news to everyone "talking" about developing real, practical housing downtown outside of Spanish town and Beaurgard town.

Combine this with good, high quality townhomes and a decent riverside park and it's another big win for Baton Rouge.

Edited May 5, 2008 by cajun

[cajun]

I think this answers my question from post #1601. Should see construction at anytime now; but wonder why they announced grounbreaking would happen back on 1st of March; but didn't.

This should be a nice looking building along the Essen Lane corridor! This office buildings footprint is only just over 11,000sq. ft. If the same were true for II City Plaza being built now; it would be about 23-stories.

LPFA sells bonds for Summa building

The Louisiana Public Facilities Authority has completed a $20 million bond sale to build an eight-story, 90,000-square-foot Class-A office building off Essen Lane for Summa Associates LLC.

Spatz Development, which is managing the project, is building the energy-efficient building using environmentally friendly construction techniques.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/18137254.html

I consider the footprint to also be the parking area, which means that City Plaza 1 and 2 and their parking garage are much more efficient uses of space. I'd have rathered them build the tower right along Summa and put the parking out back.

Either way, I hope this office keeps in mind that medical office demand will be increasing in that area as the new EKL and ever expanding medical offices are going in that area to create Baton Rouge's version of the Texas Medical Center.

With so many windows and higher energy prices, I am sure that most of the tenants have to be medical related to afford it!

Did anyone hear about them expanding the outpatient medical facility on Bluebonnet (accross from Brew-Bacher's)? I heard they might be adding another floor or expanding.

Where there is office space, there usually is more need for condos. This area is right near the OLOL campus, BR General, and 3 very attractive sites for a future training hospital and EKL.

I'd like to see another entertainment district for this 2nd CBD. Maybe a couple of sports bars (and some not so trendy bars) can open up on Summa or in Perkins Rowe. Summa has so much potential with the vacant land, good access, interconnectivity, and pedestrian access.

Edited May 5, 2008 by cajun

[Southdowns]

With the addition of the new building on Summa, and if the new EKL will be built there as well, the city had better get started on widening Summa. It is already a main artery from Essen to Bluebonnet, and those new entities (especially a fully-functional hospital with trauma center) and the traffic they would create would make Summa a parking lot (especially around shift-changing time @ 3:00). I do not see anything about widening Summa in the Green Light Plan. I hope someone is looking at this.

[cajun]

With the addition of the new building on Summa, and if the new EKL will be built there as well, the city had better get started on widening Summa. It is already a main artery from Essen to Bluebonnet, and those new entities (especially a fully-functional hospital with trauma center) and the traffic they would create would make Summa a parking lot (especially around shift-changing time @ 3:00). I do not see anything about widening Summa in the Green Light Plan. I hope someone is looking at this.

I'd say widening it enough to accomadate parallel parking where possible.

[richyb83]

They are supposed to extend the 4-laned Essen Park Ave. then hook-it into Summa or possibly to Bluebonnet?? I'm guessing that's where the new University hospital will be located? Also Picardy Ave. is supposed to finally be extended from Bluebonnet(behind BR General) to Essen. That should help ease the strain on Summa. Also a frontage road for I-10 between Essen and Bluebonnet probably wouldn't hurt either.

I agree Summa Ave. should be widened; but it might be tough to do in that small section that's tightly wedged between those offices.

[richyb83]

Do they need another pizza place at that location?? The residential lofts on the 2nd & 3rd floors should be cool.

Perkins Road Hardware site work to begin

Construction crews will begin work on the former Perkins Road Hardware building in the next few weeks, beginning its transformation into a mixed-use development anchored by a new concept by a New Orleans-area restaurant, a local gourmet pizzeria and four apartment units.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/

[cajun]

With the addition of the new building on Summa, and if the new EKL will be built there as well, the city had better get started on widening Summa. It is already a main artery from Essen to Bluebonnet, and those new entities (especially a fully-functional hospital with trauma center) and the traffic they would create would make Summa a parking lot (especially around shift-changing time @ 3:00). I do not see anything about widening Summa in the Green Light Plan. I hope someone is looking at this.

There is supposed to be a connector built from the access road along the interstate all the way to Perkins combined with the Picardy Avenue extension to Essen.

I think it will be okay, but they might need to add turn lanes to Summa at Essen.

[richyb83]

^ That connector road is supposed to be called Midway Ave. It was approved at least a year ago I'm guessing?? However I do not see it included on the Green Light Program map?? Wonder what's up??

For BR's emerging medical corridor to become legit these streets(along with those mentioned my last post) need to connect and start construction ASAP.

Edited May 7, 2008 by richyb83

[twstdndmntd]

I agree if they are planning on putting the new University Hospital on Summa they really need to put ALL the infrastructure in before they start construction. I do think that the Picardy Ext to Essen will help out somewhat on the flow in that area.

[Southdowns]

I would love to see Albermale put their name on the outside of one of the towers downtown. I know Chase has their's on the south tower, but the north tower has nothing. I am hoping Regions will put their name outside of City Plaza II. It makes the downtown look more professional, more "big time" if the large companies who occupy those buildings downtown add some signage and light to their buildings. Does anyone know if a large company occupies the black tower (sorry I forget the name) downtown?

It would have been very cool if Shaw had built downtown, since they are the only Fortune 500 company in BR. I had hoped Amedysis would've built downtown or occupied one of the buildings so that they couldve lent their signage to a downtown tower. Shreveport businesses have done a really good job of adding signage to their downtown buildings, as well as lighting them up (Dallas does an awesome job of adding light to their nighttime skyline- BR needs to incorporate something like that).

[richyb83]

Agreed Southdowns, I'm with you on that. If it were up to me, all the major companies would be located in downtown BR. I wrote to One American Place owners about improving the night-time exterior lighting; but never heard nothing back.

More expansion news; impressive increase to an already large facility

Coca-Cola expanding, adding 113 jobs

Baton Rouge Coca-Cola announced today it is increasing the the size of the bottling and distribution plant it is building near Baton Rouge Metro Airport by 50%, a move that will add up to 113 new jobs over the next four years. The expansion will allow the plant to produce and distribute Powerade and Vitamin Water drinks for Louisiana and neighboring states.

Coke officials made the announcement along with Gov. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret, Mayor Kip Holden and Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce President Adam Knapp. Darian Chustz, president of Baton Rouge Coca-Cola, says the first phase of the new plant will open at the end of the year. "Baton Rouge is perfectly positioned to be a southeastern regional hub for the Coca-Cola system, and we are excited to play a key role in the expansion of our industry, as well as serve as a driver of economic growth in our community," he says.

The new jobs will have an average salary of $45,000. The 270,000-square-foot expansion will bring the size of the plant to 770,000 square feet and raise Coke's investment to $178 million. The plant will begin producing Powerade and Vitamin Water next year, followed by additional drink lines in 2010 and 2012. With the additional hires, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola will have more than 600 employees.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/latest/

[dan326]

What a disapointment. The Acadian Village redevelopment was redesigned and could contain residnetial space, pretty much turning this once acclaimed "mixed-use" development into a strip mall.

"Projects along Perkins Road picking up steam

Changes long in the works are beginning to take place on a vibrant stretch of Baton Rouge road less than a mile long.

The Perkins Road overpass area, home to a high concentration of local bars, restaurants and goods and service retailers, will see its namesake bridge rehabilitated, it

[richyb83]

That article was a nice read. The Perkins Road overpass area(district) is almost worth starting thread. A planned overlay district will work well in this unique area of BR! Many months back some LSU students drew-up some nice new looks(renderings) in the 225 Magazine for the area with new brick sidewalks and crosswalks. Much more pedestrian friendly. Just better all around.

I will still hope for the residential componet as part of Acadian Village.

It would have been nice to see them keep the hardware store and add the lofts on top; how many restaurants does that area really need??

The Perkins/Acadian interesection needs improvements quickly! That should be high on priority list for the Green Light Program!

Edited May 12, 2008 by richyb83

[twstdndmntd]

I think the Acadian/Perkins corner would have been an ideal location for a smaller version of Perkins Rowe. They could have designed and built it to look like it had always been a part of that whole area. I personally love that whole area on Perkins from Acadian down to Park Ave, because of the fact of how it is one of the places in BR that is somewhat pedestrian friendly.

[dan326]

Speaking of that, my dad and I took a ride down Plank Road the other day and the Perkins Road Overpass area seems to be a mirror image of what Plank Road could be. Riding down Plank is almost like riding down an extention of downtown, building wise. It's really sad to see such an interesting area go down the drain. My Mom and Dad said that when they were children Plank Road was one of the shopping/business sectors of B.R. Then Bon Marche opened it was done for. Maybe's there's hope though, like someone mentioned before, there is a new Cane's on Plank, which in my eye's is an "affluent" restaurant.

[cajun]

Plank needs some street clean up. Some areas need some more police protection too. I think that Mid City would have to be really strong to start a Plank Road resurgence.

In my opinion, mid city is kind of hurting right now.

I'm sure that restarants would do fine there. There is people all over the place in that neighborhood and thousands work at Exxon. That technical college is out there too.

I expect the majority of new development in North Baton Rouge to be closer to Southern, hopefully not at Plank's expense.

Edited May 13, 2008 by cajun