Baton Rouge Growth and Development

[dan326]

Welcome American Dirt! Fascinating write up on Cortana. I try to hold out faith for Cortana, but its pretty hard, every time I go in there another store is closed. I think its possible to have a successful mall in this section of town because Charlotte's most upscale mall is locating away from the interstate in a inner city location. Also when one of Mall Properties' malls almost died they turned it into an open air center like Perkins Rowe, but with just retail.

Also also there is another good piece of news: a Raising Cane's is going to open up by Cortana and the Walmart is getting renovated. And of course the Sam's Club.

Edited April 29, 2010 by dan326

[dan326]

" Indigo Park Apartments set to expand

The Indigo Park Apartment Homes complex at Gardere Lane and Nicholson Drive is set to expand by about 75 units, mostly one-bedrooms, according to Jeff Stevens, owner of UDC Global, which has a majority stake in the property, including 10 vacant acres to the west. "The complex was designed to be condominiums, which resulted in some really nice apartments. When you do that, you end up with a higher mix of two- and three-bedrooms," he says. "We have a nice, stable residency from the petroleum industry and the medical industry in Baton Rouge that, as you know, continue to grow." Stevens says the new units will be in the same style as the rest of the 330 apartments, priced between $800 and $1,650. Plans also call for retail to be built at the edge of the vacant land. Stevens says the apartment expansion is in the planning process, while retailers are being courted to "ring" the development along Nicholson in anticipation of Pinnacle Entertainment's riverboat casino resort nearby. "As users discover the growth in this area and once the casino breaks ground, that will get people confidence," Stevens says. He hopes to break ground on the apartments by year's end. "

businessreport.com

[richyb83]

Welcome to the BR Forums American Dirt...impressive blog! Towne Center really hurt Cortana IMO...I think the power center around the mall has helped keep it from failing further...looking forward to reading more in the future!

Spanish Town Road complex planned

Developer Donnie Jarreau wants to build a four-story, 100-unit apartment complex on Spanish Town Road just east of Interstate 110 that would cater to mixed-income residents with rents ranging from $200 for subsidized renters to $1,000 a month on the high end.

The $15 million development, which doesn’t have a name yet, would have 15 one-bedroom units, 45 two-bedroom units, 40 three-bedroom units and a parking garage on two acres at the corner of North 13th Street and Spanish Town Road.

Jarreau, who bought 11 acres there two years ago, told a group gathered at the Nazarene Baptist Church Thursday night that he wants to donate playground equipment to BREC for the existing park across the street.

The building would have balconies and Wi-Fi-enabled courtyards, storage units and live/work space on the ground floor. Jarreau told the group that bringing development to that empty stretch of Spanish Town Road is “a passion” for his team.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/92472694.html

Edited April 30, 2010 by richyb83

[dan326]

I don't know, seems kinda tacky to me, but I guess beggars can't be choosers and it will increase foot traffic.

"Cortana store changes hands, to become for-profit college

The old Service Merchandise/Steve & Barry's anchor store in Cortana Mall has been sold, and plans are to put a private, for-profit college in the space. VC Baton Rouge, a partnership based out of Ridgeland, Miss., bought the store for $1.25 million in a deal that closed Friday. The seller was Coventry Real Estate Advisors of New York. Virginia College out of Birmingham, Ala., had earlier filed for a building permit with the city-parish to renovate the 63,000-square-foot store. Virginia College has 14 campuses across the South, in cities such as Jackson, Miss., Mobile, Ala., and Greenville, S.C. The school offers diplomas and degrees in a number of fields, such as health care, medical billing and cosmetology. The school still needs regulatory approval from the Louisiana Department of Education and other accrediting agencies. If all goes well, the college envisions enrolling students by mid-summer and starting the first classes Oct. 4, says Don Keith, a spokesman for Education Corporation of America, Virginia College's parent company. Typically, the school starts off with about 200 students and has enrollment of 1,000 in about a year. Keith says Virginia College will do research on market demand to decide what diploma and degree programs to offer locally. The school will spend between $4 million to $6 million to renovate the space, putting a tenant in a part of the mall that has been vacant since 2009. "We like those big box stores," says Keith. "They give us a lot of space to build out to our specific needs for classrooms and labs." Plus, the Cortana space has plenty of safe parking and is close to major traffic routes."

from businessreport.com

[richyb83]

Yeah Dan..saw that a while back; never posted; surely interesting..definitely better than being vacant; this could be a big + for Cortana hopefully

The BR office market looks OK vs the rest of the country...The downtown office market remains fairly stable, but the One American Place highrise building, left, is about to lose the Kean Miller law firm to City Plaza II. That will put about 90,000 square feet in One American on the market....so not expecting any big office downtown anytime soon...for now it looks as if they can do something with the old Commerce bldg on Third Street or the EBRATS bldg. on North Blvd next to the new Courthouse; and eventually the La.Economic Development bldg. bordering Capitol Park & Spanish Town....and the Summa Tower near I-10/Essen would have looked nice..too bad looks like demand wasn't there I guess..PLEASE NO MORE suburban garden offices! Would like to see Towne Center business park fil up with a couple of nice office buildings along Corporate Blvd too..

Office space...Firms sublease more as they merge, downsize

The Baton Rouge office market has been quiet for the last 18 months as the national financial crisis dried up credit and the recession has tenants merging, downsizing or just sitting tight. Pesnell said 17 percent of the 4 billion square feet of total office space in the country is empty, the highest level in 14 years.

The Baton Rouge market — both Class A and Class B space — is at about 85 percent occupancy, with the recent peak being after Hurricane Katrina, which sent many south Louisiana companies scrambling to Baton Rouge and putting office space at a premium. But setting aside the favorable comparison to the national picture, there have been some telling trends in the local office market, primarily the amount of subleased space. As tenants merge, downsize and belly-up their way out of leased space, they have to sublease it to other tenants.

DOWNTOWN MARKET

Class A: 1,366,395 square feet

Occupancy rate: 92.21 percent

Price per square foot: $22.58

Class B: 777,544 square feet

Occupancy rate: 70.22 percent

Price per square foot: $16.35

ACADIAN/COLLEGE MARKET

Class A: 509,448 square feet

Occupancy rate: 95.43 percent

Price per square foot: $22.14

Class B: 87,063 square feet

Occupancy rate: 81.71 percent

Price per square foot: $15

ESSEN/BLUEBONNET MARKET

Class A: 1,789,581 square feet

Occupancy rate: 94.11 percent

Price per square foot: $21.58

Class B: 124,814 square feet

Occupancy rate: 87.64 percent

Price per square foot: $14.50

SHERWOOD FOREST MARKET

Class A: 247,202 square feet

Occupancy rate: 73.39 percent

Price per square foot: $18.65

Class B: 561,187 square feet

Occupancy rate: 87.20 percent

Price per square foot: $15.89

*The Florida/Airline market has no Class A space.

Depressing looking pic in Sunday's Advocate...nothing newer in this pic than 1989's north Chase Tower; if you don't include new parking garage/YMCA...A nice sleek "millinnial-style" mixed-use high-rise tower sure would look nice between One American Place & Chase Towers The vacant riverfront blocks only serve as parking lots of empty visions...they did show a pic of new II City Plaza BTW

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/92535694.html

Edited May 4, 2010 by richyb83

[cajun]

SHERWOOD FOREST MARKET

Class A: 247,202 square feet

Occupancy rate: 73.39 percent

Price per square foot: $18.65

Class B: 561,187 square feet

Occupancy rate: 87.20 percent

Price per square foot: $15.89

http://www.2theadvoc...s/92535694.html

Why is the Sherwood market so bad off?

Traffic? Lack of development control (it's a mess)? It looks like Kenner to me.

It needs cleaner, newer retail developments, a street sweeper, a pavement repair crew, and more residential options.

It's very difficult to get to and from this part of town from anywhere. I regret moving to O'Neil/Shenedoah area because it's just so far from everything.

O'Neil and Sherwood look so ugly, too....kinda wish they'd implement the same signage rules as Corporate/Town Center area.

Edited May 5, 2010 by cajun

[hagetaka]

street sweeper, a pavement repair crew

this was a good laugh I needed it, but it is so true, that area used to be supreme, the prime address now it looks Houston 1984. Everything over on that end is dated and too corporate looking. The cars past by so fast, foot traffic is impossible.

[cajun]

Interesting change order to the Stanford/Perkins intersection. Since it's not technically a road project, I didn't know where to posts. This is near the site of the old Caterie, where there is a planned project that never got off the ground (where the old Wal Mart was).

The motion to allocate funds from the Green Light budget to Beautification was differed, but ultimately passed. Several members of the council were frustrated because apparently there are a large numbers are areas where city leaders want to allocate beautification and landscaping dollers.

At least someone notices other than me!

http://www.2theadvoc...s/92380814.html

full article at link

The Metro Council voted Wednesday to go forward with beautification work on Perkins Road at Stanford Avenue and Acadian Thruway after Mayor-President Kip Holden made a personal appeal for the project.

The council also approved a resolution supporting two bills before the Legislature that would provide funding for improvements at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, as well as for incentives to attract a low-cost air carrier.

The proposed beautification work prompted some council members to question the Holden administration’s spending priorities when the item was presented to a council committee last week.

The administration had asked to add $63,611 for the beautification work as part of a $2.5 million intersection improvement project on Perkins Road at Stanford Avenue and Acadian Thruway.

The work involves buying and installing “brick pavers” on sidewalks and medians along parts of Perkins Road near the intersection.

The council committee had voted to defer action for two weeks after administration officials were unable to provide sufficient information about the project.

But the full Metro Council voted to proceed with the project after hearing from Holden on Wednesday.

In an e-mail to council members prior to the meeting, Holden noted that the money for the beautification work was coming from Green Light Project funds set aside for that purpose, not from the general fund budget.

“It is not unusual for us to do enhancements on projects,” Holden wrote. “The same has happened on numerous Green Light projects.”

Several council members said they didn’t oppose the beautification work. But no one was able to answer their questions about the project at last week’s committee meeting, they said.

“If it’s coming out of Green Light money, I don’t have a problem with it,” Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle said.

During last week’s debate on the item, some council members also raised questions about whether local government resources are being allocated in an equitable manner.

I didn't know a certain percentage of Green Light Plan funding is required to go towards landscaping and beautification. I hope the Nicholson Drive area gets the same treatment

Only thing is that brick pavers on the main roadway tend to break up. They are better suited for median and gutters. Dyed concrete (negligible additional costs over normal highway grade concrete, much cheaper than labor-intensive paver installation) is more appropriate for crosswalks or any place that gets a lot of vehicular traffic.

Edited May 11, 2010 by cajun

[American Dirt]

Only thing is that brick pavers on the main roadway tend to break up. They are better suited for median and gutters. Dyed concrete (negligible additional costs over normal highway grade concrete, much cheaper than labor-intensive paver installation) is more appropriate for crosswalks or any place that gets a lot of vehicular traffic.

Thanks for the comments on my Cortana Mall blog post everybody.

I agree with you regarding brick pavers--they often prove a tripping hazard when the surface becomes uneven. A brick pattern has a lot more interstices than concrete slabs (the conventional sidewalk paving material), resulting in a lot more opportunities for displacement of bricks and all the nasty problems that result. Also horrible for wheelchairs, and the require a lot more maintenance.

If they want an "upscale" look at Perkins and Acadian/Stafford, the best solution would be either dyed concrete as you recommend (perhaps asphalt is easier to dye?), or concrete with brick accents at the margins.

To me this is one of the most critical intersections in all of Baton Rouge--I hope it is undergoing a great deal of scrutiny, because getting this high profile area right in terms of development will likely yield a stronger return on investment than any other location I can think of.

[richyb83]

Hopefully this new intersection will include right turn lanes coming west-bound from Perkins to go north onto Acadian Thwy...I'll have to double-check. That has been a traffic nightmare on Friday afternoon's...

These improvements should tie in nicely if/when they finally decide to upgrade the Perkins Road overpass nearby...they entire area has alot of potential..hopefully Acadian Village can still happen...Acadian Plaza could be rebuilt closer to Perkins with parking in the back..also these two mixed-use projects could have a pedestrian overpass next to the RR underpass

Edited May 12, 2010 by richyb83

[richyb83]

Madison Park will now be called Madison Square... instead of condo's; it will be townhouses

Madison Square reworked

Madison Park, represented by Rick Cappo, purchased 3.8 acres at Goodwood and Lobdell avenues for $2.5 million in August 2007, one of the few prime undeveloped areas of land in the middle of Baton Rouge.

Cappo planned to build 70 luxury condominiums, ranging in size from 1,200 to 2,100 square feet and selling from $200,000 to $400,000. But as the market slowed in 2008, he reanalyzed the conditions and determined the project needed to be modified. Cappo reworked the property, and architect Charles Oliver drew new plans.

“Oliver worked hard to come up with a very nice plan,” Cappo says.

The project, renamed Madison Square, now calls for 42 three-bedroom, two-bath and four-bedroom, two-bath townhouses that will range from 2,100 to 2,300 square feet. Each condo will feature a private courtyard and high-quality amenities, including wood floors, granite countertops and high ceilings, and will range in price from $450,000 to $550,000.

Construction is expected to begin on the first four units in the next several months, and a large, safe crosswalk is planned for residents to access the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library branch and Independence Park

http://www.businessreport.com/news/2010/may/18/madison-square-reworked/

[cajun]

Hopefully this new intersection will include right turn lanes coming west-bound from Perkins to go north onto Acadian Thwy...I'll have to double-check. That has been a traffic nightmare on Friday afternoon's...

Right Turn lanes are there....now if only they can get traffic on Stanford moving better.

[dan326]

I saw the rendering on the building site. It looks like that faux French Quarter architecture, nothing to get excited about.

Madison Park will now be called Madison Square... instead of condo's; it will be townhouses

Edited May 21, 2010 by dan326

[richyb83]

Actually rode by today too..yeah the new rendering is nothing special...the original looked more promising...oh well that vacant space may finally be filled.

Edited May 21, 2010 by richyb83

[dan326]

Medicine clinic, office to open in Baton Rouge

"ORE LLC, which practices workplace medicine for corporate clients, plans to open an 11,000-square-foot headquarters in Baton Rouge by November.

The $3.5 million facility is under construction on a 3.6-acre North Reiger Road plot, next to the former Siegen Village 10 theater site. New to the company will be a walk-in retail clinic on Reiger, separate from the occupational clinic on the same site."

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/95587529.html

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting Dan I'm glad the old United Artist next to it will be used again!

Three infil projects in the urban core...any residential development taller than 3-stories catches my attention; wonder which building that is on Main Street that will be torn-down?? I posted the rendering of the Nicholson Drive project a while back when 1st announced; still waiting to see what the old Capital City South will look like??

Apartment project in the works for Main Street

Architect Norman Chenevert is working on a new mixed-income 22-unit apartment building at 439 Main St. He expects a decision this month on a $3 million to $4 million grant from HUD that would make the project possible. The existing building, which he says is owned by Commercial Properties Realty Trust, would be torn down to make way for a new four-story building, which Chenevert hopes to make LEED-certified as an environmentally friendly building. The building would have 16 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom apartments. The project is one of three affordable housing developments discussed at today's Downtown Development District meeting. The other two are: the Gulf Coast Housing Partnership's 50-unit project at Nicholson Drive and Terrace Avenue; and Mid City Gardens and Community Center, a 68-unit project at the site of the old Capital City South apartments.

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

[dan326]

^^ Neat! I hope they don't make something too plain.

[richyb83]

^ Me too..it would be nice to see a new rendering!

Mayor has plans to fund projects...Parks,bridge, roads to benefit

All over the parish + downtown..too much to copy & paste

here's the article...

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/95832294.html?index=1&c=y

[cajun]

^ Me too..it would be nice to see a new rendering!

Mayor has plans to fund projects...Parks,bridge, roads to benefit

All over the parish + downtown..too much to copy & paste

here's the article...

http://www.2theadvoc...tml?index=1&c=y

Cool article from a Kansas paper about Baton Rouge. http://www.kansas.co...took-years.html

I'm all for downtown development, but I think we are getting the the point where it can be self sustaining while times are tight.

Otherwise, I am sure more neighborhoods other than downtown can use the money for police protection....not that I'm against beautification and infrastructure improvements throughout the parish...but is that really smart spending during a depression?

Edited June 12, 2010 by cajun

[buckett5425]

I enjoyed the article cajun. Did y'all read the comments at the end of the page though? Some of them are just plain nasty and ignorant. I don't think people in Wichita get the bigger picture...

[hagetaka]

Downtown has become a packed house on weekend nights, drawing people with 60 restaurants, 30 bars and a wide mix of live music. Most of those have opened in recent years.

Is that correct?

& those comments are harsh, kinda have to sit back and smile at the slow progress that's changing our downtown. lol@them

Edited June 12, 2010 by hagetaka

[cajun]

I enjoyed the article cajun. Did y'all read the comments at the end of the page though? Some of them are just plain nasty and ignorant. I don't think people in Wichita get the bigger picture...

$2 billion and 25 years is a difficult pill to swallow in these economic times. You might have seen more positive comments if the article mentioned the public spending projects in a different way. $2 billion turns my stomach... And keep in mind that many of those people have lived in Witchita for a long time and never saw a functional business district and have no idea what it can do to the city.

Baton Rouge faced the exact same kind of opinions in the 1980s who insisted that downtown is a lost cause....a lot of those same people have children that enjoy 3rd street at night! Before we moved to Texas when I was about 5 years old, my father worked in what is now the Chase South building (around 1984)....so you can imagine what comes to mind when he thinks of "downtown Baton Rouge". I had to take him and mom to the BRSO and to Tsunami to change their minds.

I honestly think that right now, downtown Baton Rouge is on a point in it's re-development history where it really doesn't need much help. The word is out.

In 20 years, Witchita will be where Baton Rouge and Lafayette are today. Oklahoma City and Kansas City are great local examples for that region.

I am not laughing at them. The fact that someone there wrote the article, made a few phone calls with people in Baton Rouge about redevelopment means that someone there "gets it".

Edited June 12, 2010 by cajun

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting that article cajun! I enjoyed the read as well...Jackson MS last year..now Witchita ..more cities are taking notice! To remember the days downtown as a ghost-town driving the streets with friends at night..and almost an embarrasment to show your relatives from out of town..they would not recognize it now!

Yeah downtown BR for was left for dead after the Capitol House closed down in the mid 80's...in the early 90's a council member said re-opening the hotel would "like puttting lipstick on a dead pig". Plan BR in the late 90's was the best thing to happen the addition of the Planetarium to the LASM started things off as the state offices begin to consolidate...then the dominos really started to fall.

60?? Restaurants now? Sounds a bit high...

Downtown has come along way...but has a long way to go...the mention as the only city with no riverfront development irks me just like it does the mayor + with residential projects like Capitol Lofts being rejected on the edge of Spanish Town..critical mass will be harder to obtain.

KC's(City of Fountains) "Power & Light District" looks like a cool place to visit...as does OKC's Bricktown with the canal-walk!

Edited June 13, 2010 by richyb83

[dan326]

Neat, its staring to pay off.

Edited June 13, 2010 by dan326

[dan326]

Did some more research and found this. Sorry if I posted this already.

http://www.cparch.com/portfolio_detail.cfm?gal=27&galcat=7

Edited June 15, 2010 by dan326