Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[dan326]

"CVS plans pharmacy at Florida and Lobdell

CVS has filed paperwork to build a pharmacy in front of the Bon Carre Business Park. According to documents filed with the city-parish permit office, the pharmacy would be built at the intersection of Florida Boulevard and Lobdell, on the site of an old Montgomery Ward auto shop. The 13,225-square-foot drugstore would cost $1.8 million to build. This is the second pharmacy CVS has filed permits to build in recent weeks; the chain plans to build a location on Highland Road, near the North Gates of LSU. CVS has 17 pharmacies in the Capital Region."

businessreport.com

[hagetaka]

thanks for the news dan, any new business on FL Blvd is good news.

[dan326]

I was thinking the same thing!

[richyb83]

Yes indeed...always good to see new Florida Blvd development...Bonne Carre redevelopment was the best thing to happen in that area...Kornmeyer's followed with that nice looking show-room with 40 foot tall glass-entry(now Louisiana Office Supply); BRCC was a nice jolt to the corridor a little further west &new BREC HQ's(re-development) in between

Third Street parking garage will now be filled at street level...

Downtown to get police storefront, Roly Poly

A deal for the state to buy a parking garage at Third and Convention streets clears the way for a downtown police office and a Roly Poly restaurant. Plans are to open the office and the restaurant in the next three or four months, says Brad Way, an agent with NAI/Latter & Blum, who represented the state and Roly Poly in the parking garage purchase. This will be the fourth Roly Poly in Baton Rouge. Establishing the downtown police office has been a longstanding project for city and police officials. Sgt. Don Kelly, a police spokesman, says the office will be a place where officers can work when they’re handling downtown events as well as a place to store equipment. Kelly says the office won't be a substation, since there won't be officers on duty round the clock. "It may evolve into a fully staffed station, but for now, this will be a place police can go in and out of,"

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/2010/feb/03/1451/

[richyb83]

The new 80,000sq ft Medical Plaza IV office building going up in the ever expanding medical corridor...

[thegryseone]

Wow it seems like Baton Rouge has a lot of new buildings. I never realized that. I just knew they had a tall capitol building.

[dan326]

^Cool!! I had forgot they were building that.^

"Sam's Club proposed for Cortana

The city-parish Planning Commission is set to hear a proposal for a Sam's Club near Cortana Mall. Plans are to build a 136,085-square-foot store at the intersection of Cortana Place and Airway Drive. The Sam's Club would feature general merchandise, a grocery store, gas pumps and possibly a car wash. Rebecca Rainer, a spokeswoman for Cortana, says mall officials are delighted with the plans to build a Sam's near the shopping center. "This is further evidence that Cortana is alive and well and its retail area

is a strong one," Rainer says. A Walmart Supercenter currently operates near Cortana, close to where the new Sam's would be constructed. There are currently two Sam's Clubs in Baton Rouge: one on Airline Highway north of Cortana and one at the Siegen Lane Marketplace. Speculation is circulating the Cortana Sam's would eventually replace the Airline Highway store."

[cajun]

^Cool!! I had forgot they were building that.^

"Sam's Club proposed for Cortana

The city-parish Planning Commission is set to hear a proposal for a Sam's Club near Cortana Mall. Plans are to build a 136,085-square-foot store at the intersection of Cortana Place and Airway Drive. The Sam's Club would feature general merchandise, a grocery store, gas pumps and possibly a car wash. Rebecca Rainer, a spokeswoman for Cortana, says mall officials are delighted with the plans to build a Sam's near the shopping center. "This is further evidence that Cortana is alive and well and its retail area

is a strong one," Rainer says. A Walmart Supercenter currently operates near Cortana, close to where the new Sam's would be constructed. There are currently two Sam's Clubs in Baton Rouge: one on Airline Highway north of Cortana and one at the Siegen Lane Marketplace. Speculation is circulating the Cortana Sam's would eventually replace the Airline Highway store."

That's all fine....but it's replacing an empty box with another. Now what goes on with the old Sam's on Airline? Is this one going to be demolished?

How is Airline Highway still only 4 lanes wide between Cortana Mall and I-110 (or for that matter...south of Jefferson)?

[dan326]

That's a lot of lingerie!

Also, we'll be the only Louisiana P.S. Go Baton Rouge! Matter a fact, I just checked and the only places that do have P.S. are the New York City area and Milwaukee.

"Expansion, new store due in spring at Mall of Louisiana

An expanded Victoria’s Secret store is expected to open by May at the Mall of Louisiana, according to mall General Manger Todd Denton. A new children’s retailer, P.S. from Aeropostale, should open in April, he added. Victoria’s Secret is operating in a temporary location in the mall until the expanded site is complete. The lingerie store took over the former Brookstone store and part of the Disney Store and will add about 5,000 square feet to its 6,400-square-foot original layout, Denton says. Although he says mall sales last year were down slightly for long-term tenants, sales for newer retailers—including those at the open-air lifestyle center addition, such as clothier JoS. A. Bank and cosmetics seller Sephora—were up. Denton says revenues in that addition gave an overall lift to 2009 revenue."

businessreport.com

Edited February 16, 2010 by dan326

[richyb83]

^Yeah Airline Hwy should be widened across the entire parish and into Prairieville...^Always nice to see BR in some good company

The connection between downtown and the river is gaining ground

DDD makes eight federal requests totaling $9.5 million

Better access to the riverfront is a recurring theme among the federal funding requests that Downtown Development District officials submitted to the city-parish. The requests include funding for raised crosswalks from DeSoto Park, Convention Street and the River Center, along with money for a downtown “greenway” design; improvements to the municipal dock; and extension of the levee-top bike path. City-parish officials expect to develop federal funding requests for police, public works and other departments for the 2011 federal budget, a spokesman says. He says Congress is supposed to pass the budget in October, but is often late in doing so. To see the DDD’s appropriations request, click

http://www.businessreport.com/news/2010/feb/15/downtown-development-district-2011-appropriations-/

[dan326]

"Ex-Marcello’s building to make way for strip center

The owner of Tailoring By Tihn has bought the former Marcello’s Wine Warehouse building next door on Perkins Road and plans to take down both buildings to build a new strip center on the site.

Tao Van Vu bought the Marcello’s building for $712,500 from Chad Ortte and Andrea Hemelt. He said he hopes work can begin by the summer.

Vu said the new strip center will likely have seven retail bays of about 1,200 square feet each. The entire site is about 30,000 square feet, he said."

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/85249442.html

[richyb83]

Looks like the long-time Horizon Plan has been replaced...

Tuesday—The first FuturEBR planning workshop will be held at 6 p.m. at the Baton Rouge River Center Ballroom. Two more workshops will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, in the Redemptorist High School Cafeteria and in the Woodlawn High School Cafeteria. Information at the workshops will be used to develop a new land use plan for the parish.

"The future of East Baton Rouge Parish is under review in a brand new comprehensive plan called 'Future EBR,' a 25-year blueprint designed to prepare for parish growth. It will replace the 'Horizons' plan, which has been in existence for the past few decades. The new project will focus on land use, zoning and even look at traffic improvements. 'This process is all about the growth and how we manage the growth,' said Mayor Kip Holden."

http://www.futurebr.com/node/24

[dan326]

"News Alert: Baton Rouge General plans Bluebonnet expansion

Baton Rouge General plans to break ground at the end of this month on a $6 million expansion at its Bluebonnet Boulevard facility. The medical center says the expansion will add 18,000 square feet to the existing Critical Care Tower. The addition will house exam rooms, doctor's offices, waiting rooms and space for support staff. It will provide direct access to the General's ICU, surgery suites and cardiology. The expansion should be complete by July 2011."

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

[cajun]

"News Alert: Baton Rouge General plans Bluebonnet expansion

Baton Rouge General plans to break ground at the end of this month on a $6 million expansion at its Bluebonnet Boulevard facility. The medical center says the expansion will add 18,000 square feet to the existing Critical Care Tower. The addition will house exam rooms, doctor's offices, waiting rooms and space for support staff. It will provide direct access to the General's ICU, surgery suites and cardiology. The expansion should be complete by July 2011."

http://businessrepor...-report/latest/

Great article.

Just something to consider...you will see more and more and more medical jobs and construction projects along Bluebonnet, Summa, Picardy, and Essen within the next 10 years. It will never be the Texas Medical Center, but it will mean more jobs and improved health care for the region.

Tulane and LSU med schools will both have an expanded presence in BR.

[richyb83]

What recession??? Just kiddin'...

Plans for upscale Stanford development released

Princeton and Scott Bardwell have a knack for finding properties in excellent locations and then developing projects that exceed most others in the Baton Rouge market. The father-and-son team developed Providence on Highland Road and did an exceptional job of preserving the live oak trees that were once part of the original Kleinpeter homestead.

A similar plan has been made for their newest development, Stanford Oaks. The 5.4-acre parcel at the corner of South Lakeshore Drive and Stanford Avenue was purchased in November from the Jolly family for about $2.2 million, or just over $400,000 per acre. “No doubt we placed a high value on the property,” says Scott Bardwell, “but we see it coming back in spades with our work to preserve the specimen live oaks, the views of University Lake and an unbeatable location.” Lots are not currently on the market, but there will be 12 available for purchase, priced from $250,000 to $400,000.

The development has set aside about three-fourths of an acre of common area that will preserve live oaks and gigantic cypress trees along Stanford and allow residents to view sunsets over the lake. The homes will be designed and built in accordance with strict architectural standards similar to those of Providence. The roadways, too, have been designed to preserve almost all of the trees of historic value, and the six-foot brick sidewalks will provide another nice amenity for the development

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

BTW...What's with the UP Website?? On & off outta commission...is it my computer??

[hagetaka]

BTW...What's with the UP Website?? On & off outta commission...is it my computer??

the site has been acting up the past few days...i thought it was my computer too

[richyb83]

^ Thanks...things are looking back to normal

Good to see the building will be larger than the original 43,500'sq ft.; up to 60,000 now...

Orion moving forward on new home

Mapp Construction crews have broken ground on Orion Instruments’ planned $5 million facility near Cortana Mall.

General Manager Don Sanders said the roughly 60,000-square-foot building is larger than originally expected, but that the project continues apace for a projected opening of no later than Nov. 30. The project, which was announced late last year, has Orion moving from its existing Industriplex site to 2105 Oak Villa Blvd, eventually boosting employment from 70 to 105.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/87263962.html

[dan326]

"This project includes the construction of more 30,000 square feet of retail space on the corner of Highland Road and State Street, a block from Louisiana State University’s campus. Construction will consist of all associated site work including underground utilities, storm drainage, earthwork, 76,000 SF of concrete paving, cultured stone, signs and landscaping. There will be four buildings located on the site - a CVS Pharmacy and three new retail buildings consisting of 18,000 SF of new building space. Other tenants will include PJ’s Coffee, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, Shanghai Tokyo Restaurant and Pita Pit."

http://www.blockconstructionllc.com/Current_Retail.html

[dan326]

"Entergy set to build Pecue Lane office

Entergy has started the permitting process for an office on Pecue Lane, which will provide better customer service to south Baton Rouge neighborhoods. The 32,000-square-foot office, set to open at the end of 2011, will be built in front of the utility company’s Pecue Substation, says Jeff Holeman, an Entergy spokesman. Holeman says about 150 linemen will work out of the office; the workers will come from exiting offices on Choctaw Drive and Government Street. “This will help us respond quicker to our customers in the south part of the parish,” Holeman says. Plans are to close the Government Street office and let the remaining workers at Choctaw cover the territory. Entergy hasn’t decided yet what it will do with the Government Street building."

businessreport.com

[dan326]

"All Star buys Florida Boulevard site for second Kia dealership

All Star Automotive has purchased the old Levis Toyota/Team Toyota dealership on Florida Boulevard and plans to open a second Kia dealership there. Matt McKay, president of All Star, says the new dealership should be open by early to mid-summer. “We’ve been out on that end of Florida Boulevard for 12 years, with All Star Nissan,” says McKay. “That area is coming back, especially with the Central Thruway.” All Star paid $1.5 million for the dealership, which included a 9.2 acre site and 51,000 square feet of building space. Carmen Austin and Hank Saurage of Saurage Commercial Real Estate represented the seller, Levis Toyota, while Mark Hebert of Kurz & Hebert represented All Star. McKay says the plan is to move All Star’s management company out to the dealership. “We’ll consolidate our back offices there because we’ve outgrown our current space,” he says. Between the dealership and All Star’s management company, some 75 to 90 people will work at the lot. The Levis Toyota/Team Toyota dealership has been empty for about seven years, although the building has been used for several purposes, even serving as the base of operations for the movie Dukes of Hazzard."

businessreport.com

[richyb83]

BR proved it's not totally recession-proof...the Jefferson Hwy corridor is still experiencing growth...even if some of this is gated Condo community(s)...where is the $money coming from??

1st phase of Artisan Hill near Bluebonnet Blvd

Cardinal Hill office building completed last year near I-12; new home to Business Report and others

Country Club Place on Brentwood Drive

[cajun]

Wow Richey....I know it's not smart growth, but some of those newer condo communities look very comfortable. I'd like to see more green buildings out there.

Anyone see all the action going on over at Celtic movie studio? There must be two or three very large buildings going up there (tax deductable I'm sure....but exciting nonetheless). They have a nice little empire being built out there.... I wonder how long before we see outdoor streetscape sets being built there

[dan326]

Wow Richey....I know it's not smart growth, but some of those newer condo communities look very comfortable. I'd like to see more green buildings out there.

Anyone see all the action going on over at Celtic movie studio? There must be two or three very large buildings going up there (tax deductable I'm sure....but exciting nonetheless). They have a nice little empire being built out there.... I wonder how long before we see outdoor streetscape sets being built there

I do remember an article in the Advocate saying they were on the going to build some streetscapes, I think of New Orleans and New York.

[richyb83]

Yeah been seeing Celtic Movie Studios from a distance; looks like it's still growing! Good for BR! Would like to see those street scapes too! Wonder what will become of the old Coca-Cola regional HQ's??

New LHSAA HQ's.... off Old Hammond Hwy at the old Fairwood CC clubhouse(just over 1 mile East of Sherwood Forest Blvd)...elevated lobby with glass along the top sides really add to te interior

Edited April 8, 2010 by richyb83

[American Dirt]

^ Thanks...things are looking back to normal

Good to see the building will be larger than the original 43,500'sq ft.; up to 60,000 now...

Orion moving forward on new home

Mapp Construction crews have broken ground on Orion Instruments’ planned $5 million facility near Cortana Mall.

General Manager Don Sanders said the roughly 60,000-square-foot building is larger than originally expected, but that the project continues apace for a projected opening of no later than Nov. 30. The project, which was announced late last year, has Orion moving from its existing Industriplex site to 2105 Oak Villa Blvd, eventually boosting employment from 70 to 105.

http://www.2theadvoc...s/87263962.html

This may not seem like a significant development, but it has to be great news for the Cortana area. It shows that a potentially large investor hasn't given up in that part of the city.

I recently blogged about Cortana and took pictures of the surest signs of "mall rot". I hate to be a cynic, so perhaps Cortana is not past the point of no return, but even if it dies, there are still plenty of viable neighborhoods nearby. It would be a shame to see even more of the retail energy shift ever further to the southeast of Baton Rogue, skewing the growth patterns there.

A job growth of 35 may be slight, but at least it hopes to make up for the hemorrhage of jobs from the dying mall, which no doubt employs less than half of what it did during its heyday. If anyone has more information on Orion Instruments beyond this brief article, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.