Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[richyb83]

Great days for downtown BR! The roof-top terrace in this pic overlooking Third Street sure is cool Vacant for 19 years and nearly demolished 5 years ago, the Kress returns!! The mixed-use development continues!

Partners unveil Kress; Condos, boutiques coming

Mayor-President Kip Holden and developers Brace Godfrey and John Schneider snipped a red ribbon on Kress at Third and Main, for an $18 million redevelopment of more-than-century-old structures with 65,000 square feet of residential, retail and office space.

Mitchell beamed in a Kress lobby bedecked with crown molding, cove lighting, marble flooring and concierge services worthy of a Manhattan residential tower.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/30988104.html

DDD updates other projects

The Downtown Development District Commission meeting at the newly restored Kress building included overviews about a new sports bar and the reopening of a restaurant, along with updates on the River Center Library and tree landscaping efforts.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/30988024.html

[richyb83]

What recession??

Planning Commission looks at Acadian Village, Willow Grove

The city-parish Planning Commission is set to vote on redevelopment plans for Acadian Village Shopping Center at its meeting later today. Commercial Properties Realty Trust plans to turn Acadian Village into a mixed-use development with more than 100,000 feet of retail space and 53 apartments over the stores and restaurants. Construction could start in the first half of 2009. The commission will also consider a revised commercial development plan for The Settlement at Willow Grove. The development plan was approved in August 2007, but developers want to replace 10 condominium units with 14,010 square feet of office space. The changes will bring Willow Grove from 77 condos to 67.

Dan should be happy with this

Cortana hires national leasing expert

A national leasing company has been hired to revitalize the Mall at Cortana and bring in new retailers to complement the shopping center's anchor stores. The Baltimore-based Daniel Group has worked with a number of shopping centers, including Canal Place in New Orleans. Howard Struletz, senior vice president of leasing with Mall Partners, the managers of Cortana, says Daniel has used several strategies to help malls, including shuffling store locations and shrinking store sizes. Rene Daniel, who heads the company, says Cortana is an "extremely viable shopping center" even in the face of competition from newer developments.

[dan326]

I'm definitely happy about that! It's about time Cortana gets off its lazt butt and does something progressive. It's going to take more than a store reshuffle though!

Canal Place is a pretty good mall. Maybe Cortana could get a Saks.

Edited October 21, 2008 by dan326

[richyb83]

^ We can always hope Dan!

Circa 1891 the Causey Bldg. on Government Street is being re-developed where Grace & Hebert Architects will relocate their HQ's. The firm will occupy the 2nd floor of the 16,000'sq.ft building. Renovations are continuing for the bottom floor, which will be leased out; also has been submitted for LEED gold certification; means followed guidlines for energy effeciency and enviromental sustainability.

The new deck on the 2nd floor will be a nice addition; large windows facing downtown/Somerulus Street

Ugly powerlines; but BR ain't the only city with that problem.

Edited October 22, 2008 by richyb83

[dan326]

I'm really trying to hold out hope for Cortana that it can become the powerhouse that I know it can be, but it's going to take more than a reshuffling of some mediocre stores to compete with the Mall of Louisiana. What the need to do is a renovation. . .

"New leasing company aims to shake up Cortana

The Mall of Louisiana is concluding a high-profile reorganization that drastically reshuffled its lineup of stores. Now the Mall at Cortana wants to follow suit, hiring The Daniel Group of Baltimore to "fine tune" the placement of stores and bring in new retailers. "This is kind of like a remodel from a real estate viewpoint," says Howard Struletz, senior vice president of leasing with Mall Partners, which manages the 32-year-old property. "Leasing is an art, not a science." Struletz says the move is proactive and not being done in the face of slumping business. Cortana has recently added two new stores, shoe boutique Trios West and hair salon P.H. Factor. Former LSU football player Michael Clayton is opening a clothing store in the mall next month. "We're bringing in a company that has experience in helping lease space in malls," Struletz says."

There's alittle bit more on : http://www.businessreport.com/archives/rea...-weekly/latest/

[richyb83]

Some Third Street development/redevelopment

Kress @ Third & Main

Stroube's Chophouse renovation; still wish 2nd floor would have been added in original plan

One Eleven

*all taken last week

Edited October 27, 2008 by richyb83

[dan326]

Great pics. I wish they would they would have kept the little spires for the Kress.

I wish they had added that top element too. I think that at least they have put it and just made it a hollow atrium like I had said before.

[tombarnes]

I'm really happy to see that the Kress project has turned out so well. Perhaps the second floor of the chop house can be added at a later time. In any event, this is just the sort of thing needed in downtown Baton Rouge and in many others like it.

[cajun]

IDK....there's real problems with Cortana's location. Malls usually need better access than what it has...they can't really survive as a neighborhood destination. Bon Marche was built on Florida when that section of the higway was mostly undeveloped. Cortana was placed to put Bon Marche out of business.

The Mall of Louisiana is now a little older than Cortana was when the Mall of Louisiana was built. That should go to show you how bad the Cortana Mall location hasn't really deteriorated...it was just a dumb location to begin with.

Malls are like airports, they need freeway access and they are a destination. No such thing as a neighborhood airport....

They should have put it along one of the freeways. I'd like to see a big rennovation, but I am afraid that they will end up spending 8 or 10 million when the building needs an $80 million renovation and expansion and a new location.

Edited October 31, 2008 by cajun

[dan326]

Look at this, this is great! Blue Bayou,Dixie Landin' are defintely stepping their game up. I think they are talking about the land directely across from from the park. They might need to build a garage, if they keep expanding like this.

Blue Bayou plans camp site

"Dixie Landin/Blue Bayou, the Highland Road amusement and water park, plans a major expansion on the opposite side of Highland Road that includes a new campground, according to environmental filings.

Permit documents show the area just north of Home Depot would offer more amusement rides, a roller coaster and a food court.

She declined to elaborate on details, other than the site work would allow future expansion and that plans include a destination campground."

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/33619579.html

Edited October 31, 2008 by dan326

[richyb83]

That's some really interesting news! Expanding, campground, this is truly turning into a regional destination!

Yes indeed Tom, thanks for the visit. It's been fun watching many cities downtown's/urban core revitalizing!!

Edited November 1, 2008 by richyb83

[byrde]

IDK....there's real problems with Cortana's location. Malls usually need better access than what it has...they can't really survive as a neighborhood destination. Bon Marche was built on Florida when that section of the higway was mostly undeveloped. Cortana was placed to put Bon Marche out of business.

The Mall of Louisiana is now a little older than Cortana was when the Mall of Louisiana was built. That should go to show you how bad the Cortana Mall location hasn't really deteriorated...it was just a dumb location to begin with.

Cortana was 20 years old when the Mall of LA was built.

[dimebag1980]

Forgive me if this has been discussed and I missed it, but someone told me last week you guys have a Hooters opening in Denham Springs. Here I am hoping for a second Hooters in my area so I can have one closer to my office, and you all are getting #3? Am I correct? Don't you already have 1 location each on College and on Siegen? <-- did I spell that right?

That's pretty insane and intense, considering metro New Orleans only has 2 locations that I know of. Or do they have 3? Did the French Quarter location close? I ate there not long before Katrina hit.

[richyb83]

Yes Brian you are correct on the locations! The 3rd location is in Denham Springs next to Bass Pro. Not too sure about NOLA?? Hope you get your wish

How many Fuddrucker's does SBC have?? We sure wish yall would send one our way! We miss that place; the one in BR closed due to poor management.

[byrde]

They only have 2 in Metro New Orleans. One on the Westbank and the other one is in Metairie.

SBC we could actually support one more if they built it in N. BR at Howell Place.

[dimebag1980]

Yes Brian you are correct on the locations! The 3rd location is in Denham Springs next to Bass Pro. Not too sure about NOLA?? Hope you get your wish

How many Fuddrucker's does SBC have?? We sure wish yall would send one our way! We miss that place; the one in BR closed due to poor management.

We only have 2 Fudd's (though that's 2 more than we had a couple years ago.) In my opinion both locations rather suck though. One is inside Harrah's Louisiana Downs and the other is in the Louisiana Boardwalk. I wish we had one like many of the ones in Dallas I've been to, where you can drive right to the restaurant. We finally got a Cane's in Bossier City, but I think they chose a bad location for it: inside Pierre Bossier Mall. That mall has become such a hole, I would never go out of my way to go there just for Cane's. I'd rather drive the 10 or so extra minutes to reach the Kings Highway location in Shreveport. And I certainly wouldn't send my wife to that mall just for Cane's. I love Cane's (Todd Graves is sitting on a gold mine with that place!!) but I wish they'd built it further out Airline Drive with the newer developments than inside that cruddy old mall.

Man that's awesome, three Hooters locations. When my friend told me that I said, "Man you've got to be mistaken!" But now that I've checked the Hooters of Louisiana website, I know it's true. I know Hooters isn't the pinnacle of dining or entertainment, but it's still a place I enjoy going for a few beers and a Buffalo chicken sandwich with cheese fries! I want one near my office so bad, and I think I should write the owners of the Bossier store and tell them where the perfect location is. I saw it today... the Roadhouse Grill that recently closed. I can easily picture that as a Hooters.

I love how active your forum is, you guys always seem eager to reply and discuss development.

[dan326]

It really seems like a trade off. Shreveport seems to have quite a few restaurants that B.R. doesn't have, like TGI Friday's and Fuddrucker's, maybe because of ya'lls proximity to Dallas.

This probably sounds kind of silly, but I see Baton Rouge's having more Hooters than New Orleans as a sign of B.R.'s growing importance.

Edited November 2, 2008 by dan326

[dimebag1980]

It really seems like a trade off. Shreveport seems to have quite a few restaurants that B.R. doesn't have, like TGI Friday's and Fuddrucker's, maybe because of ya'lls proximity to Dallas.

This probably sounds kind of silly, but I see Baton Rouge's having more Hooters than New Orleans as a sign of B.R.'s growing importance.

Friday's I'd say was the result of people around here begging. They had three locations here until the early 80s... downtown, Shreve City, and somewhere else. I guess a lot of people missed them. I'd eaten at Friday's in Tyler, TX and in Illinois many times and liked it. Now that we have one here, though, it's not that special. The service is really bad and wait times are atrocious. Therefore I've only been twice and probably won't be back.

Fudd's probably does have to do with our proximity to Dallas, because I know the guy who owns our Fudd's locations is from Dallas. I still think their locations are bad, though.

All in all, we really don't have much that you guys don't. At least you have Bonefish, PF Chang's, Pei Wei... I could go on and on. lol I think it's a lot of give and take. But still, the Hooters thing tripped me out. I could see us having 2 easily, and MAYBE 3 if we had one in the West Shreveport area... but that'll never happen.

I really wish Louisiana weren't so divided. It feels like I'll never be able to make it back down your way!

[richyb83]

Thanks for visting the forum Brian For me I-49 has been a big help to "bridge" that divide btwn north & south. Staying in Pineville last summer I did feel almost like a different world! I guess there is so many different cultures that do that too. Another perception (esp. after Gustav) was it's New Orleans...and the rest of the state(to the west).

Being a LSU football fan since a little kid; know the importance of recruiting north Louisiana. The Tigers would not be the same without them!

There is no shortage of restuarants in BR; it holds it's own against most. Just miss the boneless lemon-pepper chicken breast sandwich from Fuddruckers! I would have thought the La Boardwalk would be a good location??

[dimebag1980]

Thanks for visting the forum Brian For me I-49 has been a big help to "bridge" that divide btwn north & south. Staying in Pineville last summer I did feel almost like a different world! I guess there is so many different cultures that do that too. Another perception (esp. after Gustav) was it's New Orleans...and the rest of the state(to the west).

Being a LSU football fan since a little kid; know the importance of recruiting north Louisiana. The Tigers would not be the same without them!

There is no shortage of restuarants in BR; it holds it's own against most. Just miss the boneless lemon-pepper chicken breast sandwich from Fuddruckers! I would have thought the La Boardwalk would be a good location??

Don't get me wrong now, Boardwalk is a good location for people who are going down there. But besides eating at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro a couple of times, I haven't been down to the Boardwalk in many, many months. It IS a great location for restaurants, but it's inconvenient if you're not going to be down there for other reasons. But at least their other location could have been built somewhere in front of a strip shopping center or something. The Louisiana Downs location is so hard to get to, even worse than the Boardwalk location. You basically have to be going to the casino or the track to go there. I do like that we have Fudd's now, I just wish they were a little more convenient.

Now as far as the state being so divided, I agree I-49 has helped to bridge that gap. I'm really talking about distance, though... 4+ hours to Baton Rouge and 5+ hours to New Orleans is tough. I wish it weren't that way, because I'd be through that area far more often than I am now. It's like Houston... I've done a day-trip to Houston before on a photo excursion, but that was tough. Even Dallas, at 3 hours, is tough to do as a day-trip. I wish New Orleans were day-trip accessible to me like it is you guys. Not just that, but then I could swing through Baton Rouge sometime and check it out more as well.

Anyway I hope you all don't feel like I'm just whining... I just see the distance between us and wish it weren't so much. If you guys were as close as Monroe or Texarkana, I'd be there all the time! I never go to Monroe, only because to me there's no reason to go there. But if Baton Rouge or New Orleans were that close... heck I hate to say it, but I might not live in Shreveport-Bossier anymore.

[rcp11889]

It really seems like a trade off. Shreveport seems to have quite a few restaurants that B.R. doesn't have, like TGI Friday's and Fuddrucker's, maybe because of ya'lls proximity to Dallas.

This probably sounds kind of silly, but I see Baton Rouge's having more Hooters than New Orleans as a sign of B.R.'s growing importance.

I think that Baton Rouge has more Hooter's than New Orleans because New Orleans has a much more localized economy. If Someone were to build a Hooter's on Magazine Street the residents in that neighborhood would be furious and get it kicked out. You see this with the fact that the city of New Orleans itself has no Applebee's, TGIFriday's, Chili's, Olive Garden, PF Chang's, or Outback Steakhouse, etc.

[byrde]

Good point

[dimebag1980]

I think that Baton Rouge has more Hooter's than New Orleans because New Orleans has a much more localized economy. If Someone were to build a Hooter's on Magazine Street the residents in that neighborhood would be furious and get it kicked out. You see this with the fact that the city of New Orleans itself has no Applebee's, TGIFriday's, Chili's, Olive Garden, PF Chang's, or Outback Steakhouse, etc.

I can see that from a city of New Orleans perspective, but I'm thinking metro. New Orleans has plenty of decent-sized suburbs. Though I am surprised to hear that the city of New Orleans itself has none of the restaurants you mentioned. Wow. I can see a TGI Friday's or a PF Chang's near downtown New Orleans. Perhaps not those other chains, but I can at least see those two down there.

[dan326]

OH NOOO!!! They will probably never find a decent tenant to replace that Circuit City. Now it's going to be just another eyesore, like the Woman's Hospital after it moves. :(

"Circuit City to close Airline Highway store

Circuit City is closing 155 stores nationwide, including its Airline Highway location, in an effort to return the nation's No. 2 consumer electronics retailer to profitability. The company, which has more than 700 locations in 55 markets, also is closing stores in Kenner, Marrero and Slidell. The stores picked for closing were either underperforming or no longer were a strategic fit for the chain. A second Baton Rouge location recently opened at the Mall of Louisiana

[BRPJ]

OH NOOO!!! They will probably never find a decent tenant to replace that Circuit City. Now it's going to be just another eyesore, like the Woman's Hospital after it moves. :(

"Circuit City to close Airline Highway store

Circuit City is closing 155 stores nationwide, including its Airline Highway location, in an effort to return the nation's No. 2 consumer electronics retailer to profitability. The company, which has more than 700 locations in 55 markets, also is closing stores in Kenner, Marrero and Slidell. The stores picked for closing were either underperforming or no longer were a strategic fit for the chain. A second Baton Rouge location recently opened at the Mall of Louisiana